Digital Transformation in restaurant and food service industry

Since they opened their first sushi-bar restaurant in 1998, Sushi Shop has continuously grown and expanded to new markets and locations. With now +100 restaurants and counters in Europe, Sushi Shop’s reputation is firmly established and recognized. To get a taste of this popular Sushi Bar, clients can go to one of their locations, order directly from them.

There’s no doubt that the restaurant industry is incredibly competitive. Consumers are bombarded with options and brands need to grow brand awareness and generate interest to stay top of mind.

Also, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last few months have been extremely challenging for restaurants. They had to deal with temporary closure and rely almost exclusively on deliveries to stay afloat.

In spite of COVID-19 and the uncertainty created by it, the team kept pushing forward. They pursued their advertising strategy and kept investing in paid search and paid social to reach new users and past customers.

In the last year, consumer behaviors drastically changed. In-person dining wasn’t an option for most people, but they were still looking for ways to treat themselves during tough times. By investing in digital marketing tactics, The company was able to stay top of mind and create a strong relationship with its consumer base by adapting its messaging and overall strategy.

ACTIONS & IMPLEMENTATIONS

– Drive conversions by driving traffic directly to delivery apps’ such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Stuart App.
– Build brand awareness and stay top of mind with broad, interest-based, competitors and lookalike audiences on social media.
– Adapt our campaigns and messaging to fit the new consumer behaviors brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
– Test various creatives such as carousel and video on social media and focus our budget on top-performing ones.
– Manage search campaigns to support our paid social initiatives.

RESULTS:

– The company was able to keep online sales rolling in, even during difficult times. In 2020, We saw a 142% increase in new users YoY
– They also got a 245% increase in online revenues YoY

Pimclick’s digital expertise and the attention they paid to the customer strategy helped Sushi Shop and its franchisees reach an important milestone in the last year and this year. The performance achieved has brought outstanding support to the franchise network allowing the business and its locations to reinforce its position as a leader in sushi restaurants and counters.