Research Reveals Operators Should Plan For A Bumper Reopening

- Third of UK adults plan to return to restaurants as soon as they open
- A quarter of punters are planning their return to the pubs
- UK consumers feel safer in hospitality venues than non-essential shops
- Wi5 unveils its latest software developments designed to help hospitality businesses as they plan for their spring reopenings.


26 February 2021: With hospitality operators fearing a slow start to trading when restrictions lift, new research from mobile Order & Pay solution, Wi5, today offers positive news. Indications show a rise in consumer confidence and a desire to get back spending in pubs and restaurants as soon as possible.

Quick return:
Nearly a third of consumers say they will return to restaurants as soon as they open their doors - almost double the number from when the restrictions were lifted in July 2020. The desire to visit pubs also increased, with over a quarter (26%) of people reporting they will be in their local as soon as possible.

Safe places:
The Covid-safe measures hospitality venues put in place during the summer is likely to be a driving factor in this increase. When restrictions were lifted in summer 2020, UK consumers reported feeling safer in restaurants and pubs than they did in department stores and shopping centres.

Prask Sutton, Founder & CEO of Wi5, comments: "Last summer, operators went above-and-beyond to put measures in place to protect their staff and customers. From increased cleaning and sanitation, to protective screens and mobile Order & Pay; it all makes customers that much more confident about returning to their favourite haunts sooner than they did back in July 20201. As soon as it’s safe to open, hospitality operators should feel justifiably confident that their customers will be there to support them.”

To ensure operators are prepared to handle the expected rush, Wi5 unveils its latest software developments, with every feature and update meticulously designed to ensure the very best customer experience for end-users and, crucially, streamline processes and increase operators' margins.

Wi5 Benefits Include:
No signup/cancellation/monthly fees
Lowest transaction fees in the sector
Free integration with leading EPOS systems including, but not limited to, Tevalis, Lightspeed, Square and Zonal
Ongoing customer support and advice
Live order management
Menu categorisation to easily display Specials, Happy Hours, day parts and special occasion menus
Backend tools to generate marketing materials
Tipping feature
All features and future updates at no additional cost, such as Vouchering* and improved Analytics

With the growth in mobile ordering software, 65% of consumers now feel more confident ordering through this channel, with 64% saying they will continue to use it, even when Coronavirus is over.
-Ends-

Contact:
Melissa Greenwood, Head of Communications, Wi5
melissa@wi5.io
077 2069 8952


Notes to editors

*In Beta

Research of 1,510 UK adults carried out by Savanta for Wi5 between February 18th- 21st, 2021

1.When asked, “Over the last 12 months which of these have you felt the most comfortable in, with regards to Coronavirus?” 12.7% cited “In a hospitality venue -pub, restaurant, cafe” compared to 4.6% citing a department store and 8.6% stating a shopping centre.

2. When asked, “When the current lockdown measures for coronavirus are lifted, how quickly do you think you will return to the following hospitality venues?” 26% said, “I will visit as normal as soon as they reopen” in relation to pubs. 32.5% said the same about restaurants. This compares to previous research by Wi5 and Savanta in July 2020, which when asking the same question, showed 20.5% planned to return to pubs as soon as they reopen and 17.7% who planned to return to a “casual dining restaurant’ as soon as they reopened in July 2020.

3.Kate Nicholls - CEO - UKHospitality stated in Tweet “when hospitality opened with restrictions last July, it took 10 weeks to build up to 70% premises open and 60% customers returning - but it was Dec before the sector was forecast return to break even.” See here.

4. When asked, “When the current lockdown measures for coronavirus are lifted, how quickly do you think you will return to the following hospitality venues?” 32.5 % said, “I will visit as normal as soon as they reopen” in relation to restaurants. This compares to 17.7% who planned to return to a “casual dining restaurant’ as soon as they reopened in July 2020. An increase of 14.8%.

5. When asked, “When the current lockdown measures for coronavirus are lifted, how quickly do you think you will return to the following hospitality venues?” 26% said, “I will visit as normal as soon as they reopen” in relation to pubs. This compares to 20.5% who planned to return to a pub as soon as they reopened in July 2020. An increase of 5.5%.

6.When asked, “Thinking about your future behaviour when hospitality venues are open, compared to how you behaved before...” 26.8% strongly agreed and 37.8% somewhat agreed (total of 64.6%) with the statement, “I am now more confident using online and mobile ordering for food and drink than I was before Coronavirus”.

7. 22.5% strongly agreed and 41.3% somewhat agreed (total of 63.8%) with the statement “I would now be more likely to use mobile and online ordering than I was before, even if Coronavirus disappears.”


About Wi5
More than just a digital menu, Wi5 brings the most advanced software to the hospitality sector, providing the tools for operators to simply manage and market a premium mobile Order & Pay solution.

Wi5 makes it easy to build beautifully designed, customised menus, edit them in real-time and access extensive reporting and analytics. Intuitive back-end tools enable the creation of marketing materials to reach new customers. Every feature is available with no upfront costs or subscription fees.

Wi5 is helping industry-leading operators such as Pizza Pilgrims, BOXPARK, Pho and New World Trading Company serve customers safely, increase sales and reduce operational inefficiencies. Wi5 is the hospitality industry’s most secure mobile Order & Pay software solution and the only one with ISO/IEC 27001 information security certification.