Ordering Super Bowl Munchies Goes Mobile
|
|
. CREDIT: Home Super Bowl party image via Shutterstock |
Savvy restaurateurs hoping to run up the sales on Super Bowl snacks need to bring their A-game to fielding mobile orders, new research shows.
Hungry consumers are turning to smartphones and tablets more and more to place online orders for pick-up or delivery, with more than two-thirds (69 percent) saying they have placed food orders via mobile devices.
With the game still days away, 26 percent of media-savvy mobile users already plan to order takeout or delivery to compliment their Super Bowl viewing, according to research conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau in association with Viggle, a TV media platform that rewards viewers for watching their favorite shows.
In fact, 50 percent of mobile users with the munchies have become so committed to their favorite destinations for fast eats that they have downloaded at least one restaurant-specific app, such as those for Pizza Hut or McDonald's. And 55 percent have at least one "multi-restaurant app" such as Yelp or Zagat's, the IAB research showed.
While the survey didn’t ask about specific Super Bowl mobile-dining plans, respondents had clear preferences when making mobile, Internet orders in general. Pizza took the top snacking spot at 72 percent, followed by a tie between sandwiches/burgers and Chinese food (31 percent). Wings (24 percent) and Mexican food (15 percent) rounded out the list.
"This research highlights the fact that the mobile Internet is increasingly becoming a vital tool to help consumers navigate their everyday lives, even when it comes to simple tasks such as ordering a pizza," said Anna Bager, vice president and general manager in the IAB's marketing center of excellence. "Restaurant and fast-food chain marketers should pay close attention to this trend and take advantage of the opportunities that mobile offers, making it a key part of their ad-buying strategy."
Mobility influences restaurant selection beyond just the search for fast food on the go, the research found. Nearly half of mobile users use smartphones or tablets regularly to find restaurant phone numbers; 39 percent do so to see the menu, and 38 percent use their mobile devices to find restaurant locations.
Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.We're also on Facebook & Google+.