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For more than 50 years the world has been flocking to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to get a peek at the latest breakthrough technologies. The CES was the place to launch the computer mouse, CD players, smart homes and 3D printers. Since its first show in 1967, more than <a href="https://www.ces.tech/Media/New-Product-Launches" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">700.000 products</a> have presented at the CES.

In case you didn’t have the chance to follow the show and were relying on Stampede to bring you the latest trends &#8211; we got you covered! From amazing inventions like the WiFi-enabled self-cleaning litter box for cats to  the latest brewing devices that enable you to create your own beer in 10-14 days, we’ll take a look at the latest WiFi trends around the world.
<h3>WPA3 Protocol</h3>
There has been a lot of ongoing discussion about the security flaws in the currently used WPA2 security control after the discovery of the <a href="https://www.stampede.ai/blog/wpa2-breach-is-your-wifi-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KRACK breach back in October</a>. At CES 2018, the WiFi-Alliance announced a new and more secure WiFi Protected Access security protocol.  Added improvements will expulse anyone who tries to snoop around the sensitive data that is constantly exchanged between devices and access points on wireless networks. Unlike WPA2, WPA3 will now block authentication after a set number of failed login attempts. The new protocol is expected to arrive at the beginning of 2018 and we hope manufacturers hurry up to supply us with the suitable hardware for it soon.
<h3>Let&#8217;s connect</h3>
One of the most exciting topics this year was the Internet of Things, an expression as general as the use that we can get from it. Everything is now connected to the internet, exchanging and collecting data to connect our devices, homes, cars and lives. At the CES, we had the first opportunity to look at smart cities, which are fully connected and probably know more about our behaviours and routines than we do ourselves. These smart cities connect absolutely everything, from your cat’s smart necklace to a self-steering car. Another emerging technology that was discussed during the event was the Internet of Life Saving Things (IoLST), which is focused on using connected technologies and captured data to save valuable seconds and lives in case of emergency. For example, a smart watch could detect a heart attack and immediately  call an ambulance &#8211; not bad for a device that was once used to just tell time!
Autobots, roll out!
There was a lot of buzz in Las Vegas this week about the latest developments in the automotive sector. All the big players found their way to the CES this year (so at least they’ve got the navigation systems down right). The trend continues with vehicle technologies taking away most responsibilities from human drivers and focus on safety by connectivity. This is a great mobility enhancement for seniors and disabled people who can&#8217;t otherwise get around. The coolest thing we saw? How about steering a car with nothing but human brain signals (which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the level of intelligence of the person behind the wheel).
Health is Wealth
An immense amount of smart devices at CES were aimed at becoming your own personal trainer. We saw sleep tracking devices that learn your sleep routine and help you to get the most out of the best time of the day and smart <a class="" href="http://www.rotextech.com/en/product.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tracking tattoos</a>, as thin as a sheet of paper, that inform you about heart rate or stress levels. Another fascinating innovation was <a href="https://www.oskawellness.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pulse</a>, a non-drug pain relief device that works with pulsed electromagnetic frequency to decrease pain at a cellular level. Pretty impressive!
Another year, another step forward
As with every year, the world was waiting with baited breath to see what the big players in the field of consumer tech had to offer at CES. Sure, there was some cool stuff, but we have to say,  there were less weird devices than expected- what a disappointment.
The crucial role of connectivity on this year’s CES was unmatched and we hope you can take away some inspiration about what smart homes, lifesaving watches and smart tattoos can do for you. So, if your new year’s resolution for your business is to take it to that next level, we’re happy to help you out you around and introduce you to a little helper that can make a big difference to both you and your customers. Simply hit the button below!
<a class="eut-modal-popup" href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a>

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CES 2018: WPA3, SMART TATTOOS and MORE

Vertical: The Future of Video Content for Digital Marketing

Whether it’s in <a class="" href="https://www.stampede.ai/wifi-in-action">retail, a hotel, cafe or restaurant</a> the presence of fast and reliable <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/getting-started-with-guest-wifi/">Guest WiFi</a> at your venue is becoming a major factor for potential customers deciding where to take their business. But providing Guest WiFi does not come without potential risks to your business. 



So, you want to provide Guest WiFi at your venue? What’s wrong with handing out a password to your existing network?



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2735287/Blog/guest-wifi-risk.jpg" alt="guest wifi risk"/></figure>







Because handing out the password to your WiFi could be as bad as handing over the keys to the building. Giving out the password to your WiFi network allows any guest with a small amount of technical knowledge to easily sniff everything on the network including point-of-sale systems (POS), printers, credit card machines and back-office systems. In addition to this, they can “see” other guest devices connected to the network. Most off-the-shelf or ISP provided WiFi equipment is not designed for guest access and hence, is extremely insecure.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-has-this-happened-before">Where Has This Happened Before?</h4>



The so-called &#8216;DarkHotel&#8217; group is an example of malicious individuals that take&nbsp;advantage of these weaknesses in public networks. They have been active for over a decade, with a signature brand of cybercrime that targets <a class="" href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/traveling-business-executives-targeted-through-luxury-hotel-wi-fi/">business travellers with malware attacks</a> using the WiFi in luxury hotels across the globe.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-it-can-happen-to-you-too">It Can Happen to You, Too</h4>



Renting your flat out while you&#8217;re away is a great way to make extra cash on the side with services like <a href="/blog/articles/airbnb-wifi">AirBnB</a>. But what happens when your guests don&#8217;t exactly take everything with them when they go?



By giving your house WiFi password out to AirBnBers, you&#8217;re also giving them keys to the network. A talented (and even not so talented) hacker could easily slip a trojan or listening programme onto your network before they leave. And with the recent breaches discovered in the widely used <a href="/blog/wpa2-breach-is-your-wifi-safe">WPA2 WiFi encryption</a>, your network could be even less secure than you think.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-but-there-s-a-better-way">But There’s a Better Way!</h4>



By making your guests login through a <a class="" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_portal">captive portal</a> using their e-mail or social plugin you can gain powerful insights and value through a Guest WiFi network whilst keeping your business secure. A captive portal is a web page that the user of your network is obliged to view and interact with before they can access the internet. This is more secure than a password but will not allow malicious users to view anything else on the network. A branded login page will also make it a lot harder for hackers to imitate your network and cause customers to connect to them which will fully expose them to possible attacks.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-stampede-can-help">How Stampede Can Help</h4>



Stampede can integrate with a <a class="" href="https://www.stampede.ai/how-it-works">wide range</a> of existing hardware or we can supply our own range of routers which you can plugin and instantly start supplying better, secure Guest WiFi. It only takes 5 minutes to set up, with no technical knowledge required!



With Stampede you can create two separate networks: one for your customers and another for your back office business activity. This greatly reduces the risk of a malicious user on your guest network breaking into your critical business systems.



Instead of entering a password, guests login through a <a href="/blog/press/marketing-with-wifi">fully branded captive portal</a>&nbsp;by entering their e-mail or logging in through Facebook. You can also ask marketing questions &#8211; such as postal/zip code, age or favourite drink &#8211; turning a security risk into a value-adding part of your business with much more personalised customer experience.&nbsp;



&nbsp;So what are you waiting for?&nbsp;



<a href="#schedule-demohttps://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a>

Take the Risk Out of Your Guest WiFi

Keeping on top of your marketing whilst running a hospitality business can be tough. Let marketing automations do the heavy lifting for you. 



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They&nbsp;make your&nbsp;marketing easy and free up your time&nbsp;to focus on driving sales.



Check out our most popular marketing automations that you can send via email and SMS.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-quick-win-marketing-automations-campaigns">4 Quick-Win Marketing Automations Campaigns</h5>



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Drive repeat visits



Want to send out personalised campaigns that drive sales?



Send customers a&nbsp;birthday offer&nbsp;via SMS.



Data: Date of birth



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/bar-tonic">Read Success Story</a>
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Retain your customers



Haven’t seen some of your customers for a while?



Create a&nbsp;win-back email&nbsp;campaign to bring them back to your venue.



Data: Last in-venue visit or booking



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/cocktail-embassy">Read Success Story</a>
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Get more and better reviews



Need to boost your reputation online?&nbsp;



Activate the&nbsp;reviews automation&nbsp;to start pushing those numbers up.



Data: Recent in-venue visitor



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/montpeliers-group">Read Success Story</a>
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Nurture your loyal customers



Want to build a loyal customer base?



Reward your loyal customers with a&nbsp;‘thank you’ voucher&nbsp;and turn them into fans.



Data: Frequent loyalty card user or customer



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/atis">Read Success Story</a>
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<h5 class="wp-block-heading">5 Reasons Why Our Customers Love Marketing Automations</h5>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>They are fast to set up, tip: create and re-use templates</li>



<li>They run on autopilot and leave you time to focus on other tasks</li>



<li>They drive sales &#8211;&nbsp;<a href="https://moosend.com/blog/10-marketing-automation-statistics-need-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">75% of email revenue</a>&nbsp;comes from personalised campaigns</li>



<li>They are personalised and relevant to your customers which means high conversion rates</li>



<li>They keep customers engaged and coming back to your venues</li>
</ol>



Also, have a look at our&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/a-5-step-recipe-that-creates-profitable-personalised-marketing-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">simple&nbsp;5-step recipe&nbsp;</a>that will help you set-up more personalised marketing campaigns.



Let us make marketing easier for you. Get started with <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede marketing automations</a> to free up your time.

Easy And Profitable Marketing With Automations

Without question, one of the most frustrating things in running a hotel is the tendency of guests to reserve a room but then cancel at the last minute. Or just fail to turn up altogether. It’s not just the annoyance factor, though; last-minute cancellations or no-shows have a real impact on the profitability of your hotel. How do you manage to reduce no-shows and cancellations in your hotel?







Independent hotels may suffer from this inconvenience more than most, due to a tendency (whether real or perceived) to have more lenient policies than multi-site corporations. While there is no solution that could promise to reduce these incidents to zero (we’re dealing with humans, after all!). There are a few simple methods you can use to greatly reduce both the likelihood and the impact of cancellations you suffer from this year. Ready to find out more? Let’s dive in!



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Method #1: Have a Fair, but Clear Cancellation Policy</h4>



As we touched on in the introduction, the key reason that independent hotels may suffer from an above-average number of no-shows or cancellations is the relative <a href="https://www.hotelminder.com/8-tips-to-reduce-last-minute-hotel-cancellations-and-no-shows">lack of a clear policy</a>. Even more patchy enforcement of the policy.&nbsp;



Review your policy now. See how it compares to those of your competitors. You can usually find these quite easily by browsing to the “terms and conditions” section of their website. Your cancellation policy needs to strike a balance of fairness for both you and the guest. All kinds of things can happen to disrupt the plans of a traveller, after all, so it’s only fair to them to allow them to cancel. 



The more notice they give, the less the impact on your hotel. So make sure your policy reflects this crucial fact. Many hotels allow free-of-charge cancellations provided there is at least 48 hours notice. Giving you some time to make the reservation available to another customer.&nbsp;



It may also be wise to consider a more stringent policy for particularly over-subscribed times of the year. For example over Christmas, or when a large event regularly takes place in your area. Again, make sure that this policy is easy to understand. All your staff have to know exactly what the special policy is and what dates it applies to. Finally that it compares favourably to the cancellation policies by your competitors for the same timeframe.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Method #2: Make Sure your Cancellation Policy is Published and Enforced!</h4>



This may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many hotels have their cancellation policy buried away where customers will only have their attention drawn to it once it’s already too late.&nbsp;



Anyone that makes a reservation, whether online, via phone, or any other method, needs to be provided with a copy of your cancellation policy so they can’t claim ignorance of it later! Ideally, they should confirm their acceptance of the policy when they make the booking. At the very least their booking confirmation should include a clear reference to it. Even if it’s just a short summary with a link to the full policy on your website.&nbsp;



Make sure all staff are trained to refer to the policy and enforce it, politely explaining the costs involved if doing so causes push-back from the customer. If you decide to allow discretion in the enforcement of the policy, you should make it very clear who is allowed to exercise this discretion. Give examples of circumstances that might allow them to do so &#8211; for example, extreme weather conditions.&nbsp;



Finally, any <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/infographic-how-likely-are-people-to-act-on-promotions/">promotions</a> that you run, whether via email marketing or other advertising, should also include a clear reference to your cancellation policy. Best to cover all the bases!



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Method #3: Encourage Guests to Communicate Changes to You&nbsp;</h4>



You should allow customers plenty of options to communicate any changes of their plans to you. Providing them with the option to submit a cancellation or re-schedule of their stay via email or live chat on your website will result in a reduction of no-show occurrences.&nbsp;



Some customers are just too embarrassed or shy to pick up the phone and have to explain to someone exactly why their plans have had to change! Give them as many options as possible to get in touch. Emphasise that you’re keen to hear from them and that you understand plans sometimes have to change at the last minute.&nbsp;



For example, if your policy states that cancellations with less than 24 hours notice have to be paid at the full rate. You could send a reminder email or text 36 hours before the reservation starts. Telling them that you are looking forward to seeing them and including all the ways they can let you know if their plans have had to change for any reason. Many <a href="https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4088497.html">hotel reservation systems</a> can be configured to send such reminders automatically. Though provided all the <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-legally-and-safely-collect-and-use-customer-data-in-the-hotel-industry/">necessary information is captured</a> when the reservation is made initially.&nbsp;



Further reading: DIRECT BOOKING



Clear and consistent communication removes the worry of the unknown!&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Method #4: Re-market Rooms that Become Available due to Cancellations</h4>



As we’ve covered, cancellations are a fact of life &#8211; you’ll never be able to avoid them altogether. Where many independent hotels are missing a trick is in taking advantage of the opportunity created by a cancellation. Use it to make an extra special offer available on the now vacant room.&nbsp;



A room cancellation, especially for one of your premium suites or stay options, give you a valid justification for letting someone else upgrade to. Even more book that room for a lower-than-usual cost. You will reap the rewards of a delighted guest (who will be more likely to tell others and share pictures of the room on their social media). In addition, you’ll recoup some of the monetary loss that the cancellation has caused.&nbsp;



You can advertise the cancelled room in various places. Your reception/bar, on the boards outside your property and of course on social media. Don’t forget your own database of customers, too. <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/email-marketing-tips-for-the-hospitality-industry/">Email and text (SMS) marketing </a>are a powerful way to drive more traffic to your website and ultimately secure more bookings.&nbsp;



Further reading: <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/effective-email-marketing-tips-for-hotels/">https://stampede.ai/blog/effective-email-marketing-tips-for-hotels/</a>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">In Conclusion&nbsp;</h4>



We hope these methods for managing this frustrating aspect of running a hotel have given you plenty to think about and implement in your establishment. 



