Third-party marketplaces have proven vital for boosting brand awareness and guest acquisition. And yet, costly fees and a lack of data ownership negatively impact restaurants and their guests.
To maximize profit, unlock essential guest data, and stay competitive, restaurant brands must reprioritize direct ordering channels. When a guest orders directly through your restaurant website, for example, you own the data and can leverage those insights to drive retention, optimize acquisition campaigns, maximize guest lifetime value, and make informed business decisions.
Though your website and mobile app are paramount, Order with Google (formerly known as Google Food Ordering) is another valuable direct ordering channel. Keep reading to learn how it works, how restaurants and guests benefit, and what makes the Olo integration unique.
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What Is Order With Google?
Order with Google enables restaurant brands to reach prospective guests using Google Search and Google Maps to locate similar restaurants or dishes in their area. Additionally, it helps guests easily find and order directly from nearby restaurants—without leaving the Google platform.
When guests use Order with Google, they see the same menu featured on your brand-owned channels and the orders are sent to your restaurant and processed just like website or app orders.
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5 Benefits of Order With Google
To help you better understand the value of Order with Google—from a restaurant brand and guest perspective—we’ve compiled a list of the primary benefits.
1. Frictionless Ordering
When it comes to meeting the needs of digital-first guests, convenience is everything. Order with Google provides a seamless direct ordering experience from your Google Business Profile. Guests can place an order with just a few clicks without being redirected to third-party ordering pages. This can result in higher conversion rates, guest satisfaction, and long-term loyalty.
2. Incremental Revenue
Order with Google is a critical source of incremental restaurant revenue for many brands. Guests can quickly and easily place orders from Google Search or Google Maps, eliminating the need to navigate to your website or a third-party platform. This streamlined process can lead to more direct orders and, ultimately, more revenue for your business by removing third-party fees from the equation.
3. Increased Discoverability
A fully optimized Google listing with an “Order Online” button will ensure people searching for similar restaurants and cuisines will discover your brand. Get tips for optimizing your restaurant’s Google listings so your brand ranks high in search results and stands out with a seamless Order with Google experience.
4. Guest Acquisition
Order with Google is an efficient way to boost restaurant guest acquisition. On average, 81% of guests who order from a brand on Google have never ordered from the brand’s website or app. Of that 81% (incremental guest orders), 16.4% go on to order directly through the brand’s website.
5. First-Party Guest Data
When guests order through third-party marketplaces, the platform owns that data, making it difficult for your restaurant to build a direct relationship with the guest. Order with Google enables you to collect first-party guest data—including who guests are, where they’re coming from, and their purchase behavior—to better serve, recover, and market to them. This data is essential for personalization and making every guest feel like a regular.
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What Makes the Olo Integration Unique
Driving guests into the direct ordering funnel can seem daunting now that third-party marketplaces are ubiquitous. Olo’s Order with Google integration makes it easy to attract and acquire prospective guests—without spending a fortune on advertising—by meeting them where they are: on Google Search and Google Maps.
Unlike third-party marketplaces, orders placed via Google are treated as direct orders within the Olo platform. This ensures Olo customers can collect, analyze, and act on the associated guest data, which is seamlessly integrated.
When guests place a pickup or delivery order via Google, they can view the same menu, images, and pricing as your brand-owned channels—all of which are syndicated by Olo to ensure accuracy. The order is sent to your Olo Dashboard, where it appears alongside orders placed on your website or app so you can leverage all the benefits of Olo, including order throttling, reporting, and analytics.
For a firsthand look at the Order with Google experience, watch the Fall Release video (Order with Google is covered at the 5-minute mark.) Then, check out Uncle Julio’s case study to find out how the brand grew its direct orders, check size, and guest database using Order with Google via Olo.
If you’re already an Olo customer, contact your Customer Success Manager to learn how to implement Order with Google. If you’re not using Olo yet, request a demo to start the conversation.
