Online Ordering: Guide for Business Owners

July 16, 2023
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In the food service and wholesale distribution businesses, keeping up with the rising number of online orders is becoming increasingly challenging as online sales and revenue streams multiply. You serve hundreds of offline and online restaurants with high-demand products and wholesale supplies.

An online ordering system can bring in new customers. Online ordering helps speed up pickup and delivery orders. Businesses can eliminate the slow in-store ordering method by setting up an online ordering system.

This guide will help you understand online ordering systems' basics, complexities, and possibilities and how they can affect your restaurant and wholesale business.

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Multichannel Order Management Platform | Getting Started

A multichannel order management system is a B2B e-commerce solution that handles orders through multiple means of getting them to customers. Multichannel order management solutions streamline order processing, shipping, pricing, and other procedures.

Managing a business with multiple channels is difficult. It is frequently difficult to provide the finest omnichannel consumer experience. But multichannel order management software lets you keep track of orders from all your sales channels.

Multichannel order management systems (MOMs) are systems for business-to-business (B2B) companies and wholesale distributors that make it easier for them to sell online. Business owners can utilize MOMs to address two primary challenges.

First, all orders are consolidated into a single physical inventory. Second, anytime prices change, the new prices are propagated across all channels. Some MOMs work as full-fledged B2B eCommerce management systems that go beyond the basics.

5 Benefits of Multi-channel Order Management 

The peace of mind with investing in and using a multi-channel order navigation system for your retail and wholesale business cannot be overstated. Below are the 5 pertinent reasons why you must adopt.

  1. Improved Customer Satisfaction

Customers typically swap devices and platforms when searching for popular things. With order management software, a business may be able to take more orders, fill them more quickly, and get along better with its customers.

  • Diversifying your sales channels can strengthen your company's customer relationship management strategies.
  • Customers will have no trouble locating your wares with any mobile device they choose.
  • Every new channel adds more payment options for consumers.
  • Customers can access a wide range of shipping alternatives to make their selections.
  • Customers may effortlessly add your items to a marketplace order.
  1. Streamlined Order Fulfillment

If you're used to only one sales channel, switching to more than one may seem hard. Depending on your business's work, a multichannel order management system can automate how orders are filled through different channels.

Stockouts, backorders, and confusion grow when things are listed in multiple places without clear communication between platforms. These hazards are reduced via multichannel order management.

  1. Improved Brand Marketing

Your brand will be stronger if you use a multichannel sales strategy and a good marketing plan together. By making sure customers see your products through multiple targeted eCommerce marketing efforts, they can: 

  • Discover your brand.
  • Receive regular notifications regarding your products.
  • Share online content with your family and friends.
  • Purchase the products they enjoy.
  1. Higher Revenue

The ability to increase revenue is a clear advantage of multichannel eCommerce. Multichannel sales improve your wholesale CRM strategy and increase your customers' lifetime values.

Your target audience will easily access your products if you sell on Amazon, eBay, your online store, social media, eCommerce wholesale directories, and physical stores. Customers can then choose the most convenient platform for them to buy from.

  1. Better Competitive Advantage

Multichannel order management can help you stand out from the competition.

Learn which channels your competitors use. You can gain market share if they've ignored a vital sales channel. If they're selling in places your company isn't, you may wish to sell there.

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6 Features of Multichannel Order Management Platform

  1. eCommerce Integrations

A multichannel order management system should be easy to connect to your sales channels. Your order management procedures can be streamlined with eCommerce integrations.

  1. Order Fulfilment

Multichannel order management systems should automate order fulfillment based on your workflows. The order's origin channel and delivery address should determine the fulfillment strategy or warehouse.

  1. Inventory Management

Multichannel order management systems can manage inventory. A consolidated platform will display all your inventory. Multichannel order management software with multilocation management may send fulfillment orders to stocked warehouses.

  1. Integrated POS System

Multichannel order management solutions come with a solid point-of-sale system that helps keep inventory and order management in sync.

  1. Workflow Automation

Multichannel order management platforms automate workflow—control process automation across all sales channels for an omnichannel customer experience.

Your order management software will automate workflow, reduce human mistakes, and speed up order processing to deliver orders on time and correctly.

  1. Reporting and Analytics

A multichannel order management system must have easy-to-use and powerful reporting features. It should be able to pull data from your sales channels and give you real-time business insights. This will provide you with an objective view of your company's performance.

Online Ordering for Restaurants: 8 Tips to Improve Ordering

Whether you set up your online ordering system for your restaurant or use a third-party platform, you need to use the best methods for managing and receiving online orders. Let’s find out how online restaurant ordering can be improved.

8 Tips to Improve Online Ordering for Restaurants

Here are 8 tips to improve your online ordering process:

  1. Adopt Restaurant Technologies

Automating online restaurant ordering is possible. Using online ordering software can help your restaurant function more efficiently.

You can make an app for online ordering and connect it to your POS software to make it easier for people to order and pay. Technology can improve restaurant eCommerce customer service.