Do you want to find out more about how our solution could help you stay in touch with your guests? Get in touch!



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How to Reduce No-Shows and Cancellations in Your Hotel

The hospitality industry is highly dependent on regular cash flow to keep their business running. High fixed costs result from rents, taxes, salaries etc. In times where people are urged to stay at home and restaurants facing temporary shut down, the industry is facing a huge impact on footfall and ultimately revenue.&nbsp;



So, how can restaurants and other hospitality businesses secure their cash flow and combat the coronavirus implications? Your loyal customers might even have asked you already how they can support you during these hard times.&nbsp;



One of our recent articles has covered one possible solution &#8211; <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/why-you-should-put-your-restaurant-on-a-delivery-app-now/">signing-up for delivery apps.</a> This way your customers can still enjoy their favourite meals whilst staying safe at their homes.



Another way to get some money into your account instantly is through boosting gift voucher sales. We’ve already seen hospitality businesses offering gift vouchers for their best customers. Find out more about why gift vouchers and cards could help you right now and how to promote them.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Why Gift Vouchers?</h4>



The idea behind gift vouchers is simple. Buy now and use later. Your business gets the money immediately and your customers can enjoy a nice meal once the situation has eased up a bit. This also provides you with more security for the future, as you know guests will come to redeem their vouchers and gift cards.&nbsp;



Even better, it might also get you potential new customers in. Encourage your existing customers to surprise their family and friends with a gift card. Did you know that <a href="https://enjovia.com/make-more-restaurant-profit-with-vouchers/">60 % of customers say they have been introduced to a new company through a gift voucher</a>? Another nice benefit, research has shown that most of the customers <a href="https://www.leebropos.com/4-reasons-your-restaurant-needs-to-offer-and-accept-gift-cards/">exceed the amount of the gift card</a> whilst in your venue by spending additional money on extras. Especially when the law in certain places (like our native Scotland) prevent offers on alcohol &#8211; meaning you’re almost guaranteed that any redeemed vouchers will exceed their value.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">How To Sell Them?</h4>



The first thing you might think of now is your website. A pop-up or landing page can help you to make it more visible for website visitors straight away. 



The next channel should be your social media accounts. Use normal posts and Instagram stories. If you want to take this one step further, <a href="https://upserve.com/restaurant-insider/restaurant-marketing-tool-boosting-facebook-post/">promoted or boosted posts</a> can help you to spread the word quicker and more widely. Don’t forget to encourage your followers to share it with their family and friends.



When it comes to your existing customers, sending out an <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/email-marketing-tips-for-the-hospitality-industry/">email newsletter</a> is the best way to reach them. Use this opportunity to thank your customers for their loyalty, but also to update them on the status of your business. Anything to keep this valuable communication to your customers up now will help you further down the line.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h4>



This all doesn’t sound too complicated right? Gift vouchers and cards offer various benefits for hospitality businesses right now. From getting some extra money in your till and staying in touch with your existing customers to securing footfall for the future and giving customers something to look forward too. So what are you waiting for? Get your vouchers ready and start promoting them.



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Little extra tip &#8211; our own Gifting section. Our product team has built an easy way for businesses to offer gift cards or accept donations. Featuring a bespoke microsite that you can share with your customer database via email campaigns, social channels and as a link on your website. It’s available for all our users, alternatively if you don’t have an account with us yet, <a href="https://signup.stampede.ai/?source=gifting">sign-up here</a>.&nbsp;

Why Hospitality Businesses Should Focus On Selling Gift Vouchers Now

A diverse topic content week is ahead of us. It’s time to get your socials ready for Easter, no more egg-cuses! All waffle fans (anyone who doesn’t like waffles?!) will be in food heaven and we will raise awareness for global warming during Earth Hour.&nbsp;



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Before we dive into what’s coming this week, today is #GoofOffDay. Use it as an opportunity to let go and have some fun. Take some downtime to shake things up, be silly and refresh your mind. Pass your time by the most unproductive means possible. Challenge accepted?&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coming-up-easter">Coming up: #Easter</h4>



It’s time to sprinkle a little Easter over your marketing. Get your easter bunnies, eggs, chicks, chocolate, pastel colours and flowers ready! Egg-citing times are around the corner.



It&#8217;s always fascinating to compare how certain events are celebrated around the world. Some traditions are the same, others couldn&#8217;t be any different.&nbsp;



Have you seen Australia’s Easter Bilby? Adorable! Or did you know that Finland has its own Easter witches? And if you’re in the mood for an egg omelette, you should go to France where they create the world’s biggest omelette each year (more than 4,500 eggs).



Some more eggs-cellent ideas for your social media:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Crafty Eggs competition &#8211; decorate and share</li>



<li>Virtual Easter Egg Hunt (Website, Socials)</li>



<li>Share Easter brunch &amp; table setting ideas</li>



<li><a href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/easter-ideas/a31405240/cute-easter-puns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Share your best easter puns</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/g2175/easter-traditions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Share worldwide traditions</a></li>



<li>Promote your special Easter offers, meal boxes, meal kits etc.</li>
</ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thursday-25th-waffleday">Thursday 25th &#8211; #WaffleDay </h4>



National Waffle Day is a <a href="https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/culture-history-and-art/swedish-traditions/more-traditions/waffles-day/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Swedish inspired holiday</a>. Though, waffles probably exist in almost every country. Why not take your customers on a <a href="https://blog.musement.com/us/waffles-around-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">waffle journey around the world</a>? How does a hotdog shaped &amp; sausage stuffed waffle sound? Yum!



Traditionally, they’re eaten with jam and whipped cream but for Waffle Day anything is possible. Only one rule: ideally, you want them crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Apart from that, waffles are certainly not limited to your breakfast time, indulge in a whole day of waffle celebrations. Now, it’s time to plug in your waffle maker.



Get your customers into the waffle mood:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Competition &#8211; get creative with your waffle shapes &amp; colours &amp; flavour</li>



<li>What’s your favourite topping? Share recipe ideas</li>



<li>Team savoury or sweet?</li>



<li>Did you know … waffles inspired Nike’s first pair of sneakers? (the sole!)</li>



<li>Did you know … a shortage of cups and surplus of waffles lead to the ice cream cone?</li>
</ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saturday-27th-earthhour">Saturday 27th &#8211; #EarthHour</h4>



This year’s global Earth Hour event will take place on Saturday! People and businesses all around the world are switching off their lights for an hour (8.30 pm to 9.30 pm) to show their support.



This year is all about “Climate Change to Save Earth” and there are plenty of ways to participate digitally. Make sure to share the &#8216;Virtual Spotlight&#8217; video on your socials. 



Ideas to get your customers ready for Earth Hour:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Create an Earth Hour menu using <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/wwf-and-knorr-launch-future-50-foods" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local, sustainable-sourced</a> ingredients</li>



<li>Dinner in the dark or blind tasting ideas</li>



<li>Tips to minimise food waste</li>



<li>Fun ideas to brighten-up the hour without electricity</li>



<li>Recycling challenge &#8211; turn an item into something creative</li>



<li>Host virtual Earth Hour Pub Quiz</li>
</ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-content-ideas-for-this-week">More Content Ideas for This Week:</h4>



Monday 22nd March &#8211; #CrunchyTacoDay Thursday 25th March &#8211; #PecanDay Friday 26th March &#8211; #NougatDay Saturday 27th March &#8211; #SpanishPaellaDay Saturday 27th March &#8211; #InternationalWhiskyDay Sunday 28th March &#8211; #BlackForestCakeDay 



If you&#8217;re looking to get your stories and promotions in front of your customers <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch</a> with our team. We’re here to help with your email marketing and much more.

What’s On This Week? – 22/03/2021

<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-prepped-for-reopening">Get Prepped For Reopening!</h4>



You’re probably well on with reopening preparation now that dates are in sight. One big part is meeting your customers’ changing needs, expectations and behaviour post-lockdown.



With that in mind, <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/how-restaurants-are-bringing-tech-to-the-table-in-2021/594124/">digital tools and technology</a> can ensure a successful reopening by providing contactless and safe interactions with your customers.



Here’s our quick tech-checklist to get you ready to welcome your customers again:



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-technology-for-a-seamless-and-safe-service">Technology for a seamless and safe service</h4>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/5-technology-tools-to-help-hospitality-reopen-after-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technology for hospitality businesses </a>has evolved a lot over the past year. More and more businesses have digitalised parts of their operations:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Online ordering apps</li><li>Pay-at-table apps</li><li>Track and trace solutions</li><li>Digital and online menus</li><li>Digital loyalty and reward programs&nbsp;</li></ul>



One thing these apps all have in common is the need for an internet connection You can go a step further and offer your customers free and user-friendly Guest WiFi rather than just a simple WiFi connection.&nbsp;This creates a smoother customer experience, and happier customers who are more likely to come back.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-guest-wifi-to-enhance-your-digital-customer-experience">Guest WiFi to enhance your digital customer experience</h4>



The best Guest WiFi systems work with a one-off login and will automatically remember your customers when they make that return visit.&nbsp;



In addition, you can use your Guest WiFi to push customers directly to your apps on their phones, and also as part of your <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/making-track-and-trace-easier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Track and Trace system.</a> No need for your customers to download or scan any QR codes. They simply need to connect to your WiFi to get registered, something they are well familiar with. Another tick for frictionless customer experience post-lockdown!



The secret superpower of Guest WiFi is that can also help you grow your customer database. This means you can contact more customers with news and promotions, to bring them back time and again. More contacts, more visits, more revenue. It&#8217;s that simple.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keep-the-outdoor-connected">Keep the outdoor connected</h4>



For the first couple of weeks, all the focus is on our outdoor dining and drinking spaces. In many venues, this will be a new or larger-than-before space.



Therefore, reliable <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/keep-the-outdoor-connected/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outdoor WiFi coverage</a> is a necessity to support all your different apps. Make sure to check for poor connectivity or blind spots in your (new) outdoor area. Without a stable connection, your customer’s (digital) experience will suffer and most likely influence their next dining choice.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next">What’s next?&nbsp;</h4>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guest WiFi</a> contributes to a better customer experience, through safety, connectivity and ultimately &#8211; happiness. If you need guidance on a seamless Guest WiFi in your venue <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch </a>and we’ll be happy to help you get set up.

All Hospitality Apps Need This One Thing To Work Well

The successful digital transformation of town centres can create a vibrant high street at the heart of the community – a source of pride for all involved.

There are many rural towns, keen to re-energize and regenerate the town center and outlying neighborhoods, but the sad truth is that this is being hindered by very poor broadband accessibility.
Without reliable, superfast broadband, local businesses can’t function and grow. Unsurprisingly, locals choose to shop elsewhere in bigger towns, the community is slow to interact with the outside world and tourists drive by.
It is increasingly difficult for smaller, rural towns to maintain a community spirit and many town communities are repeatedly let down by broken promises from big broadband providers.
<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-4310 alignleft" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 307px;" title="Stampede Town Center WiFi" src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2735287/Imported_Blog_Media/08-wi-upper-green-west-2015.jpg" alt="Stampede Town Center WiFi" width="307" data-constrained="true" />
The tide, however, is beginning to turn and more and more town communities are deciding to take matters into their own hands to find an alternative solution.
There is an increasing number of grass-root, Community Partnership projects, finding ways to install superfast broadband and leap into the 21st century. Typically, these projects are supported by both, local business owners and Councils, along with external support and expert guidance. The beauty of the solution is the inbuilt sustainability of the project. As more users join, investment costs are shared, the law of diminishing returns comes into play and profitability for every business involved increases.
Through the installation of superfast broadband, communities are provided with full interactivity throughout the town. Additionally, town centres can create a free digital e-<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-4312 alignright" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 354px;" title="Stampede Newquay" src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2735287/Imported_Blog_Media/Newquay_summer_Searle-8223.jpg" alt="Stampede Newquay" width="354" data-constrained="true" />commerce portal and deploy a free public Wi-Fi zone. The quality of life for those living, working and visiting the town combined with the economic boost to local business  will re-energise the town centre.
<h3>Contact us for more information.</h3>
<a class="eut-modal-popup" href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a>

Intelligent WiFi Can Deliver Digital Transformation To Town Centres

Software to help hospitality venues reopen safely and boost revenues



<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__stampede.ai_&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=G04Hl4mHwuXumE4aLNQwjtCNczRSFK_l5Aipin3BtgA&amp;m=f1O2zrmhKcO9y6J2mqnPsZqLjonrR764RHtxnzOpLCE&amp;s=zsSreC1usrxjVNVUD7fAXZnVkKCq7vOSaKp3lWFxoIA&amp;e=">Stampede</a>, the Scottish hospitality software startup, today announced the launch of its new channel programme, seeking new IT reseller partners around the world. Stampede currently has four million users from over 800 locations across the UK, Europe, US, Asia and South America. It is a powerful data capture and marketing tool that plugs into websites and network hardware to give brick and mortar businesses the same tools and customer interactions as big digital brands. It helps retail and hospitality businesses collect data securely and grow with innovative data-driven marketing campaigns, and has helped thousands of venues reopen safely during the pandemic.&nbsp;



Stampede software integrates with leading IT brands like UniFi, Ruckus, TP-Link. It recently signed new reseller agreements with Invisinet and 7Hospitality, and it is actively seeking additional partners in the UK, US, Canada and UAE. The Stampede software can be installed remotely and represents a quick and easy way for reseller partners to increase monthly recurring revenues, while adding high demand products to their line of business. Stampede believes it is an opportune time for resellers to introduce new cloud-enabled technology solutions to hospitality customers looking to emerge stronger after lockdowns and make the most of the holiday period. Stampede is looking for resellers with a high volume of clients in the retail and hospitality industries, as well as clients struggling to digitise multiple sites quickly/remotely.



