The biggest mistake to avoid when rolling out digital ordering is a native mobile app strategy

The stickiness of a solution refers to its ability to become habit-forming. Contrary to popular opinion, mobile apps are not a sticky technology; a quarter of all apps get used once in the first six months of ownership and two thirds of apps fail to reach 1,000 users in the first year.

The most successful native apps in the quick-service restaurant industry have been created by industry juggernauts such as Starbucks and McDonalds. Growing their app’s audience has taken considerable resource and years of iterative learning. And they’re still learning.

These brands have a huge amount of back-end marketing available to push people on to their app and a massive global following, which is a testament to how difficult it is to get a single-brand native app in this sector to stick.
Other sticky mobile apps in the QSR industry include third-party delivery marketplaces, such as Deliveroo and DoorDash, that provide a delivery ‘shop window’ for multiple brands – therefore increasing the frequency with which a customer uses the app, and reducing the space they need to have on their phone to access numerous brands. For smaller brands that do not play in the same space as McDonald’s and Starbucks, a mobile app is unlikely to stick, even with a lot of investment.

Web apps are stickier than native apps. They work by utilizing native mobile functionality in a web environment – meaning there is no download required. Simply click on the URL or have the link activated via QR code or NFC prompt to launch the journey. And as information from the web is pulled in the same way regardless of what device you access it on, there is no need for separate build out costs.

Reduce friction to boost engagement
The native mobile app model is relatively “high friction” – requiring you to download an app and register your details, when most of the time you just want to do something quick and simple. Most brands simply don’t command the kind of regular customer interaction to allow their apps to become sticky – people download their app because they need something immediate – whether a boarding pass, travel ticket, or to order and pay for food and drinks.

In these situations, the web is fast becoming a better way to deliver what users want. With recent developments in Progressive Web Apps and Android Instant Apps– plus the ability to leverage near field communications and/or Bluetooth to establish a local connection with a brand – the technology now exists to leverage web apps to create a smoother, faster and more valuable user experience.

At Digital Restaurant, we are increasingly working on solutions where customers can connect to a brand via a range of different methods, including low-friction options where there is no app to download or registration required. The customer simply connects via a web page to connect them with their information in the point of sale system.

This approach is less focused on user acquisition or capturing customer data and concentrates instead on providing a digital service that customers will adopt on a large scale. The fact is – most apps fail because they don’t get engagement, but by providing a lower-friction option, you increase the chances of engagement. And you can still put in place strategies to collect customer data, such as offering options for those who want to collect loyalty rewards or take advantage of special promotions and offers, for example.

Ultimately, people need to stop thinking about mobile strategy solely in terms of mobile apps. Yes, there is still a place for native apps (in certain circumstances) but you’d better have a strong brand and high frequency usage. By leveraging the power of web apps, your mobile strategy can become less about how to drive customer acquisition for your app and more about how to deliver a compelling and valuable customer experience.