The Value of Knowing Your Guests

Do you know who your guests are? The people who frequent your venue, who spend a lot of money, and who would be considered “loyal?”

Many venues think they do, but few have the full picture.

Recognizing your guests’ faces or even their names is just the start. Imagine knowing how many times they’ve been to your bar or nightclub, how many reservations they’ve made, how much money they’ve spent at the bar, and their most popular drink purchases. That’s valuable information, and that’s what’s going to propel you forward. An ID scanning system tied to your point of sale is just what’s going to get you there.

Not only does such a system increase your security and reduce your liability, it also acts as the driving force behind building loyalty with your guests. Here’s what you can uncover when you know your guests on a deeper level.

1. Better identify guests.

I’ve been to bars that didn’t know which guests made up the biggest volume of sales. I’ve been to nightclubs where high-profile guests were stopped at the door by security and denied access purely because the bouncer didn’t recognize that guest. This lack of understanding, communication, and identification is a threat to your venue.

In the first instance, you’re losing out on increasing the average cost per transaction from that guest by not identifying the opportunity. In the second instance, not only did you not make money from that person that night, but that person is infinitely less likely to return to your venue. In an industry driven by providing great hospitality, knowing your guests is essential to maximizing your revenue.

2. Upsell guests before they walk through your doors.

With the right ID scanning system, you’re able to collect data on all your guests. This goes well beyond their names, ages, and other demographic information. We’re talking behavioral data.

Notice it’s their fifth time coming in this month? Comp their first drink. Is it a regular attendee from your bar crowd? Upsell them to a VIP table right then and there, thanking them for their loyalty and letting them know you think they would enjoy their experience more this way. They’ll be more likely after this experience to continue to be a high-value customer, become more loyal to your venue, and refer friends.

3. Provide personalized service.

Your guests expect personalized service. They get it from nearly every other industry, so your business is no exception to them. When you have access to behavioral data, you uncover key insights that allow you to provide this level of personalized service your guests have come to expect: how often that guests comes, what time of day they check in, how many visits they’ve had this month, what types of events or promotions drive them there… The list goes on. It’s with this information that you’re able to reward your guests for doing what they’re already doing—simply showing up—and begin to offer them personalized service well after they walk through your doors.

4. Improve marketing efforts.

When you combine an ID scanning system, a CRM system, and a point of sale system, you become unstoppable with your marketing. Now you have a database of rich guest information that combines meaningful demographic information with invaluable behavioral information. Use this data to send targeted, personal and relevant messages to individual guests.

You can hyper-target your digital ads directly to a segment of customers with a message that speaks 100 percent to them. You can segment your database into specific audiences and send a text message offer just to them. You no longer have to mass-blast generic promotions into the unknown. When messages are personal and specific, it increases your marketing ROI so you can continue to reinvest in the actions that build your business.

Article Courtesy of Whitney Larson