“Hospitality businesses are absolutely fixated on what they need to do now to be successful over the Christmas period and get back to pre-COVID levels of profitability,” said Patrick Clover, Stampede founder and CEO. “The hospitality experience is increasingly digital, with customers choosing a venue online via services like Tripadvisor, registering their location on arrival via app, and placing orders the same way – yet it is often a disjointed digital experience. We offer clear value to hospitality businesses seeking a one-stop-shop solution for all their customer engagement needs, helping them to increase revenues, customer satisfaction and loyalty. To resellers, we provide an immediate return on investment. Because they can install Stampede remotely, there’s no need to wait until after lockdown. They can serve their hospitality customers today as they make plans for the rest of the year and 2021.”&nbsp;



A multi-site restaurant group in London generated £19,540 of in-venue sales from a single campaign using Stampede to collect customer data and share details of the promotion. Resellers that want a demonstration on how Stampede and its partner programme works should contact Head of Sales Neil Behan (neil.behan@stampede.ai) to schedule a call. Benefits of the Stampede platform for hospitality customers include:&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Capture customer data instantly when customers connect to guest Wi-Fi or register via QR code</li><li>Track repeat customers with connection data and build new loyalty schemes and promotions (the success of which can be tracked in real time)</li><li>Generate more reviews across platforms like Google and TripAdvisor (customers can be contacted within an hour of leaving a physical venue encouraging them to leave a review)</li><li>Introduce digital stamp card schemes and let customers earn rewards</li></ul>



About Stampede



Stampede was founded by software developer and tech entrepreneur, Patrick Clover, to enable physical venues to engage with their customers more easily and effectively, and understand them better. From the independent coffee shop to global brands with thousands of sites &#8211; Stampede provides a level of customer insight previously only available to large corporations. It offers business owners better information on their customers through improved engagement and insights into consumer habits.



The company has grown rapidly and has served more than four million users from over 800 locations across the UK, Europe, US, Asia and South America.

Stampede announces global channel launch of hospitality martech platform

Yesterday we published <a href="https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2020/06/29/How-can-pubs-collect-customer-data" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">an article in The Morning Advertiser</a> about collecting customer data, and how reopened pubs, bars and restaurants around the world have been doing it.



 If you missed it you can read the article in full <a href="https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2020/06/29/How-can-pubs-collect-customer-data" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



 We spent some time researching how other countries’ approached data collection for track and trace. Our aim was to prepare for if and when the U.K. Government asked hospitality to do something similar to the other parts of the world. What was the reception by the public and the industry in countries like New Zealand, Germany and the USA?



 Our research also gave us a view of the possible future outcomes of data collection programs. It will be interesting to see if the UK mirrors any of these effects in the next few weeks. Will there be news stories about data privacy incidents as in New Zealand?



This article also takes a look at the practical implications. What methods of data collection worked best in other countries? There’s a short review of the pros and cons of the most commonly considered methods that will hopefully clear up any issues around collecting contact details.



 If you’ve got more questions about collecting data and how it might work for your business, then <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch</a> and we’d be happy to talk it through.

Other Countries Have Already Done Track and Trace

<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-free-august-september-2024-social-media-calendar">Free August &#8211; September 2024 Social Media Calendar</h1>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-more-last-minute-panic-brainstorming-for-your-social-media-posts">No more last-minute panic brainstorming for your social media posts.</h4>



Operating a business and at the same time staying on top of your social media content can be tough. Constantly coming up with new and engaging ideas for your next posts takes time you might not always have.



Download your free social media calendar for August and September 2024 now.



Featuring topical post ideas, hashtags suggestions and image inspiration for each month, including ideas for Cask Ale Week 2024.

August – September 2024 Social Media Calendar

5 Tips for Setting Up WiFi for Your Restaurant or Pub [Updated for 2022]

Are you ready for the first item on your Stampede Christmas shopping list? Let’s talk about&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/gift-cards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gift Cards</a>.



We all know that gift card sales always spike massively in December. Gift cards make for a&nbsp;great source of extra sales&nbsp;around the holiday season, which carries into the new year.



No need to wait until December though, the earlier you start promoting, the more time you have to generate revenue.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-increase-revenue-with-digital-gift-cards">Increase Revenue With Digital Gift Cards</h5>



There are many reasons why you should opt for digital gift cards this year.



One of the biggest benefits for businesses, however, is that digital gift cards&nbsp;integrate with your marketing platform. So you can use the data to stay in touch with the customer long after they’ve redeemed their card.



Plus, they are easier to buy and use for customers and they can&nbsp;personalise&nbsp;them.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">5 Tips To Make Your Gift Card Sales A Success</h5>



So, here’s how you can make the most out of this year’s gift cards sales:



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">1) Add-ons</h6>



Everyone sells gift cards. Pimp up yours to make them more attractive and turn them into a&nbsp;special experience&nbsp;by adding some add-ons.



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Tasting menu</li>



<li>Free amenities, i.e. dessert, a bottle of sparkling wine …&nbsp;</li>



<li>Drink package</li>



<li>Christmas hamper, i.e. cheese selection</li>



<li>Top-up option, i.e. double value gift cards</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">2) Omni-channel promotions</h6>



Your gift cards should be&nbsp;highly visible across all your channels.



Website:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Seasonal homepage banner and/or popup</li>



<li>Make it straightforward to buy with clear terms &amp; conditions</li>
</ul>



Email &amp; SMS:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Send an email to your entire database</li>



<li>Make sure to include previous buyers</li>



<li>Use SMS for last-minute promotions</li>
</ul>



Social media:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Add links to your gift cards on your Instagram bio</li>



<li>Change your Facebook Page button to&nbsp;“Shop Now”</li>



<li>Pin a post to your feeds</li>



<li>Showcase your seasonal menu &amp; venue decoration to entice customers (include a gift card call-to-action)</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">3) Reminders</h6>



Keep promoting your gift cards in the run-down to Christmas through regular reminders across your channels.&nbsp;



Make sure to&nbsp;keep your mailing list updated&nbsp;and exclude those who have already purchased.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">4) Promotional push</h6>



Simple but effective. Give your gift card sales an additional push and come up with a special deal around Black Friday (24th of November).



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">5) Flash-promotion</h6>



There are always those who leave their Christmas shopping to the last minute.&nbsp;



A&nbsp;last-minute flash sale&nbsp;in the week before the holidays, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day will help you to attract those.



Are you looking for an easy-to-use&nbsp;digital solution that allows you to sell more gift cards?&nbsp;<a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reach out</a>&nbsp;to get started with&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/gift-cards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede Gift Cards</a>.

5 Tips To Sell More Gift Cards This Festive Season

UGC Revolution: How User-Generated Content is Reshaping Marketing Strategies

How To Speed Up Content Creation With AI In Hospitality

2 Ways to Boost Your Off-Peak Times [Updated 2023]

New Venue? Keep Your Footfall For Longer With Customer Data

Secure Revenue This Winter With Delivery Orders

How To Sell More And Increase Spend Per Head With Upsell

A New 5-Step Recipe: Turn Unhappy Customers Into Big Spenders

3 Clever Ways To Use SMS Campaigns To Scale Up Your Marketing ROI [Updated 2023]

The need for fast and reliable guest WiFi at public venues is becoming as common as running water and electricity. Some achieve this better than others and often the reason for a negative experience is not the software being used or the method of delivery but the hardware behind it.
When we were tasked with delivering a guest WiFi solution to <a href="https://www.royalhighlandcentre.co.uk/">The Royal Highland Centre</a> in Edinburgh, I was happy to learn that <a href="https://whysettle.co.uk/">WhySettle</a> out our IT partners for this install had already fitted out the venue fully with Ubiquiti UniFi hardware all managed using an externally hosted cloud controller. The network consists of 103 access points and has a range of indoor and outdoor spaces with over 18’000 square metres of exhibition space.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-10886 size-full" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map.jpg" alt="" width="2724" height="2650" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map.jpg 2048w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-300x292.jpg 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-1024x996.jpg 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-768x747.jpg 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-1536x1494.jpg 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-1200x1167.jpg 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-150x146.jpg 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-1920x1868.jpg 1920w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-16x16.jpg 16w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-592x576.jpg 592w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-62x60.jpg 62w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RHS-map-93x90.jpg 93w" sizes="(max-width: 2724px) 100vw, 2724px" />
The Royal Highland Centre hosts over 250 events annually and welcomes over a million visitors each year so, the guest network has to be top notch. Stampede provides a seamless login experience pointing guests to a captive portal allowing the venue to collect any data on guests that they wish. The RHS decided to collect email and postcode information; from this, we are constantly updating a large mailing list and user origin map.
Some say that data is the new oil but data without the proper software and utilisation is about as valuable as oil would be if engines were never invented. Stampede can integrate directly with the vast majority of marketing automation tools such as MailChimp, ConstantContact and Dotmailer. All opt-ins and verification happens right within our system meaning that all information captured is fully compliant with GDPR and verified to be accurate by the user themselves. 
So far, we have collected fully complaint and verified information of around 15’000 people at The Royal Highland Centre all underpinned by a solid UniFi guest network.
Interested in deploying a Stampede network in your venue? <a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Find out more</a>.

Providing Guest WiFi to the Royal Highland Centre

<a href="https://learn.g2.com/customer-reviews-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">73% of customers</a> place more value on the written review, rather than the star rating.



The number speaks for itself. Reviews are not only about the star rating anymore. High-star reviews certainly help you attract customers to your venues. Though the real value is found in the words rather than the score.&nbsp;Reviews sentiments are a powerful tool all businesses should make use of.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-power-of-written-reviews">The Power of Written Reviews</h4>



For some customers, it won’t take much to draw out a 5-star review. Others rarely rate any business with 100% despite being completely satisfied. Written reviews on the other hand tell a story on which potential new customers will base their opinion on.&nbsp;



Potential customers will pay attention to all sorts of details that give them a hint of what to expect when going to your venue. For example, any common problems or complaints that came up and if they&#8217;ve been handled.&nbsp;



Written reviews not only provide insights for your customers but more so, they allow businesses to capture the emotions behind the rating and can help you to find out what&#8217;s really going on.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Sentiment Analysis</h4>



How do you extract real value from your reviews then? A sentiment analysis will give you those insights. This technique is used to determine whether words in a text are positive, negative or neutral and are grouped respectively. It’s a great tool that helps you monitor your reviews and points you to potential (common) issues you should address.



But before you fire up a spreadsheet, ready to get started and manually sift through your reviews, there is a better way! Let a review sentiment software do the heavy lifting for you and make the process much more efficient.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Automated Reviews Sentiment Analysis</h4>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Social-Media-Posts-2-14.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/1024/579/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMS8wOC9Tb2NpYWwtTWVkaWEtUG9zdHMtMi0xNC0xMDI0eDU3OS5wbmc=" alt="" class="wp-image-20300" width="437" height="246"/></a></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



The above example showcases how sentiments are automatically captured from the written reviews and tagged in a summary dashboard.



What’s more, common themes are tracked and counted together. So that you can quickly determine which matters urgently need your attention.&nbsp;



The system can also flag negative reviews for you, le easily see which reviews you still need to reply to.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Practice Advice &#8211; Irony &amp; Sarcasm</h4>



Bear in mind that some words, even though they are positive words, might not be meant like that in a certain context.&nbsp;



“We had to wait for 15 min to get to our table. Great start into the evening.”



This is clearly not a positive review. Though “great start” might imply so, which can result in a positive flag. The good news, technology has evolved a lot recently and systems constantly keep learning and improving.&nbsp;



If you’ve got any questions about reviews, sentiment analysis or emailing customers then <a href="mailto:contact@stampede.ai?subject=&amp;body=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch</a> with one of our team. We’re here to help on all things digital.

How to Get Maximum Value From Customer Reviews Sentiments

The opening of Jamie Oliver’s new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hot-dinners.com/2022101211817/Gastroblog/Latest-news/pasta-dreams-jamie-oliver-soho-pop-up-delivery-restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">delivery-first pasta&nbsp;</a>brand has been hitting the news for the last couple of days.&nbsp;



For many of us, ordering a takeaway or delivery has become a regular thing. In fact,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrc.co.uk/news/ordering-part-brits-weekly-mealtime-routine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">22 million Brits do so at least once a week</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thecaterer.com/news/consumer-spending-slows-barclaycard-september-2022-evenings-in-spending-more-takeaways" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">customer spending increasing</a>&nbsp;by 10.1% since March.&nbsp;



This recent consumer trend presents a big opportunity. By&nbsp;diversifying your revenue streams&nbsp;you can better protect your food and drink business from market fluctuations.



It&#8217;s time to bring back your delivery offers and meal kits to drive some extra revenue this winter.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">10 Tips To Increase Your Delivery Orders</h5>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Opt for direct ordering rather than 3rd party &#8211; 62% of customers want to order direct and via an app </li><li>Ensure a smooth ordering process and online experience </li><li>Send offers to customers who have ordered only once to encourage more frequent orders </li><li>Use the data insights to create personalised offers, i.e. favourite menu item </li><li>Tie it to your loyalty program &#8211; 70% prefer a ‘ free delivery’ as a reward </li><li>Have an accurate menu description with enticing imagery </li><li>69% of customers rate reviews as a deciding factor for their next order &#8211; actively ask customers for reviews, reply the good and bad ones, and keep an eye on your scores </li><li>Use customer feedback to continuously improve your processes, packaging, etc. </li><li>Make use of upsell options, i.e. drink package, dessert </li><li>Spread the word &#8211; pinned social media post (and link in your bio), website banner, email</li></ol>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-re-create-a-restaurant-at-home-experience">How To Re-Create A Restaurant At-Home Experience</h5>



Customers might cut back on expensive meals over the next couple of months, but they still want to&nbsp;treat themselves. Delivery and meal kits hence fit in as an ideal &#8211; and cheaper &#8211; alternative.



It’s up to you to make the&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-get-it-right-meal-kit-online-sales-success-by-hawskmoor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at-home experience</a>&nbsp;as special as your in-venue one. So, your venue becomes their preferred choice for ordering and you can later&nbsp;turn them into walk-ins.



