The Internet has revolutionized our way of life by making access to
information easier. Now, every bit of information is literally just a click
away. With the internet being an integral part of our everyday life, consumers
increasingly go online to research for options before making decisions, like
deciding where to eat.
With this fact in mind, food businesses are now taking advantage of what
the web can do for them. Today, the food industry is investing time and effort
in creating and sustaining their digital visibility to promote their services
and goods online. And because these avenues have wider reach, promotion has
never been easier, faster, and more effective.
According to Zomato, an online and mobile restaurant search and
discovery service, having websites and social media accounts allows restaurants
to create more buzz in the online space.
“If you are visible online, especially on Zomato, the searcher will
eventually find you, out of a great number of restaurants within an area,” says
Anton Ojeda, Zomato Philippines country manager. “By the time you’re
shortlisted, it will just depend on the food preference of the searcher to
choose you.”
Being visible in the digital space is like hitting two birds with one
stone for the food industry. Ojeda adds that having digital presence does not
only promote a brand, it also opens the communication line between restaurants
and their patrons. “Being present in the digital space is not just about
letting people know about your brand. It is about reaching out to them,” Ojeda
said.
Through comments and feedbacks, restaurants are informed of how consumers
find their services and food. Today, because of social media, consumers can
freely say what they think about a particular restaurant, both positive and
negative. Zomato found out that reviews by food bloggers as well as everyday
diners play an important part when picking out a place to eat. “Filipinos have
the habit of researching about a restaurant before actually eating there, and
they rely on reviews they find in the Internet,” states Ojeda.
On the other hand, consumers can also give negative feedback through
social media, which, as Ojeda says, restaurants take seriously. “In Zomato,
restaurant owners can reply to bad reviews,” shares Ojeda. “You’d be surprised
how seriously they take these reviews and how quickly they would take actions
to address them. And even those with a lot of good reviews would reassess their
operations after just one negative feedback from a user.”
Generally, having digital visibility plays an important part in the
success of the food industry. It can either make or break the business. One
just really needs to be wise enough to take advantage of its benefits, and use
any negativity as a catalyst to make the venture grow.
Building a
restaurant’s online presence and promoting brands in the digital age will be
one of the topics in the first local Zomato Restaurant Summit to be held on May
19. The event, which has the theme Conquering the Digital Age, will bring
together restaurateurs and foodies to talk about how restaurants can level up
their games in the digital stage. Other topics include the evolution of
Philippine restaurants and food tourism. For more information about the Summit,
visit https://www.facebook.com/ZomatoSummit.
For more information on how to use Zomato, click here to see my previous post: http://www.thereyoujho.com/2015/02/zomato-101-discover-great-places-to-eat.html
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About
Zomato
Zomato
(http://www.zomato.com/) is an online and mobile restaurant search and
discovery service, providing in-depth information for over one million
restaurants across 22 countries. Zomato's core content features include menus,
photos, and geocoded coordinates for restaurants. It currently serves over 80
million monthly visitors globally.
Zomato was founded in
2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah. The company is present in over 100
cities across India, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Poland, the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, UAE, South Africa, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Brazil,
Chile, Turkey, Indonesia, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Qatar. Zomato recently
acquired Urbanspoon, marking its entry into the United States and Australia.
Media
Contact:
Shayne
Gualin
Media Relations, TeamAsia
0917 881 3722
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