  1. Create Your Online Menu

Creating an online menu simplifies consumer orders. Digital menus can be linked to POS systems. This simplifies ordering.

You can add your menu to your website, social media, restaurant app, or QR code. Make sure the menu is easily accessible.

  1. Integrate Delivery Services

Use a third-party delivery service or courier to deliver consumers' orders. Making it easier for customers to receive orders increases customer satisfaction and feedback. Most internet ordering systems also track orders and deliveries.

  1. Use the Right Food Packaging

Your food packaging is a great way to advertise your brand. Choose attractive packaging that is tamper-proof and adheres to food safety regulations. Beautiful packaging design can help you improve the customer experience and increase sales.

  1. Optimize Your Website

Optimize your eCommerce website to receive orders. Your website helps you reach your specialty. With eCommerce marketing and SEO, your website can reach a large audience.

  1. Update Other Platforms

When integrating an online ordering system for your restaurant, update other channels. You may need to connect your Google My Business buttons and links to your online buying system.

  1. Promote Your Online Ordering Services

The next step is getting word about your online ordering service. Whether you use eCommerce PPC or eCommerce email marketing newsletters, letting your customers know about your restaurant's online ordering service is important.

  1. Launch a Customer Loyalty Program

You can launch a customer loyalty program to entice customers to return. A loyalty program for your restaurant can be launched in various ways. You can provide discounts or free delivery after five orders for online group orders. 

A loyalty program is a great way to increase customers' repeat business and lifetime value. In a restaurant, it is vital to keep in mind that it is more cost-effective to retain existing customers.

Wholesale Ordering System: Top 5 Benefits for Wholesalers

Wholesale distributors are in charge of multichannel sales platforms and intricate supply chains. Managing inventories and orders is challenging without the proper wholesale ordering system.

This section discusses how to grow your wholesale distributorship business using wholesale order management and software tools that support online ordering, like wholesale inventory management software.

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What is a Wholesale Order Management System?

Wholesalers offer hundreds or thousands of popular items. Customers order through multiple channels. Wholesalers handle omnichannel supply chains and sales platforms. Inventory and orders are hard to execute without the right wholesale ordering system.

Additionally, wholesale ordering systems simplify B2B and B2C orders. Using a restaurant's B2B or B2C online ordering system will be challenging.

How does Wholesale Order Management Work?

Unlike retailers and direct-to-consumer (D2C), wholesalers sell in bulk to other businesses or directly to customers. Hand-entering customer and order data into spreadsheets takes time and is prone to error.

Order and inventory management are automated with wholesale order management. Your website, online store, or mobile purchasing system makes it easy for wholesale customers to place orders.

So, how exactly does wholesale order management work?

  • Creates end-to-end workflows
  • Synchronizes your services
  • Updates your inventory

5 Benefits of Online Wholesale Ordering Platform

An online ordering system offers wholesalers and distributors tremendous benefits. Here are the top five benefits of using an online wholesale ordering platform:

  1. Improved Customer Experience

B2B customers want big purchases processed fast. Wholesalers with many orders and sales channels may find it hard to eliminate backorders, shipping problems with large orders, and other issues in the supply chain.

  1. Efficient Ordering Process

An online ordering system helps wholesalers run their businesses better by letting them use a mobile app or a web-based purchasing system and by making smart purchase suggestions based on past purchases on a trustworthy platform.

  1. Better Inventory Management

You can keep track of multiple orders from the same customer or different customers without having to change the units on a spreadsheet by hand. By doing this, you'll avoid mismanaging your stock and ending up with a warehouse that is either too full or too empty.

  1. Reduced Costs

A wholesale order management system keeps costs down by preventing wrong shipments, late deliveries, and lost orders. After a customer places an order online, the system generates an invoice or sales order document.

  1. Streamline Supply Chain Management

Centralizing orders and inventory data improve stock management. Wholesale ordering systems simplify supply chains and company procedures.

B2B Online Ordering System: 10 Best Features

eCommerce companies can handle online orders with a B2B system. A business may improve the customer experience across channels with an online ordering platform.

Wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and dropshipping suppliers can respond faster to customer needs when using e-commerce. The B2B order management system your B2B eCommerce software offers must make it easy.

Choosing the finest wholesale ordering system for your business requires careful consideration. Let's look at 10 crucial B2B online ordering system features.

Top 10 Features of a B2B Ordering Platform

Here are 10 features to look out for in an online ordering system:

  1. Ease of Use

Online ordering systems should be user-friendly. The B2B online ordering platform should be easy to use and serve as a customer gateway.

Increased loyalty boosts your online ordering app's high ROI. Before adding online ordering software to your wholesale and business-to-business (B2B) businesses, choose one with an appealing user interface.

  1. Delivery Module

The delivery module lets customers map their addresses. The driver can easily deliver and find the consumer. Assume the incorrect product or delayed delivery was sent to your customer. Any of these instances could cost you clients and harm your reputation.

A B2B online ordering system helps drivers and end customers. Agents can automate delivery, pick-up, and the quickest routes to customers. End users can monitor driver information and track packages in real-time.