Here’re some ideas to pimp up your orders:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Come up with seasonal meal kits, i.e. autumn, festive-themed (this also creates a sense of urgency to order and avoid missing the specials!) </li><li>Consider different mid-week and weekend offers, i.e. offer weekend drink packages </li><li>Offer a premium version with high-end ingredients/specials </li><li>Include add-ons, i.e. decoration, curated playlist, printed or digital tasting menus and notes </li><li>Offer a limited special featuring your bestseller and signature dishes </li><li>Include a personal note in your orders </li><li>Sneak in a little surprise in your boxes, i.e. Halloween treats, Christmas chocolate</li></ul>



Further reading &#8211;&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-set-up-a-successful-meal-kit-e-commerce-page/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How to set up a successful meal-kit e-commerce page.</a>



Need a hand with promoting your delivery offerings via email and SMS? <a href="mailto:support@stampede.ai?subject=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team who are happy to help.

<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-on-this-week">What’s on This Week</h4>



It’s a doubleheader Monday this week, closely followed by the opening of the first advent calendar door on Tuesday.



Let’s dive into this week’s ideas.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mon-30th-nov-cyber-monday"> Mon 30th Nov &#8211; Cyber Monday</h4>



Black Friday’s lesser-known sibling is an extension of the sales event that kicks off Christmas shopping season. Use it to keep the momentum up your Black Friday promotions or as a chance to switch things up a bit with a variation of last week&#8217;s offer.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mon-30th-nov-st-andrews-day">Mon 30th Nov &#8211; St Andrews Day</h4>



Scotland’s National Day and a chance to celebrate all things Scottish. When it comes to food and drink there is a myriad of choices: Haggis, whisky, smoked salmon, Stornoway black pudding, stovies, tablet and we only deep fry two of those&#8230;



 If Cyber Monday isn’t for your brand, some visual content about the diverse Scottish larder will go down well today on social media. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tues-1st-december">Tues 1st December</h4>



The start of December is the start of Christmas for many. Use it as a chance to remind customers and fans of Christmas offers and booking availability, or implement a Christmas social media theme such as an advent calendar or 12 days of Christmas with topics relevant to your business.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fri-4th-dec-bartender-appreciation-day">Fri 4th Dec &#8211; Bartender Appreciation Day</h4>



Falling on the first Friday of December, this a day to say thanks to all the bartenders out there. Thanks for all the extra tasks they’ve undoubtedly taken on this year, all the time and effort they’ve taken to keep customers safe and happy in a difficult working environment.&nbsp;



 Grab a picture of your bar team, or dig one out of the archive for social media this Friday, giving your fans a chance to say thanks or share stories of great experiences they’ve had thanks to the bartending team.



That&#8217;s all for this week, time for a Tunnocks Tea Cake and a glass of Irn-Bru.



 If you need any help with setting up Christmas promotions and campaigns, please <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch</a> with one of our team.

Fresh Content Ideas To Fuel Your Marketing

Who would have guessed that the year 2020 would have us in lockdown? That businesses would be pressed to close their doors and that the days as we once knew them would come to a sudden halt? This is, unfortunately, our current reality and it’s a harsh one for all of us. It’s not the end, however. With some positive thinking, innovation, and strategising – you can still make a success of your hospitality business despite the current and seemingly unyielding “downtime”.



If you&#8217;re not furloughed, then the following tips are great for those who are in the hospitality industry. These ideas will keep you productive and they will help you to best prepare your business for when your doors open again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Spring Clean</h2>



We’re starting with the most obvious and possibly most dull (for some) idea. While your venue is not seeing any foot traffic, you may as well use the opportunity to give it a thorough clean. This is especially important during this time when cleanliness and hygiene is the number one priority.&nbsp;Many readers have probably already done this. But it&#8217;s important to keep it up, as dust will gather even with no one visiting.



Disinfect the nooks and crannies that were low priority before, deep clean cupboards and shelves. Pull everything out of these storage places and get stuck in. Even the staff only areas.



At the same time, you may also want to look into creating a new schedule and cleaning tasks for staff going forward. New expectations and measures have been put in place when it comes to cleanliness and these should be added to your regimen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tackle Staff Training</h2>



Platforms such as Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts make it possible for staff members to meet and collaborate online. This means that staff training doesn’t pause if employees are furloughed &#8211; in fact getting those staff training is encouraged.



You can use the new found time on your hands to compile training material. Alternatively, you can browse the internet for information to be passed onto your staff that can improve their skills.&nbsp;



Once you have your training material ready, set a meeting date and time that everyone can commit to (giving everyone time to set-up the conference application of choice). You can then continue with your staff training online. This is also a great way to encourage a positive outlook and to keep employees in good spirits during a period of uncertainty.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Update Your Website and Social Media Pages</h2>



Now’s the time to make those changes and updates to your website that you just never get to. You can:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Make sure all of your contact details are still correct</li><li>Test your contact form to make sure it’s still working</li><li>Add new and more recent photos to your gallery</li><li>Write blog posts for your blog (content is a key component when it comes to SEO and online marketing)</li><li>Contact your web designer for an upgrade or a new user interface design</li><li>Add an E-commerce module and create an online store</li></ul>



The same applies to all of your social media pages. You can make sure your details are correct across all of the platforms and update your “About Us” sections with recent news.&nbsp;



Downtime is also perfect for planning future social media posts. You can compile content and post ideas to schedule for the coming months.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Update and Optimise Your Directory Listings</h2>



Most hospitality businesses recognise the importance of having listings on both offline and online restaurant, travel, and entertainment directories. While you have some time on your hands, why not make sure that the information on these directories is still correct? Perhaps you can respond to customer reviews too and better your reputation across all channels.&nbsp;



You may also want to do some research to see if there are any new directories that you have not been listed on. During strenuous times for businesses, you want to make sure that your brand is advertised well and even the smaller directories could give you extra exposure.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Work on Your Marketing Approach</h2>



Just because you’re not receiving customers, it does not mean that you should stop marketing yourself. Continue with your social media campaigns and start strategising for the weeks and months ahead.&nbsp;



An event &#8211; such as the Covid-19 pandemic &#8211; can change how the world reacts to your brand and your advertising methods. Now may be a good time to strategise how you market yourself. For example, the current lockdown has emphasised how important the digital world is. It provides a portal where many businesses can continue to trade or at the very least, engage with customers. Perhaps it’s time to consider improving your email marketing and digital customer communications? Or maybe you want to make more of a prominent appearance on social media?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Adjust Your Strategy</h2>



When a stick gets thrown in your works, then we encourage you to embrace the event as an opportunity to learn and grow. Do what you can to ensure that your business is stronger and more prepared every time something drastic and unforeseen occurs.&nbsp;



When it comes to adjusting the strategy of a restaurant or hotel, for example, we &#8216;ve got the following suggestions:&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>You can take your business online and create an E-commerce store where you sell your recipes, secret ingredients, cooking lessons, and vouchers.</li><li>Create a delivery service to get meals and drinks to your customers’ doorsteps.</li><li>Offer your services to those in need. If you have available hotel rooms, you can offer them to those who need to self-isolate or to those who cannot find a flight back home. If you’re a restaurant, you can use your resources to make food parcels for the hungry. This way you can continue to serve your community and you will be remembered for the role you played in giving-back.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">On an end note:</h3>



When you’re stuck at home, why not use the time to get to know your customers better? When you know your customers – you know your business. At <a href="https://stampede.ai/">Stampede</a>, we provide smart technology so that you can connect and communicate with audiences. Helping you to learn their behaviours and expectations with data driven insight. Ready to <a href="https://stampede.ai/contact/">contact us</a> for more information?

Hospitality business owner working on projects

How Your Hospitality Business Can Make the Most of Downtime

Jimmy Garcia Catering – Lockdown Story

Manchester Gin – Lockdown Story

Why is Social Authentication so Important?

For travellers, few amenities rival the importance of being connected when staying in hotels, resorts or when visiting public venues, like airports or stadiums.  Good internet connectivity will always be one of the first things travellers demand.
Stampede offers social media authentication, so travellers can provide your venue with a Facebook Like, Facebook Check-In or Twitter Follow to boost your company’s social media growth and exposure.
The benefits of this are plentiful, no access codes /passwords make it easy for users to connect. Most internet users in the modern day are already familiar with common social sites, meaning connecting accounts in exchange for WiFi, is an appealing option for some. This type of authentication helps
<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2763 alignright" style="width: 79px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" title="Stampede Facebook" src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2735287/Imported_Blog_Media/social-login-ball.png" alt="Stampede Facebook" width="79" data-constrained="true" />
build your social media following, which in turn gets your name out there to the masses. With social media in the picture, every hotel, motel, resort, airport or stadium wants guests and users to share the good times and leave positive feedback; now these users are immediately guided to your social media accounts.
<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-4478 alignleft" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 79px;" title="Stampede Twitter" src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2735287/Imported_Blog_Media/Twitterbird.png" alt="Stampede Twitter" width="79" data-constrained="true" />
With social media in the picture, every hotel, motel, resort, airport or stadium wants guests and users to share a good experience and leave positive feedback, allowing a social login guides users to your accounts straight away.
Social Media Authentication through Stampede WiFi can help you and your business to boost social media exposure while providing your guests with a positive guest internet access experience.
<a class="eut-modal-popup" href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a>

Social Media Authentication For Guest Wi-Fi

Tammie Hurrell

Montpeliers Group

Grant Murray

CRU Holdings

Emma Luke-Ward

Lane7 Group

Steve Watson

Signature Pub Group

Nick Gregory

Society Manchester

Shivani Kenth

Zindiya Streatery & Bar

Graham Atkinson

Butta Burger

Lottie Bedford

Birdhouse London

Chris Hughes

Mele Group

Chris Aitchison

Bar Tonic

Ieuan Davis

The Coal Exchange Hotel

Give your customers the royal treatment for the long Jubilee weekend ahead and drive some extra revenue for your business.



Recent research by <a href="https://kam-media.co.uk/project/jubilee-weekend-infographic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KAM Media</a> has shown that 4 in 5 people will celebrate the Jubilee weekend (2nd to 5th June) in some way, with 35% planning to visit a pub and 31% a restaurant. On top of this, pubs are allowed to stay open until 1:00 AM for the period.



With less than 4 weeks to go, time to lean hard on your marketing comms to ensure your venue is buzzing. Email campaigns should be your go-to here to spread the word about your events and urge customers to book ahead.&nbsp;



Here’s what your 5-part Jubilee marketing campaign could look like:



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jubilee-email-campaign">Jubilee Email Campaign</h5>



Email 1 &#8211; Let’s celebrate &#8211; Book your spot for our Jubilee weekend



Audience: All customers



Sending time: 19th/20th May



Content ideas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Entertainment program &#8211; Live music, Jubilee event broadcasts</li><li>In-venue events &#8211; Traditional games, raffles, royal pub quiz</li><li>Food &amp; drink highlights &#8211; Great British Menu, showstoppers, royal cocktails</li><li>Meal kits &#8211; Jubilee picnic hamper with classic staples, coronation afternoon tea box</li><li>Early bird booking offer</li></ul>



Email 2 &#8211; Have you secured your Jubilee table yet?



Audience: All customers, excluding bookers



Sending time: 23rd/24th May



Content ideas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Shorter version of Email 1 as a reminder</li><li>Highlight your main events, ie. ‘don’t miss our giant cake stand’</li><li>Create a sense of urgency &#8211; ‘book now’, ‘only limited availability</li><li>Special afternoon tea offer if you book this week, including free drinks</li></ul>



Email 3 &#8211; One week to go &#8211; are you ready to celebrate?



Audience: All customers



Sending time: 26th/27th May



Content ideas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>What to look forward to on the weekend</li><li>Sneak peek &#8211; “we’re already busy prepping the venue”</li><li>Head to our socials to stay updated and get involved in competitions</li></ul>



Email 4 &#8211; Last-minute availability for this Jubilee weekend



Audience: All customers, excluding bookers



Sending time: 31st May/1st June



Content ideas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Why you should celebrate with us &#8211; event highlights</li><li>Last sales push to fill in empty spaces &#8211; include a special deal</li></ul>



Email 5 &#8211; Your upcoming Jubilee booking



Audience: Bookers only



Sending time: Day before the booking



Content ideas:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>We can’t wait to celebrate the big Jubilee with you</li><li>Your table on the [date] at [time] for [people] is waiting for you</li><li>Get excited about &#8211; menu highlights, events</li><li>Include upsell offers &#8211; bottomless drinks&nbsp;</li></ul>



Tip &#8211; Make sure to automate this email.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Social Media Post Ideas</h5>



 All national events are usually a trending topic across all social channels. Plan about&nbsp;2 posts per week&nbsp;and&nbsp;2-3 stories&nbsp;to get customers excited and hyped up.&nbsp;



And don’t forget to use <a href="https://stampede.ai/resources/hospitality-hashtag-cheat-sheet/">relevant hashtags</a> to give your posts maximum exposure &#8211; #PlatinumJubilee #Jubilee #JubileeParty #JubileeCelebrations #LetsCelebrate.



Some inspiration for your social channels:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Competition &#8211; create a royal drink, kids/pets royal dress up</li><li>Short video sneak peeks &#8211; kitchen prep, decoration</li><li>Royal-themed quiz</li><li>Giveaway &#8211; share, tag and win</li><li>Introduce entertainment acts, menu highlights</li><li>Booking reminder posts/stories</li></ul>



Jubilee marketing content ready but not sure how to set up your campaign? <a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team who are happy to help.

Increase Your Footfall With This 5 Part Jubilee Marketing Booster Campaign

<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-free-may-june-2024-social-media-calendar">Free May &#8211; June 2024 Social Media Calendar</h1>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-more-last-minute-panic-brainstorming-for-your-social-media-posts">No more last-minute panic brainstorming for your social media posts.</h4>



Operating a business and at the same time staying on top of your social media content can be tough. Constantly coming up with new and engaging ideas for your next posts takes time you might not always have.



Download your free social media calendar for May and June 2024 now.



It features topical post ideas, hashtag suggestions and image inspiration for each month, including the exciting start of the summer of sport!

