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.
Advertisement: Scroll to Continue
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.