Install a good delivery system to avoid this. Adding a delivery route management system to your business-to-business (B2B) online buying platform makes shipping and fulfillment easier.

  1. Pre Order System

Customers will like your online ordering system if they can place orders ahead of time. Restaurant operators can benefit from a pre-ordering system. Customers can order food in advance.

Pre-ordering is typically done online or via a mobile app. Customers must choose something from the large menu and confirm the date and time.

  1. Customer Management

Your customers should be able to order online quickly, easily, and in their own way with the online order management system you choose. Secondly, you must be able to track these orders until they are delivered.

If you provide customers with access to their information, they won't need to contact your sales team with simple questions; they can handle it themselves.

  1. Items Customization

Your customers should be able to order online quickly, easily, and in their own way with the online order management system you choose. Secondly, you must be able to track these orders until they are delivered.

If you provide customers with access to their information, they won't need to contact your sales team with simple questions that they can solve themselves.

  1. Digital Catalog

A digital catalog showcases your items and menu. Your catalog should encourage customers to buy your stuff, from product descriptions to photos. An online ordering system should have a strong digital inventory and menu-design tools. Customers can utilize this to get product information rapidly.

Customers may easily choose and order things with pricing, product facts like ingredients, allergies, and more, and detailed specifications. Mobile devices should be supported.

  1. Payment Processing

Payment processing is as important as buying. It determines how your customer's buying experience will go. It determines customer experience.

Your B2B online ordering system should collect payments and send invoices. eCommerce accounting, invoice management, and payment processing are useful.

  1. Third-Party Integration

Your online ordering system must support integrations. Integrations with third-party services like restaurant management system, customer experience management, wholesale distribution, warehouse inventory management, and point-of-sale (POS) software work well together.

The B2B system must be centralized. This will help your team establish an efficient business process flow.

10 Best Online Ordering Platform for Businesses

Online ordering solutions help b2b eCommerce, restaurants, cafés, catering business, bakery business, and other hospitality businesses take online or in-person orders. POS integration streamlines the payment and invoice processing.

Setting up an online ordering platform will improve the omnichannel consumer experience. Mobile customers can browse your digital catalog or menu by scanning a QR code.

Online ordering speeds up the procedure. In this section, we'll analyze restaurant and wholesale internet ordering platforms. 

10 Best Online Ordering Platforms

Here are the 10 best online ordering platforms.

  1. BlueCart

BlueCart is an all-in-one eCommerce platform for wholesalers, B2B businesses, hospitality businesses, and businesses in the food and beverage industry. The platform is designed to streamline your online ordering processes and operations.

Best For: Wholesale food distributors, restaurant businesses, and hospitality businesses. Offers B2B eCommerce businesses an easy-to-use self-service online ordering solution.

Features:

  • Reasonable prices
  • Website and app for businesses 
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Order management 
  • Multiple payment gateway integrations
  • Inventory control
  • Route optimization and monitoring
  • eCommerce marketplace
  1. Square POS

Best for: Affordability. Restaurants and other businesses in the food industry can use Square POS.

Features:

  • Kitchen display system
  • Third-party integrations
  • 24/7 customer service
  • Multiple payment options including Apple pay and Google pay
  1. Menufy

Best for: Excellent fit for small restaurants that need marketing assistance.

Features:

  • Low processing rates
  • 360 eCommerce marketing solutions
  • Online restaurant listing platform
  • Pay-as-you-go delivery
  • Multilingual support
  1. 247Waiter

Best for: Small businesses and restaurants.

Features:

  • Simple setup
  • Branded website
  • Online ordering platform
  1. Toast

Best for: POS-integrated online ordering system. Restaurant businesses looking for a streamlined, single-platform approach can use Toast.

Features:

  • In-house and third-party delivery driver management
  • Customer arrival notifications
  • Custom branding
  • Multiple device support
  1. Epos Now

Best for: eCommerce reporting and insights.

Features:

  1. Flex Catering

Best for: For different types of catering and event management businesses. 

Features:

  • Online ordering
  • Orders and invoices
  • Create and send proposals with e-sign capability
  • Account management
  • Menu management
  • Delivery management
  1. iMenu360

Best for: Restaurant businesses, cafes, and hotels.

Features:

  • Geofencing
  • Coupon Engine
  • Mobile ordering system
  1. Restolab

Best for: Payment flexibility.

Features:

  • Menu customization
  • Facebook Ordering
  • Mobile ordering platform
  • Delivery options
  • Multiple payment gateways
  1. Flipdish

Best for: Small businesses looking for affordability and simplicity.

Features:

  • Third-party restaurant POS systems integrations
  • Branded online store
  • Customer retention and loyalty campaign setup

Tying it All Up

Without a proper ordering workflow and CRM, running numerous businesses simultaneously is like a failure. With the information in this guide, your wholesale and retail businesses should be able to handle customer orders and changes.

Adopting efficient online ordering management will not only make your business organized. It will also help foster an improved customer experience and give you a geometric increase in profit. 

Streamline order management, grow your bottom line, and get back hours of your time with BlueCart. Schedule a demo now:
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