May – June 2024 Social Media Calendar

Untrackable traffic is probably one of the biggest fears of any data-driven marketer.&nbsp;



“Dark social” is an example of such a dreaded source, which has been on the rise over the past couple of years.&nbsp;



We’ve compiled everything you need to know about dark social advocacy and how you can use it to your benefit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-dark-social">What is Dark Social?</h2>



Dark social refers to any web traffic that comes from sharing links that are not trackable. They won’t be picked up by Google because they usually don’t contain any <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-clever-tools-that-simplify-how-you-measure-marketing-results">UTM tracking code</a>.



As a consequence the original traffic source remains unknown, instead, those leads will show up as “direct traffic” in your analytics.&nbsp;



What makes this type of sharing so dark is the fact that it happens on private messaging platforms such as chat apps or instant messengers and not on public social media platforms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why the Channel is Growing</h2>



Recently, there has been a shift in how much people share on social media. This is mainly linked to privacy concerns and how their data is used.&nbsp;



Contrary to social media, private messaging platforms allow for end-to-end encryption, so people can better control their personal information.&nbsp;



Up to <a href="https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media/what-is-dark-social/">80% of shares are in fact happening in the dark</a>, probably more than you might have expected.



This is even more so the case in the hospitality industry where people are looking for recommendations from their family and friends. So chances are high that they will share it privately.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Ways Dark Social Affect Businesses</h2>



The impact of dark social on businesses can be broken down into 3 main points:



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Untrackablilty</li>
</ol>



As mentioned already, the major issue is that you can’t put an exact number on this type of channel.&nbsp;



There are ways you can measure it to a certain extent, such as through Google Analytics (Source: direct traffic) or by using special tools.



<ol class="wp-block-list" start="2">
<li>Exclusion from the customer conversation</li>
</ol>



The actual content that is shared through dark social remains invisible to companies.



You don’t know what is said about your business. Also, you can’t control the conversation and whether it is in line with your brand voice and values.



<ol class="wp-block-list" start="3">
<li>Lower reach</li>
</ol>



In general, your reach might be limited on dark social. People tend to share within their network, i.e. like-minded people with the same interests and behaviours.



It’s therefore not necessarily a channel to attract a new type of customer.



However, if you look into the demographics, you can reach an older audience as younger customers still tend to share their content on social media.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Actionable Tips For More Transparency</h2>



The good news, there are a couple of ways you can increase measurability. It’s all about making your content more traceable in the first place.



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Encourage trackable ways of sharing: add share buttons/links to your content containing <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-are-utm-tracking-codes-ht">referral data</a>.</li>



<li>Chime in on the conversation: create your own community with loyal customers, i.e. a Whatsapp group.</li>



<li>Use <a href="https://free-url-shortener.rb.gy/">URL shortener</a> for social posts: shorter links with UTMs attached look cleaner and are easier to copy and paste.</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Power of Dark Social</h2>



Taking all the above into account, dark social should definitely not be seen as a threat to marketers.



Even though it is a channel that is hard to control it contributes a lot to your brand awareness and engagement.&nbsp;



Think about it this way &#8211; if customers share your content privately it’s a sign of trust and loyalty. It is a form of unexpected <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/breakdown-3-ways-customers-advocate-your-hospitality-brand">brand advocacy.</a>&nbsp;



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-hospitality-operators-can-use-data-to-reveal-loyal-customers">Learn more</a> about how you can identify and grow your most loyal customers using data insights and our customer retention cohort report.

Shedding A Light On Dark Social And How It Increases Brand Awareness

24 social media content ideas for week 27th of December:



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monday-27th-fruitcake-day">Monday 27th &#8211; Fruitcake Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Cake offer</li><li>Poll idea: Yay or nay &#8211; fan of raisins?</li><li><a href="https://www.mashed.com/283751/the-best-christmas-cakes-from-around-the-world/">Fruitcakes from around the world</a></li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Monday 27th &#8211; Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-a-paper-snowflake-226204?">Paper-cutting competition</a> for the kids &#8211; show us your snowflakes</li><li>Get creative &#8211; snowflake decoration ideas</li><li><a href="https://earthsky.org/earth/how-do-snowflakes-get-their-shape/">Did you know</a> … there are more than 30 types of snowflake shapes</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Tuesday 28th &#8211; Chocolate Candy Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Count the candies challenge &#8211; how many are in the jar?</li><li>What is the<a href="https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/food/popularity/confectionaries/all"> most popular UK candy</a>? &#8211; Maltesers</li><li>What’s your favourite childhood chocolate candy?</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Wednesday 29th &#8211; Still Need To Do Day or Tick Tock Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Anything left on your to-do list?</li><li>How do you unwind? Get into nature, listen to music, entertainment escape or exercise?</li><li>Share your team’s motivational play list</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday 30st &#8211; Bacon Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Breakfast offer</li><li>How do you like yours? Crispy? Thick vs Thin? Back or Streacky? Have you tried vegan bacon?</li><li><a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/bacon-recipes">Bacon recipe inspiration</a></li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday 30st &#8211; Resolution Planning Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Company update &#8211; share any upcoming plans for 2022</li><li>Are you sticking to your resolutions? <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-2795719">Share tips</a> to make them work</li><li><a href="https://www.goskills.com/Soft-Skills/Resources/Top-10-new-years-resolutions">Top 5 New Year’s resolutions</a> &#8211; Exercise more, lose weight, get organised, learn a new skill or hobby, live life to the fullest</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Friday 31st &#8211; Champagne Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Offer on champagne drinks</li><li>What’s your favourite <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/champagne-cocktail-recipes">champagne based cocktail</a>?</li><li>Share fun facts &#8211; one bottle contains almost 50 million bubbles, a flying cork can reach speeds up to 64 km/h</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Sunday 2nd &#8211; Motivation &amp; Inspiration Day</h5>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Share <a href="https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/motivational-quotes">motivational quote</a></li><li>Any big plans for the new year?</li><li>Who motivates and inspires you?</li></ul>

24 Buzz-Worthy Content Ideas For Week 27.12.21

While we’re in the midst of spring with plenty of time on our hands due to lockdown, now’s a good time for business owners to pull up their sleeves and do a bit of spring cleaning. But while it’s great to dust cobwebs and polish the silver, giving your digital house (your digital presence) a clean is also essential. Spring cleaning your digital places is probably something you’ve been putting off for a while, but with more hours at your disposal, the best thing you can do for your hospitality business during downtime is to prepare it for the months ahead. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Polish and Refine Your Website</h2>



According to seo.com <a href="https://www.seo.com/blog/spring-clean-your-website/">[1]</a>, it’s important to constantly polish and refine your website since it is often the first interaction customers have with your entity. During your website spring clean, they suggest you:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Update your contact details and include any icons that may lead to new social media pages.</li><li>Add new blog posts (and continue to do so on a regular basis) – if you don’t have a blog, now’s the time to add one!</li><li>Test all internal and external links to make sure they are not outdated or broken. Use a Chrome Plugin like <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/check-my-links/ojkcdipcgfaekbeaelaapakgnjflfglf?hl=en">Check My Links</a> to do this in one click on your site &#8211; we do.</li><li>Make sure that your contact form is working and goes to the right people.</li><li>Use Google Analytics to see how much traffic your website draws and which pages your audiences favor or avoid – and why. </li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Update and Clean Your Social Media Pages</h2>



Your social media presence plays an important role in marketing your brand and maintaining its good reputation. Keeping your pages clean, accurate, and up to date is vital to the online health of your business. A digital spring clean here should involve:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Update your profile and cover photos. Refreshing and rejuvenating your visual presence will show your fans you are active and wanting to interact.  You can keep your logo but upload new cover photos for your pages. You can also update your bio across your pages and add new photos of your products or services to your galleries. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Audit your posts and who you follow. Depending on how long you’ve had your social media business pages, there may be some posts that you no longer want to showcase. A good idea is to browse your older posts and review any that underperformed. As for what/who you follow, perhaps there are suppliers or other local businesses you could connect with (or disconnect from) to help improve your feed and how it inspires you.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Check your privacy settings. Don&#8217;t neglect the security settings on social media platforms. Sometimes, more settings are added with updates and it may be worth your while to tweak old and additional settings to your liking. It’s important that your business profiles are secure and protected so that unwanted eyes cannot access your information. There could be former team members with admin access to your pages. Regularly updating passwords is a wise security move too.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Take a quick peek at what your competitors are doing. Use your free time to browse the pages of your competitors and are other local businesses. See if they’re doing anything that you should be doing. While we are not encouraging you to replicate their material, their innovation may inspire you with some new ideas of your own.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>While you’re at it, you can also refresh your social media content calendar. Use your analytics tools to get insight into what has and hasn’t been working for you social media-wise. Then, revamp your strategy so that you can reach and engage with a broader audience.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Spruce Up Your Appearance on Google</h2>



Don’t forget the important role Google plays when it comes to the reputation of your business. You may want to:&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Google search your business. Are you listed on the first page? Is the information Google delivers about you accurate? Edit outdated information so that your brand remains consistent throughout all digital platforms and improves Search Engine Optimisation efforts so that you are found easily. Try searching as potential customers do like &#8220;healthy food restaurant Birmingham&#8221; rather than for the business name exactly. Tip: make sure you log out of Google or use an Incognito browser window before you do your search. This avoids personalised search results. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Claim your pages. During your Google search, you might find some MyBusiness pages you didn’t know belonged to you. These pages add value to your online brand, and you can claim them and update them accordingly. There may even be some reviews you can respond to and you can build some new relationships. The same applies to other directory listings – see if you’re indexed correctly and bulk up your newfound listing with some fresh and encouraging content. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Put some elbow grease into removing content you’re not happy with. If there is any content online that you do not want your brand’s name associated with, now’s a good time to take a proactive approach. Contact website administrators and request that the content is removed (politely, of course). If they refuse to do so, it’s in your right to seek legal action. </li></ul>



Spring is a great time to bring new life to your business – even if you are restricted by lockdowns and impossible regulations. You can use your time constructively to refresh your outlook, your business, and your strategy going forward.



Stay tuned for “How to Thoroughly Test and Spring Clean Your Digital Places: Part 2”. Here we’ll suggest how you can clean out other digital “nooks and crannies”. 



For more information on more ways to use digital technology to help your business, please <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact">contact us</a> here at Stampede. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">References:</h3>



<a href="https://www.seo.com/blog/spring-clean-your-website/">[1] seo.com – Spring Clean Your Website</a>

Digital Spring cleaning of your social, website and other spaces

How to Thoroughly Spring Clean Your Digital Places: Part 1

Short-form video is one of the big social media trends&nbsp;for this year. If done right, this sort of content is one of the most engaging ones and certainly delivers high results. We’ve put together a&nbsp;selection of various online resources that will help you create high-performing video content.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Here’s all you need to know from the setup to the editing and the content to get you started.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-the-setup">1) The Setup</h4>



Before you kick-off, make sure you consider the format of your video. Most short-form videos are filmed&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/BYqbcqqhCVo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vertically</a>&nbsp;to make them fit to Instagram Reels and TikTok.



Also, short-form can be any video length between&nbsp;30 seconds and 2 minutes. So, make sure to keep it short and sweet when creating video content.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-get-the-lighting-right">How to get the lighting right</h5>



This popular&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/how-to-do-tiktoks-viral-photo-editing-hack-1622171/" target="_blank">TikTok photo hack</a>&nbsp;will help you get your image settings on spot for the perfect shot.



A more&nbsp;detailed lighting guide&nbsp;on food filming can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deadpixelfilms.com/blog/lighting-food-video-in-a-busy-working-restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. It will give you some more tips and tricks on how different settings could work for you.



If you want to showcase individual dishes and avoid distracting shadows a light box is what you need. Get instructions for a handy<a href="https://www.flaxandtwine.com/2013/02/diy-photo-light-box-a-finish-fifty-project/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;DIY light box&nbsp;here</a>,&nbsp;build from a cardboard box.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-best-present-food">How to best present food</h5>



It is all about putting your dishes in the right spotlight and making your customers’ mouths watery.



In essence, you can apply the same principles that work for food photography to filming. Watch this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGqeBuI1T0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">short video</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/andrewscrivani/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Andrew Scrivani</a>, a well-known food photographer, sharing his ultimate best practices.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="2-the-editing">2) The Editing</h4>



You want to stand out on your customers’ feeds, so get creative when editing. You can also try and stick to a&nbsp;theme&nbsp;that will make your videos recognisable. Find some free and ready-to-use&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.canva.com/tiktok-videos/templates/" target="_blank">TikTok</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.canva.com/templates/?query=instagram-reels-videos" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;templates on Canva.



Also, make sure to check out this easy to follow&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-reels-tutorial/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tutorial to get your reel editing on point.</a>&nbsp;Everything you need to know from adding music, filters, green screens to making time-lapses and remixing.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-use-filters-effects">How to use filters &amp; effects</h5>



??The choice of filters and effects seems to be endless. Have a look at these tips on&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bustle.com/life/how-to-search-tiktok-filters" target="_blank">finding and saving high-performing filters</a>.



Besides, the green screen effect can be really useful. It lets you change your background into literally anything you like.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enmKA97eIuQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Here’s how you use it</a>.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-add-sound-effects">How to add sound effects</h5>



Just missing the perfect background music for your video? Get inspired by the&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thepreviewapp.com/trending-instagram-reels-songs-audio/" target="_blank">90 most popular Instagram Reel songs</a>. Or have a look at this useful article on how to choose the right&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://later.com/blog/tiktok-sounds/" target="_blank">TikTok sound</a>&nbsp;alongside your video.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="free-editing-apps">Free editing apps</h5>



Make editing your videos a lot easier and quicker with an editing app. Here’re the 3 most popular ones. The best part is they’re for free!



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.capcut.net/" target="_blank">CapCut</a>&#8211;&nbsp;TikTok’s own tool</li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://inshot.com/" target="_blank">InShot</a>&nbsp;&#8211; all-in-one tool</li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.zoomerang.app/" target="_blank">Zoomerang</a>&nbsp;&#8211; including tutorials</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="3-the-content">3) The Content</h4>



When looking for content ideas, the most important part is to stay authentic and true to your brand. This is what makes videos such a powerful and engaging tool.



