It's no secret that having incorrect information on online listings is bad for business, but it might surprise some to learn that having bad data is particularly damaging for brands in the food services industry. According to a recent Yext survey, consumer reliance upon online information and social media feedback when choosing a restaurant surpasses that of any other local business category, with 87% of consumers reporting searching for a restaurant online in the past year. Retail was a distant second at 66%.
And not only is the category the most highly searched, it's also highly competitive – 65% of consumers claimed to consider 3 or more restaurants when deciding where to dine, while only 7% of respondents reported considering only one option. With so many consumers conducting unbranded searches to satisfy their food cravings, encountering bad data during a search can easily mean the difference between a sale for your business, or a sale for your biggest competitor.
This issue doesn't just affect sales in the immediate future, it can also have a long-term effect. When asked how they would respond if information about a restaurant turned out to be incorrect, 40% of consumers stated that they would "be less likely to recommend to a friend." And this issue is all too common: an overwhelming 82% of consumers surveyed by Yext have encountered incorrect information when searching for a restaurant online.
With so many different sites, maps , and apps storing business data, it's no wonder that consumers are constantly encountering outdated information. The only way for a food service brand to rectify this issue is to take complete control of their listing information at the source. And this not only corrects information, it also allows food service brands to leverage their digital presence more strategically to promote new menu items and special deals, for example.
To learn more about how bad data and weak digital presence negatively impact businesses in the food services industry and how Yext's products can help, download our Food Services whitepaper
here.
