Page 206 - 100 Great Marketing Ideas (100 Great Ideas)

99 MAKE BUYING EASY

The easier it is to buy from you, the more likely people are to do it,
and yet many firms put barriers in the way of their customers. For
example, telephoning to order a takeaway meal to be delivered takes
time and effort, not to mention telephone charges. People who order
takeaway meals are either very tired or very lazy—the less effort
they have to put in, the better.

The idea

Pizza Magic is a pizza delivery company based in Glasgow. The
company delivers throughout the area, and of course most of the
orders come in by telephone. Recently, however, the company hit on
the idea of allowing customers to order pizzas online.

The company’s website now has the menu, including of course the
requisite wide range of additional toppings, and is interactive so that
people can order the pizza of their choice and pay for it without
speaking to a human being at all.

This has several advantages. First, people who are tired often do not
want to talk to anybody, so ordering online is less hassle. Second, the
company can easily change its menus, prices, topping options, and
so forth without having to reprint all the menus. Third, automating
the ordering process means less staff time spent on the telephone.
Finally, the possibility of error in transcribing customer orders is
virtually eliminated—any errors are likely to be on the customer’s
part, or possibly the chef’s.

Of course, people can still order by telephone, or even call in—but
the internet offers a very convenient option.

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