Get inspired by some great industry examples:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUcZg95o6tt" target="_blank">Introduce your venue</a></li><li>Showcase a&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZS-375hr-Z" target="_blank">dish</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@urbantandoorbristol/video/7038657441826884869?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id6918430262649947653" target="_blank">menu</a>&nbsp;highlights</li><li>Highlight&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CW8Uis8jigD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">seasonal&nbsp;</a>events or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CSSCL-AATqV/" target="_blank">promote</a>&nbsp;events</li><li>How to&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWD-FrgtbRF" target="_blank">make your favourite dish</a>&nbsp;(<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyz0C7i3ysU" target="_blank">cooking video tips</a>)</li><li>Go&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWbelgjI_ew" target="_blank">behind the scenes</a></li><li>A&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS_d6kYgeI1" target="_blank">day in the life</a>&nbsp;of &#8230;</li><li>Share&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CYcLDAFB4CG" target="_blank">customer stories</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@poppycooks/video/6927752424480345350?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id6918430262649947653" target="_blank">Kitchen</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUXnp_vDY_W" target="_blank">cocktail mixing</a>&nbsp;hack</li><li>Introducing your&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CTmACnAIiJc" target="_blank">loyalty program</a></li></ul>



Want to start turning social media fans in to loyal customers, check out our&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/get-loyalty/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digital stamp card system</a>. Or&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch</a>&nbsp;to find out more.

How To Create Engaging Video Content [25+ Free Resources]

The key to running a successful business is understanding who your customers are. So you can tailor your products or services to suit them. Going beyond vague age and gender brackets, <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/the-marketing-power-of-wifi-analytics-for-your-business/">data analytics</a> can give you an accurate breakdown of exactly who is visiting your restaurant. As a result, you can make informed decisions on how to market what you do and to whom. Learn more about how you can use data analytics to get to know your customers in and out.







In the digital age, it’s never been easier to find data analytics to use to your advantage and get to know your customers. In fact, even social media can tell you the average age of your followers. Even more, when they are most active online, making it simple to build an overall picture. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BVLVFH38ps">More advanced data analytics</a> can even share how often your customers visit you, how much they spend with you and what their interests are.



Such insight matters, because it’s the best way of getting in sync with what your customers really want. By doing so, you can improve your business model and streamline your overheads too.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Read minds</h4>



No crystal ball required. By having your customer data presented in a way that’s easy to toggle between, you can ensure <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/04/06/how-to-market-a-product">your marketing hits a bullseye every time</a>. For example, if pizza is the most popular item ordered in your restaurant. You can deliver deals to your most loyal customers. When it comes to social media marketing, you could use storytelling to show your customers how your famous pizzas are made.&nbsp;



Compared with generic content you put out to try and boost your followers with no real insight behind it, this tactic is a lot more likely <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/tracking-digital-marketing-roi/">to generate ROI</a>. That’s because you are getting to the heart of what your customers come to you for. If your analytics show people are searching for ‘pizza in Edinburgh’, then you can even tailor your paid posts to pick up on these keywords too.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Identify your best customers</h4>



It’s not a question of picking favourites here. Studying your <a href="https://www.towerdata.com/blog/what-is-customer-demographic-data">data analytics can paint an interesting picture</a> when it comes to your acquisition costs. In particular, who is responding best to your marketing. For example, if you are spending the most money trying to attract students. However, find out that your biggest customer base is working professionals coming in on their lunch break. This gives you a chance to reassess your marketing strategy. So that overall it’s a lot more cost-effective.&nbsp;



You can also understand who is spending the most money with you, and what are your most popular products or services. As a restaurant, this might be a particular meal deal you serve that’s popular with the lunchtime crowd. If your analytical tools are even more advanced, you can even identify what each individual customer orders most often, to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-marketing-with-wifi-benefits-your-business/">create tailored marketing.</a>&nbsp;



Further reading: <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/personalise-your-customer-journey-at-your-restaurant/">https://stampede.ai/blog/personalise-your-customer-journey-at-your-restaurant/</a>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Target their location</h4>



Geography is huge when it comes to marketing your business. If your customers are coming from far and wide but your marketing is only concentrated to a 1-mile radius of your restaurant, you could be missing out on vital trade. Similarly, if you advertise nationally but 90% of your customers live within 5 miles of your restaurant. This could be eating up your marketing budget providing a poor ROI.&nbsp;



The great thing about data analytics is that you can find out <a href="https://marketingland.com/getting-back-to-basics-with-location-based-marketing-256512">the towns and cities closest to you</a> that are pulling in the most customers. You will be able to access both the reach and engagement, as well as the potential reach if you were to extend your campaign from the city to the whole county.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Maintain steady business</h4>



The thing about analytics is that it shows both upwards and downwards trends. <a href="https://www.whishworks.com/blog/big-data/data-analytics-explained">By studying your data regularly</a>, you can see when certain demographics aren’t purchasing as regularly. Or when the business as a whole is receiving less traffic to its social media pages, which is impacting bookings. Going beyond simply noticing less cash in the till, the specifics of who isn’t buying from you and why can allow you to take informed action.&nbsp;



For example, you might notice fewer students are visiting because it’s the end of the summer term. You can prep for freshers week to bring in even more trade than usual, to make up for the shortfall. In addition, you could switch to marketing towards families who are more likely to be receptive in the school holidays instead. Therefore, your data analytics can assist both your business forecasting and recovery too.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h4>



Do you know who your customers are? Answering this question accurately can be really tricky for any restaurant business. After all, customers tell you their order not their date of birth or any other key information that would help you tailor your marketing strategy better. Then there’s the challenge of getting this key information in the first place, especially in the age of GDPR.&nbsp;



Our branded WiFi portal allows your customers to keep connected. While simultaneously allowing you to be more connected to your customers too.&nbsp;By monitoring the connection closely you can get insight on how your business is performing. But also how to improve it.&nbsp;On the same time, you can use data analytics to get to know your customers better and reach out to them in a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-set-up-your-first-email-campaign-guide-2019/">more tailored way</a>.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>

Using Data Analytics to Get to Know Your Customers

Shortly after Pret a Manger announced their YourPret monthly subscription service, healthy eating grab-and-go brand <a href="https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2020/09/09/Leon-to-launch-unlimited-coffee-offer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LEON unveiled something similar</a>. They’re offering up to 75 drinks a month for £15.



 <a href="https://gifts.leon.co/shop/unlimited-coffee" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LEON’s Unlimited Coffee</a> offer depends on people using a click-and-collect app called SmartOrder.&nbsp;



 The difference between the two is in the detail. LEON’s offer is managed with an innovative use of gift vouchers. Instead of a rolling contract like YourPret (or Netflix etc), customers can choose if they want an Unlimited Coffee voucher for that month.



 The downside is no auto-recurring revenue, but the benefit is a speedy setup for LEON to take advantage of a new trend. It also provides the same benefits of a subscription scheme that we covered in Wednesday’s email.



 Likewise, if customers have to use an app or online-payment platform to purchase the offer, it grows Leon’s customer database. The very act of signing up for Unlimited Coffee identifies those customers as loyal and regular visitors, a valuable segment for marketing.



 LEON&#8217;s Unlimited Coffee promotion is further evidence that digital services are the new catalyst for mass customer loyalty.&nbsp;



 Keep an eye on your inbox for more information on Stampede’s upcoming digital loyalty app, coming soon.

Grab and Grow: Round 2

The Power of Reviews and Recommendations

Team Update

There’s no denying that loyal customers are a key revenue driver for any business. Their <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-loyalty-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">average spending is up to 67% higher compared to new customers</a>. More than ever, hospitality businesses should now up their efforts to increase customer loyalty to secure a steady revenue flow.&nbsp; A well-established way to get customers coming back and increase sales is by offering loyalty stamp cards. Collecting stamps at each visit and getting rewarded for it, what’s not to like about it?&nbsp;



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



But how many of your customers are actually filling and redeeming their cards? And how long does it take them to obtain a full one?



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-problem-with-loyalty-stamp-cards">The problem with loyalty stamp cards</h4>



Getting customers to sign up for your stamp card is usually an easy task, keeping them coming back to use the card is another story. All the initial excitement and interest in collecting stamps tends to wear off over time. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167811621000082" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The average rewards program gets a redemption rate of only 13%.&nbsp;</a>



Using stamp cards will increase the chances of a customer coming back, but it can’t be relied upon entirely as a way to keep them coming back for more.



The key action here is to keep customers engaged on a frequent basis in a variety of ways, so they get their stamps too. Let’s uncover some loyalty card secrets.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-keep-customers-engaged">How to keep customers engaged?</h4>



First of all, you have to stay front of mind with your customers. They probably have many loyalty cards from various different places. So it’s on you to regularly remind them that they have a stamp card from your place as well. It’s all about actively encouraging them to come back more often.



Also, when creating your rewards, focus on these questions:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Are they obtainable? Your average visit frequency helps you to determine the ideal number of stamps needed for a full card</li><li>Are they attractive? Which type of reward would your customers want? Are they worth collecting stamps for? Are your rewards relevant to your business?</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-email-sms-marketing-campaigns">Email &amp; SMS marketing campaigns</h4>



As ever, email and SMS marketing are a great tools to keep your customers interested and stay on top of their minds. It’s all about a friendly nudge to remind them of their loyalty stamp cards.



Here’s some inspiration for your campaigns to keep customers committed:



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-them-to-collect-more-stamps">Get them to collect more stamps:</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>&#8220;How many more stamps do you need? &#8211; a fresh batch of &#8230; arrived today, and we know how much you love them. Come by to get yours.&#8221;</li><li>“&#8230; more stamps to go. Come by today to get one extra stamp for every &#8230; “</li><li>&#8220;Special weekday deal &#8211; earn double the stamps when you buy &#8230;&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Flash offer &#8211; Buy 1, Get 1 free on all cocktails from 6pm-9pm.&#8221;</li></ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-them-to-redeem-their-full-stamp-card">Get them to redeem their full stamp card:</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>&#8220;Still haven&#8217;t redeemed your stamps?&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Got a full card? You&#8217;re owed a free …, come by today and enjoy &#8230;&#8221;</li><li>&#8220;Don’t miss out on our special freebie for all redeemed stamp cards this month.&#8221;</li><li>“Your chance to win. All redeemed stamp cards from this month will enter a special prize draw.”</li></ul>



By the way, are you still using paper loyalty stamp cards? Everything we’ve said before is massively improved by going digital. Save money and gain more loyal customers faster with digital stamp cards.



<a href="contact@stampede.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> to find out more about our digital stamp card solution.

How to Maximise Revenue from Your Loyalty Stamp Cards

The Ultimate Beginners Guide to WiFi Jargon

When it comes to collecting customer details we understand that registering with a venue through WiFi isn’t possible 100% of the time. So we’ve put together a system to cover those instances and still provide the benefits of using a digital <a href="https://stampede.ai/covid-19/track-and-trace/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">track and trace system</a>.



 Customers can also scan a QR code specific to Stampede venues that is printed on posters and floor stickers.



How it Works



They enter their contact details in a form which go into the same secure storage as the information collected from the WiFi. This keeps it simple for staff with one location for all customer data.



 What makes this QR scan-in special is that there are no venue-specific ID numbers to enter, nor are there different QR codes for each venue. It’s one QR code that works for any Stampede venue. This way of keeping it simple is the ideal solution for everyone.



No phone, no problem.



 For those customers without access to a smartphone or a WiFi-enabled device, staff can add them to the system manually, still keeping all the data in one place.



 Altogether it&#8217;s a fast and easy way to tick this data collection job off your list so you can spend your time where it’s needed most.



 To find out more or ask any questions, <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">contact</a> one of our team on <a href="tel:+441315107008" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">0131 510 7008</a>, by <a href="mailto:contact@stampede.ai?subject=QR%20Code%20Info&amp;body=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> or visit <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/hospitality-reopening/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">our website</a> to live chat with us.

Covering All The Bases

Marketing Your Restaurant Online – A Brief Guide to Getting Bums on Seats

The real countdown is about to begin – Welcome to the Stampede Advent Calendar

What is Real-Time Marketing in Retail?

3 Steps to transforming the customer experience in retail

Guest WiFi in the Retail Industry

Some of the biggest names in high street food and drink like <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/food/pizza-express-reveal-the-recipe-for-their-famous-dough-balls-heres-how-to-make-them-at-home" target="_blank">Pizza Express</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/greggs-release-sausage-bean-cheese-4023733" target="_blank">Greggs</a> have started sharing their best-loved recipes online. If you can’t go out to get your favourite foods, then being able to create them at home is the next best thing. And some of these big names are going a step further with detailed cook-at-home video demonstrations showing how people can make these favourites by themselves.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



One <a href="https://youtu.be/lTcesqUPu9U">excellent example</a> is from Wagamama&#8217;s Exec Chef Steve Mangleshot. Filmed in his own home kitchen, he donned his chef’s whites and jumped right into the classic chicken katsu curry &#8211; a favourite for many Wagamama patrons.



If you’re not so familiar with <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-video-marketing-can-boost-your-restaurant/">making video conten</a>t you might wonder: “What makes this video so good?”. It’s not all about budget or having a well-known brand. Anyone can make great videos that represent you and your brand really well by sticking to these best practice tips.



 Here&#8217;s some of the crucial bits Steve from Wagamama got right in his cook-at-home videos, that we reckon make a big difference:



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-setup">The Setup</h4>



His ingredients are laid out individually so he can show them off. Where there’s some simple prep needed (like beating the eggs) this is already done. It’s a good way to show which ingredients are part of specific stages of the cooking process. In this case &#8211; what is for the chicken and what is for the sauce.



The full ingredient list is in the description. This is vital! No one wants to start/stop a video to write them down. Got hard to find ingredients? Throw a link to a place where people can buy them online in the description too.



ALL the lights are on &#8211; great videos need good lighting. We can see it’s the middle of the day but every downlight on the kitchen surfaces is on. This draws the viewers’ attention to the main event and prevents background lighting causing Steve to be just a silhouette.&nbsp;



He filmed it in manageable sections. This makes it easier to edit, without depending on one take to do it all. It also allows for close-ups of the cooking processes and ingredients to be slotted in to make the video engaging.



