So for every 100 customers on the database 19.77 people will open the email. For every 1000 customers on the database 197.7 say 198 will open the email. 

Then the 'Click Rate' are those number of people who will go a stage further and act - maybe click on a Book a Table instruction. The click rate is the percentage of the entire database, and not those who opened the email. That converts to:-

For every 100 customers 1.34 people clicked on the 'action' link. 

For every 1000 customers 13.4 people clicked on the link to take action.

Let's return to our examples above:- 

I happen to know that one of the restaurants used in the above examples has built up a database of customers which totals 3122 subscribers. 

Their 'Average Open Rate' is (for the last three campaigns) 54.5% (not the 19.77% stated by Mailchimp)

Their 'Average Click Rate' is (for those same three campaigns) 7.3% (not the 1.34% stated by Mailchimp)

So for every 100 customers 'Example restaurant' achieves 54.5 Opens - for every 1000 customers Example restaurant achieves 545 Opens

As far as Average Click Rate is concerned for every 100 customers the Example Restaurant achieves 7.3 people clicking on the action link - and for every 1000 customers/emails Example restaurant achieves 73 people clicking on the action link.   

So how does that translate to that particular Example restaurant's actual database and any campaigns that are undertaken? And this is the rub:-

3122 subscribers/emails at an Average Open Rate of 54.5% means that the Example restaurant achieves 1701.49 people opening the email. From an Average Click Rate perspective, that means 228 people are taking action! Indeed, this same Example restaurant has in the past (figures not included in the average quoted earlier) achieved an Average Click Rate of 13.3% - that would translate to 415 people have taken action.

Let's tabulate the findings.

What's This Golden Opportunity Restaurateurs Have Missed?

The simple fact of the matter is that many restaurants have taken it upon themselves to survive by rapidly changing their model and have now introduced Delivery/Collection Services. There's nothing wrong with that per se. The golden opportunity however relates to how the restaurant 'physically takes the orders'. Ninety percent of restaurateurs are taking telephone calls and payment over-the-phone. What they are failing to do is 'automatically collect the customer's email address' for future use. Yes, I understand the ramification of GDPR but the fact is they haven't collected the data straight into a database. Hence they have no records which allow them to utilise the cheapest way to contact a customer and what is more, they aren't building for their future. 

Is that such a big deal? Just refer to the actual figures for Example Restaurant and see how far you would be behind their progress if you have no database to which you could directly email. Whilst you are spending money on advertising via Facebook, or magazines, targeting unknown people, located you don't know where (in other words these are completely unknown potential customers who may not even be within your ideal target market), along with a plethora of other like-minded eateries, Example restaurant is writing directly, for free, to 3122 of the very people who have already dined with them, and have been more than satisfied...and it only takes a few minutes of their time! 

What can we do about establishing an effective restaurant database? Talk to Taste Swansea. You can email us here.