‘High-Tech’ Consumers Want Restaurants to Offer Digital Features, Loyalty Programs

Consumers who enjoy using technology at home also like to employ it when ordering from a restaurant.

In Digital Divide, a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration based on a survey of 2,200 U.S. consumers, research discerned three distinct types of consumers: low-tech, mainstream and high-tech.

Get the report: Digital Divide: How High-Tech Consumers Connect To Subscription And Loyalty Offerings

Low-tech consumers are reliant primarily on smartphones and computers, averaging just 2.5 devices around the home.

Mainstream consumers typically own the same devices as low-tech consumers but also possess devices such as smart TVs, gaming consoles or tablets.

High-tech consumers have all the latest devices — they own 11.8 devices on average. Ten percent of the survey respondents are in this category.

When asked to identify technologies that would encourage them to spend more at restaurants, those who have more devices at home were also interested in a greater number of digital features. High-tech consumers selected eight features, mainstream consumers selected six and low-tech consumers selected three.

For each of these personas, there is a different ordering feature that is the most likely to entice them to order from restaurants. The greatest share of high-tech consumers say online payment ability would encourage them to make purchases at restaurants. Among mainstream consumers, online ordering ability is the most wanted feature. For low-tech consumers, fast-lane in-store pickup tops the list.

High-tech consumers are also more likely than the other groups to look for restaurants with loyalty programs.

Forty-eight percent of high-tech consumers say loyalty programs are “very” or “extremely” important when selecting a table-service restaurant, compared to 25% of mainstream consumers and 19% of low-tech consumers.

Similarly, 37% of high-tech consumers look for loyalty programs when selecting a quick-service restaurant (QSR), compared to 24% of mainstream consumers and 15% of low-tech consumers.

High-tech consumers are also more likely than the other personas to use those loyalty programs. Seventy-five percent of high-tech consumers use loyalty programs at table-service restaurants, compared to 43% of mainstream consumers and 35% of low-tech consumers.

Similarly, 60% of high-tech consumers use loyalty programs at QSRs, compared to 42% of mainstream consumers and 28% of low-tech consumers.