You don&#8217;t need expensive or complex video editing software to arrange a series of clips into one video. Apple’s iMovie or Windows Movie Maker are just fine for doing these. If you don’t want to export it to a desktop or laptop, GoPro’s Quik app can do the same thing on mobile.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-human-element">The Human Element</h4>



What makes <a href="https://youtu.be/lTcesqUPu9U">this video</a> work is that he&#8217;s tailored it for the audience and the situation. The audience are going to be Wagamama fans to some degree. They are also people who are stuck at home with potential restrictions on their ability to shop for groceries. The little things Steve does here to make the video relevant to all these audiences are spot on.



He talks about the ingredients that he found in the cupboard &#8211; it’s made from household stuff not wholesale exclusives. This reassures the watchers that this really is doable at home with mainstream ingredients.



Steve&#8217;s dog makes an appearance &#8211; pets in the video are all the rage right now! We’ve all seen the jokes and memes about cats, dogs and other pets appearing in video calls. Here, it injects some empathy. Any dog owner knows how much they love to lie in the most in-the-way place whilst you work about the kitchen.



There&#8217;s encouragement for viewers to make it their own. Steve suggests that viewers adjust the volumes of certain ingredients to their own tastes. He shows where and when to do this with the caveats of how it will affect the dish.



Lastly &#8211; and this isn&#8217;t for everyone &#8211; but he&#8217;s really channelled his inner &#8220;TV chef&#8221;:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Talking directly to the camera</li><li>Be loud and clear, project your voice so the built in phone camera picks you up</li><li>Use lots of adjectives on the food. Wonderful, gorgeous, delicious, incredible, lovely &#8211; the list goes on.</li><li>Be really descriptive. Getting the smell of particular ingredient combinations or the sound of the perfect bread crumb coating.</li><li>Show the hard parts in detail. Go back and watch the part about the sauce and roux. He takes plenty of time to show the slow addition of stock and how it should develop.</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wrapping-up">Wrapping Up</h4>



With all the above in mind, there&#8217;s still some neat editing gone on behind the scenes as well in Steve&#8217;s Wagamama video. Such is the nature of a large restaurant company and its resources. 



This cook-at-home video is definitely more of a target to aim for than a minimum requirement for video standards &#8211; don&#8217;t try and overdo it. Quick and down-to-earth resonates with audiences as we’ve seen in many other how-to videos. 



Also remember, these best practice tips aren&#8217;t limited to food videos. This advice all still applies whether it&#8217;s a showcase to make sourdough bread, a cocktail class or a beer tasting. Lay everything out, get the lights on, humanise the situation, record in sections, be descriptive and you’ll be on to a winner.



If you keep the points above in mind, you&#8217;ll have people flocking to your wonderful cook-at-home videos whilst keeping your brand and your credibility up front and central for your customers.

Wagamama Exec Chef Steve Mangleshot showing how to make chicken katsu curry

A Success Recipe For Cook-At-Home Videos by Wagamama

The ongoing supply chain issues are continuing to impact the hospitality industry. Businesses across the country are constantly on the lookout for new local suppliers to keep stocks filled and customers happy. But with much of the supply chain management still being done offline, finding new suppliers can be a daunting task. A supply chain app can be your solution.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-offline-supply-chain-problems">Offline supply chain problems</h4>



Many businesses&nbsp;rely on the classic word-of-mouth, someone knowing someone who might have some stock left. Usually, this involves a good amount of phone calls and messages. But also manually updating inventory sheets and order forms to keep track, which can be a rather&nbsp;sluggish process, especially when dealing with multiple different suppliers.



But there are many more potential suppliers out there than businesses might be aware of. And there is a better, more streamlined way of finding and managing them&#8230;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Digitise your supply chain</h4>



A digitised supply chain is much more dynamic and flexible&nbsp;but also removes the potential for errors that occurs when juggling with various spreadsheets and lists manually.



The first step is to digitise the process of finding suppliers online. 



We’ve compiled a short list of suppliers across the UK to get you started. Industry bodies and trade associations are always a good way to begin your search.



Most of those directories also offer a map view, which makes it easier to spot potential close-by producers.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://artisanfoodtrail.co.uk/producers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artisan Food Trail</a></li><li><a href="https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/local-food-map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Big Barn</a>&nbsp;&#8211; includes an online marketplace</li><li><a href="https://foodanddrink.scot/support-local/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food and Drink</a>&nbsp;&#8211; for Scotland</li><li><a href="https://product.stampede.ai/ba782304-abcc-11ea-ac20-0a369310b5a4/marketing/Love%20British%20Food" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Love British Food</a></li><li><a href="https://product.stampede.ai/ba782304-abcc-11ea-ac20-0a369310b5a4/marketing/openfoodnetwork" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Food Network&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.produceandprovide.co.uk/find-local-producers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Produce and Provide</a></li><li><a href="https://www.salsafood.co.uk/directory/search2.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SALSA</a>&nbsp;&#8211; food safety certification scheme for smaller producers</li><li><a href="https://www.siba.co.uk/directory/brewery-finder/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Society of Independent Breweries</a></li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Digitise your supply chain</h4>



Looking for local suppliers on the web will open up a wider range of options, but can still be time-consuming. There are&nbsp;smarter solutions on the market, that can do the search part for you&nbsp;and much more.&nbsp;



Supply chain apps allow businesses to manage their whole supply chain in one place, from finding new suppliers to stock management, ordering and invoice management.



What’s more, those apps rely on real-time shared data so stock levels and price fluctuations on the market are constantly updated. 



Below are two great examples of UK based supply chain apps (coincidentally developed locally to us at Stampede) that connect local suppliers with hospitality businesses. 



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://nextchain.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NextChain</a></li><li><a href="https://ordersmadesimple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Orders made Simple</a></li></ul>



Both have a wide (and growing) network of suppliers, from national producers to local, independent ones. Businesses can easily connect with their existing suppliers, but also easily find new ones and place and process their orders on the app straight away. And both apps are available for free!



Some more food ordering examples:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.joinfoodchain.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Join Food Chain</a></li><li><a href="https://www.choco.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Choco</a></li></ul>



Make sure you&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">check out our blog</a>&nbsp;for additional ideas on topics like Guest WiFi, marketing, reviews and customer loyalty. And don&#8217;t forget to add us on your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/stampede_ig/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;for even more regular inspiration.

How A Supply Chain App Can Do The Work For You

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Sharing Success and Inspiration

Expand Your Mailing List For Free

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Adapt and Attract

What’s On This Week – 7/12/2020

Improve Your Campaign Measurement

Black Friday: 3 Ways Hospitality Businesses Can Get Involved.

It all started a few years ago &#8211; every single coffee shop, restaurant or retail shop offered free WiFi to customers.

The reason for the explosive growth of WiFi in restaurants, cafes and bars is simple: making the customer feel comfortable at the venue eventually will result in customers staying longer and spending more. Usually we agree, free Guest WiFi is fundamental today and the opportunities that WiFi brings to a shop are too valuable to ignore them. At the same time, it must be said that offering a free Guest Network has resulted in problems for some shop owners.
<h3>The Problem with Unlimited WiFi</h3>
When WiFi became available in businesses, loads of people used the opportunity and started working from cafés or restaurants. Working remotely became a trend as many cafés became crowded with students, remote workers and their laptops. The problem many shop owners faced was that people entered the venue, got one cup of coffee and occupied the tables for the rest of the day. Not very lucrative, as cafés and restaurants make a living by serving a large number of visitors throughout the day. Shop owners rely on people entering the shop, having a coffee and leaving again- that’s the natural coffee shop cycle. With laptops and remote work, this natural time cycle is extended and the concept of coffee shops is not as profitable anymore.
<h3>Managed Guest WiFi</h3>
So, what can you do to prevent people from abusing the free guest network at shops and hospitality venues? There are several ways to tackle that problem. First of all, we recommend shop owners to actively manage their WiFi network. There’s absolutely no point in simply sharing an open network and letting every guest hop on to use however they please. To establish a set of basic rules, we advice shop owners to set a bandwidth limit for guests. This is a very simple and basic step to take but it ensures that every user of the network gets a fair share of the WiFi. Otherwise, some people could be downloading whole movies, while leaving the rest of customers with a slow connection and a tainted experience at the venue.
<h3>Defeating the Bandwidth Hogs</h3>
Managing your guest WiFi is made incredibly easy with a suitable piece of software, like ours, Stampede. What it helps you to do, is spot network abuse very easily. Network abusers, so called “Bandwidth Hogs”, appear on the list of people who are logged into the network. You can spot them easily by looking out for people with the highest amount of downloaded data. These Bandwidth Hogs’ access to the network can be revoked in seconds and you can make sure no one is abusing your WiFi.
<h3>Scheduling</h3>
Another useful function of a managed WiFi network, is to schedule it according to the opening times of the shop. There’s no reason to keep the network up all night, right? Therefore, we suggest scheduling the network to make it turn on in the morning, when the shop opens and make it switch off again when you lock the doors and go home, as simple as that.
<h3>Hybrid WiFi Networks</h3>
For cafés and restaurants that struggle to keep their business profitable due to students and remote workers camping in the venue, we have a great solution, too. Before you kick them out immediately, why not provide a hybrid network? What this type of network does is offers free WiFi for the first 500 MegaByte (could be more or less) of data. When the free data is used, guests are asked to pay for additional data. This is a useful tool because walk-in customer still enjoy the amenity of free Guest WiFi for the duration of a cup of coffee AND the business can establish another source of income from people who stay at the venue for work and pay for any extra data they require.
<h3>Reach Out With Automated Marketing</h3>
Talking about generating more income, did you know a smart guest wifi can send out automated messages to customers? Imagine a customer orders a coffee, sits down and starts working. A smart network will realize the customer spent an hour on the network and can send out an email or an SMS to the guest and suggest him or her to get a refill. An easy way to remind customers to have another cup or to have a cupcake with their coffee.
<h3>We Can Help You Defeat the Hogs</h3>
As you can see, learning about who is using your network in what manner can be very helpful for business owners. Steps to measure, track and control what guests do on a guest network can be taken very easily with the right Software. If you are interested in spotting the Bandwidth Hogs, setting speed limits or monetizing your guest WiFi, we are happy to help you out. Simply hit the button below and get in touch!
<a class="eut-modal-popup" href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a>

Kicking People off Your WiFi

When business picked up after lockdown, the popular western US brand&nbsp;<a href="http://ribandchophouse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rib &amp; Chop House</a>&nbsp;decided to elevate their loyalty program to a paid scheme to reward their most dedicated customers.&nbsp;



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Since implementing their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsrmagazine.com/expert-takes/rib-chop-houses-loyalty-membership-turns-guests-brand-evangelists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exclusive pay-to-join, limited membership ‘Royalty Program’</a>&nbsp;they have reported great results and have now shared their success story.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-customer-loyalty-vs-royalty">Customer Loyalty Vs Royalty</h5>



A royalty program allows you to reward your most loyal customers with&nbsp;unparalleled benefits&nbsp;on every visit. This way you can turn your top-tier customers into brand fanatics.



But what makes Rib &amp; Chop House&#8217;s program so successful? We had a closer look.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Finding Your Royal Customers</h5>



First things first, how do you spot your royal customers? It’s simple,&nbsp;check the analytics from your tech tools&nbsp;to get customers’ insights.



Here are the&nbsp;3 metrics&nbsp;Rib &amp; Chop House took into account:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Top-tier users of their existing loyalty program</li><li>Big spenders&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;on average their royal customers had a 14% higher spend than non-royalty</li><li>High visit frequency&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;up to 5 times per month compared to 1-3 for loyal customers</li></ul>



In addition, Rib &amp; Chop House noticed another common characteristic: Royal customers really want to&nbsp;experience the venue. Their prime motivation is not collecting points to get a freebie or discount.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">6 Royalty Club Best Practice Tips</h5>



Rib &amp; Chop House also shared some&nbsp;details of how their paid loyalty scheme benefits their customers:



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>$600 in gift cards annually&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;equals the cost of the royalty program membership</li><li>Limited the number of members&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;to make it really exclusive</li><li>Offer priority seating&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;a secured table with no pre-booking required</li><li>Allow for anytime cancellation</li><li>Host member-only events&nbsp;</li><li>Additional amenities&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;10% off every bill, free birthday entrée, a complementary set of branded steak knives</li></ol>



Stay tuned to find out more about how to identify your royal customers.

The Paid Loyalty Scheme That Works A Treat

In 2019, <a href="https://stampede.ai/press/raising-the-bar-a-stampede-report/">Stampede research </a>revealed that the number of pubs and bars in the UK had increased for the first time in a decade – while the wider hospitality sector was also in great shape. The same year, <a href="https://storekit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">storekit</a> made headlines for its cheapest pint in London Tube map, which took hundreds of hours to create. Fast-forward two years, <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/new-integration-with-storekit/">Stampede and storekit</a> were now business partners and wanted to assess the same ONS UK business count data source to better understand the impact of COVID on UK hospitality business numbers.&nbsp;



The good news is that the hospitality sector has been remarkably resilient – despite tremendous uncertainty and disruption. In fact, there are now more registered hospitality businesses in the UK today than in March 2019 or March 2020 – according to ONS data based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 5601, 5602, 5603, 56210, 56290, 56301, 56302. These codes cover restaurants, takeaways, cafes, mobile food stands, catering businesses, clubs, pubs and bars registered to Companies House.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1016" height="796" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-21110" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2.png 1016w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2-300x235.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2-768x602.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2-150x118.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2-592x464.png 592w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2-77x60.png 77w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ONS-Data-Table-Jan-2022.2-115x90.png 115w" sizes="(max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px" /></a></figure>



* Licensed Club data includes venues from the following subcategories: Discotheques (licensed to sell alcohol), Night-clubs (licensed to sell alcohol), Social Clubs (licensed to sell alcohol), Working mens clubs (licensed to sell alcohol).



The food sector saw almost universal growth in terms of business numbers, with restaurants, takeaways, catering businesses and mobile food stands all growing in number between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The only decline was among businesses classified as “other food service activities” – which covers airline, school, university, office catering. With many of these industries closing down during the pandemic or reducing use/occupancy, this is hardly surprising.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/MyVa9FOI2cA5dZqY7tDQvyMsSgiZT6SkAIE4N5yLUewG1UBYl35ipuBCbddV9TwrhDKD5Ez0wpBJNDGo9gadY7BNk5JW4Ylk0XaW6pxbsyd7YvSI6RkAmka5H8eMoSvqGU3akMoU" alt=""/></figure>



In less positive news, we saw a decline in the number of UK pubs, bars and clubs between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. This is the continuation of a decade long downward trend, despite a small surge in 2019, but the steep net loss of -1300 pubs between 2019 and 2021 is noticeable.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1TBlY8JHqAzwEW8XoVsYkwvrdnUHAzRSeTopAKLBOD3zDMGnZGLO5XlsHfIB6NYe_NyRz2O2YvCzwaY_KkKLnLdtfSvAJqOBJqiSCm1eir6LiIRHbqtsXpWCZgtILjoEkww9dXkD" alt=""/></figure>



It’s clear that drinks-focused businesses such as pubs, bars and clubs have all suffered more from the COVID restrictions than restaurants&nbsp;



With 6,985 registered clubs in 2021, from a high of 10,040 in 2010, it’s entirely possible that the UK will soon have less than 5,000 clubs, especially if COVID disruptions continue and capacities do not reach their maximum potential in the years ahead. This could lead to clubs struggling financially.&nbsp; To speak to Stampede and storekit, please get in touch via email at <a href="mailto:contact@stampede.ai">contact@stampede.ai</a>

The UK’s irrepressible hospitality sector: 2022 Industry Growth Report

We at Stampede are on a big mission. 



We want to make the hard-to-do marketing easy and accessible for all hospitality operators. How do we do this?



It&#8217;s simple. We provide hospitality businesses with smart and innovative tech tools to help them make the best use of their customer data. So they can start building a strong mailing list and market to their customers to drive repeat visits.



We are therefore very honoured to be amongst the finalists for the “Best Use Of Data 2022” award by the <a href="https://businesstechawards.com/">UK Business Tech Awards</a>.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Effortless Growth Through Digital Marketing</h5>



Our award application focuses on the UK-wide rollout of the Stampede platform at the <a href="https://www.bestwestern.co.uk/">Best Western GB hotels</a>. We want to equip their hotels with the right tools to succeed with data and digital marketing.



Until now, most of Best Western GB’s guest data is withheld by Online Travel Agencies (OTA). Hotels are therefore not able to get in touch with their guests after their stay. Plus, a lot of hotel operators feel inexperienced and unsure about doing email marketing, which is holding them back from using it.



Our platform is built to make marketing easy, especially for busy operators. With Stampede, hotels can now start building their own customer mailing list through their Guest WiFi. This means, that customers who have booked via OTAs can be contacted via email marketing and turned into direct bookers moving forward. 



By using Stampede, Best Western GB hotels can easily create low-cost and high-return email campaigns. What makes those quick-to-set-up campaigns so effective is the intelligent use of guest data insights. 



In addition, our innovative reporting suite allows operators to better track their guest interaction, both online and in-venue. By linking those insights, they can create targeted and personalised campaigns to increase bookings and customer loyalty.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Helping Other Hospitality Operators Grow</h5>



Clever technology powered by valuable data leads to proven massive ROI. 



Our joined project with Best Western GB shows how simple it can be for hospitality businesses to strive by making the best use of their data. 



We want to share this success story with all hospitality operators, especially now as the industry faces difficult economic times.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Best-West-CJF-Infographic.png"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/1894/4651/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMi8wOC9CZXN0LVdlc3QtQ0pGLUluZm9ncmFwaGljLnBuZw==" alt="" class="wp-image-22099"/></a></figure>

Best Use of Data 2022 Finalist

Never miss a message from your customers again with our brand new product feature: the Stampede Inbox.



It can indeed be a challenge and time-consuming task to stay on top of your various inboxes.



<a href="https://www.superoffice.co.uk/resources/articles/customer-service-study/">A recent customer service study</a> found that a worrying number of 62% of customer enquiries are left unanswered.



Common reasons are inboxes not being connected to a CRM and only a limited number of staff having access to incoming emails.



So, what about centralising all customer communication to one platform that is accessible to the whole team?



Such a unified inbox massively improves your response times and gets you extra points for your quick and streamlined customer service.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-it-works">How It Works</h2>



All incoming customer requests and responses are received in the inbox and stored under their individual profiles.



Staff members can then reply straight away in only a few clicks which means happier customers.



There is also the option to add internal notes to keep your team updated.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why The Stampede Inbox Is Unique</h2>



What makes our inbox a one-of-a-kind is that it comes ready-linked to every other interaction your customers have via Stampede. 



There&#8217;s no more piecing together the conversations and information from disjointed platforms. 



This creates a single 360° customer view, providing you with more context based on previous customer interactions and historic data.&nbsp;



So you can craft personalised responses that are relevant to each customer.



The Stampede Inbox is now available for all customers. Head to <a href="https://product.stampede.ai/">Stampede</a> to explore our new product feature in more detail.



If you have any questions or need a hand, reach out to our <a href="https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/murdo">Customer Success team</a> who are happy to help.

Meet Stampede Inbox: Never Miss Another Message 

Stampede announces Springo acquisition

Report – 2020 Data Insights in Hospitality.

How Tripadvisor’s Safety Measures Are Impacting Hospitality Businesses

New service keeps spontaneous pub trips alive while supporting track and trace

If you are a small business owner, then you are very likely looking for strategies to get your leg up on the competition. You want your business to succeed, despite your limited marketing budget. The good news is that you do not have to fork out a fortune to get your services or products “out there”- you simply have to know which free marketing tools are available and how you can use them to their maximum potential.&nbsp;



In this article, we will mention various tools that can boost sales, make life easier, and empower you to get the most out of your investment. With these tools, you do not need to outsource your marketing – you don’t even have to have in-house marketing staff. As an owner of a small or new business, you can manage these tools yourself and we will give you insight into how, when, and why.&nbsp;



Here are 5 free marketing tools that can help you to increase your resources and do more for your business:



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Canva</h4>



When it comes to creating visually appealing marketing material, then Canva is fast becoming the most popular free graphic designing tool. Whether you are looking to design a logo, a brochure, an infographic, a sales proposal or a social media post, this platform allows you to easily design visually appealing content.&nbsp;



What we like most about this platform (apart from it being extremely user-friendly) is that it gives you templates, ideas, and suggestions to draw inspiration from. So, even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, you can still produce something that looks both professional and attractive.&nbsp;



Canva pretty much works using a “drag and drop” approach. You simply move your images, text, and elements around until you are happy with the layout. It also has a massive library of free fonts and stock images you can use.



With visual content becoming an increasingly important form of marketing collateral, a tool such as this could become indispensable to your business.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. MailChimp</h4>



When considering email marketing campaigns, then know that MailChimp has your back. This platform currently has an average of 12 million users and with this type of support to back up our claim, we can confidently say that this software remains one of the best free email marketing tools out there.&nbsp;



What’s important to note is that this software only remains free for those who have less than 2000 subscribers. As a new or small business, however, it’s safe to assume that you have not yet built such a huge contact list where your customers are willing and happy to be added as recipients.&nbsp;



The software is simple to use and with tons of templates to choose from, designing an attractive newsletter, an advert, or even a survey is hassle-free. Emails can also be set-up to be sent automatically at your preferred times or you can batch emails according to your different target audiences.&nbsp;



Did you know that according to <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats">Hubspot</a>, 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention? 59% of marketers also say that email is their biggest source of ROI<a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats">[1]</a>.



Learn more about email marketing and how it works <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/learn-how-to-boost-your-business-with-sms-and-email-marketing/">here</a>.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Grammarly</h4>



Few things are as off-putting to your audiences as badly written content that hasn’t been revised adequately. When you are trying to draw audiences in and impress them so that they stick around for more, then be advised that blatant spelling mistakes and grammar issues can create a huge barrier.



Enter Grammarly. This software helps you to avoid critical mistakes without much effort from your side. Simply copy and paste your content into the relevant site section and then the programme will review your work and give you editing suggestions. If you use Microsoft Office to do your writing, then you can also use the even more convenient downloadable version.&nbsp;



Some food for thought –



58% of marketers claim that “original written content” is their most important digital asset <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/04/17/content-marketing-stats">[2]</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Hootsuite</h4>



Hootsuite is a tool that works really well for marketers who want to tap into a central social management platform and streamline the posting of content. It’s a programme that helps marketers to create a consistent voice for multiple audiences with ease.



Hootsuite allows you to schedule social media posts in advance and can free up tons of valuable time. It also manages social media profiles for more than 30 platforms (just imagine having to post the same content 30 different times on 30 separate platforms). To add, you can also reply to comments and mentions through the dashboard without, once again, having to open up different platforms on your browser.&nbsp;



This social media marketing manager works extremely well at automating social media content. It can be a little tricky getting used to the functionality but once you have a firm grasp of the ropes, this tool makes marketing online a breeze!&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Bit.ly</h4>



Bit.ly has gained quite a positive reputation among marketers and it is also extremely easy to use. The main purpose of this programme is to shorten links, so it’s helpful anywhere you don’t want a URL that goes on for a whole mile.&nbsp;



But while Bit.ly makes your links look more attractive to readers, its purpose is far more powerful. It’s also an amazing online marketing tool that can follow clicks, view site referrals, and generate an idea of which geographical areas most clicks are emerging from. These features are very useful when you want to collect data on how your marketing strategies are performing. This data can then be used to refine your techniques &#8211; resulting in more customer conversions.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">In Conclusion&nbsp;</h4>



We understand how frustrating it can get when you are a small business trying to compete with bigger fish who have marketing budgets beyond measure. The good news is that with these free marketing tools (and the many others found online), you have the opportunity to get your feet wet and who knows – you too could soon be swimming along with your competitors at the very same level.&nbsp;



References:



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats">Hubspot Marketing Statistics</a></li><li><a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/04/17/content-marketing-stats">Tips and Tricks for Online Advertising</a></li></ol>

5 Useful Free Marketing Tools That Anyone Can Use

In <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-thoroughly-spring-clean-your-digital-places-part-1/">Part 1 of this series</a>, we discussed how you can give your online places a good clean. In this post, our focus is going to be on wider digital spaces, with emphasis on digital devices, web and mobile applications, file storage, and software. You’ve probably put this type of detailed spring cleaning off in the past, but with COVID-19 temporarily closing the doors of hospitality businesses around the globe, now’s a good time to optimise these digital places for easier operations. 



We recommend the following activities to polish your digital places and make technology work harder for you:&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Start by Weeding Out All of Your Devices</h2>



Do you have more than one digital device lying around? Your answer’s likely going to be a big “yes”. It’s time to round the lot up and organize their contents. Transfer useful files from older devices onto the devices you are currently using. Organise files so that they can be easily found, delete irrelevant files, and uninstall apps that you no longer use. This way you will have a cleaner user-interface on each device and you will have tons of space for new downloads going forward (which is important because your business is going to have to rely on new technologies and applications in the future).&nbsp;



Now, you can safely store your older devices for later use or you can donate them to a good cause and create some extra space for yourself in your physical workspace.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Polish Your Apps</h2>



The future of digital marketing is going to be very much web and mobile application based. Since you’ve cleared space on your devices, you should be able to store more files and programs. You can 1.) download new helpful and innovative apps and 2.) declutter and reorganise the applications you’re already using.&nbsp;



Popular apps for the hospitality industry include:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>OpenTable (a table reservation app)</li><li>Flypay (an app that allows patrons to choose a listed restaurant or bar location, enter their table number, and have their bill instantly retrieved)</li><li>Bamboo HR (assists with streamlining HR processes within your business)</li><li>Mind Meister (an app that assists with the planning of events, restaurant, and coffee shop marketing)</li><li>Typsy (a staff training platform for hospitality businesses)</li></ul>



Electronic Point of Sale Systems have also become an essential component of most successful hospitality businesses. You may want to use this time to get to know your current ePos system better or research other options that may better suit your niche. 



When it comes to organising your apps, you can look into removing users who are no longer with your organisation, improve your layouts to make them more user-friendly for your staff, and you make sure that everything is working systematically as it should (.i.e. get to know your apps back to front). 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Just Do the Updates</h2>



Update reminders can be a thorn in the side of daily work life, but we cannot keep putting them off indefinitely. If we fail to do software updates, then we threaten the security of our digital devices. They will also run more slowly. As a result, the work we try to do on them will be completed at a reduced pace (which is no help when you’re trying to implement the best promotion techniques, for example).  



When you have downtime, then use the opportunity to prepare some non-computer work. This way you can allow your computers, tablets, and smartphones to run their hour-long (or maybe five-hour-long) update processes to optimise their systems.&nbsp;



Tip:&nbsp;don&#8217;t forget to back up your files beforehand, just in case something goes awry! Which brings us to our next point.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Take Advantage of File Sharing</h2>



You probably have a plethora of work files just hanging around on your desktop. Keeping these files on your computer alone, however, can present risks to your businesses’ security and knowledge base. If your laptop is stolen or loses functionality during a power surge (for example), then all of this important information will be gone – possibly forever. And that’s where file-sharing can be your saving grace.



If your business has a shared server, you can store your files under your umbrella. Alternatively, you can look to cloud storage solutions so that you can have access to your files from anywhere at any time. For documents that are more team-beneficial than sensitive, we suggest you look to <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/drive/">Google Drive</a>, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox</a>, or other file-sharing platforms for an effective solution. 



Once you have your file-sharing process set up, you can organise your information so that it’s even easier to access – and you can create some extra space on your devices at the same time!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Declutter Your Email Account</h2>



Some may refer to their email accounts as the central data hub of their business. If you receive your notifications and communications from customers and suppliers via email, then this will hold to you.&nbsp;



Now’s the time to declutter your inbox and file your emails accordingly. You can:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Delete all the emails you no longer need</li><li>Delete and block junk mail</li><li>Store the emails you want to hold onto by using cloud storage solutions</li><li>Delete email accounts you no longer use</li></ul>



By removing important information from your email account and storing it on a safe file-storing server, you can reduce the chances of your email account being hacked for your private information. It also gives you a clean and organized account to work from going forward – think of it as room to breathe!&nbsp;



With COVID-19 (and other unforeseen events) interrupting systems as we once knew them, it’s always good to prepare for the future of marketing. So, once you’ve spring cleaned and spruced your platforms, then it’s time to research new types of marketing and what they will mean for you going forward. 



For more information on intelligent marketing tools that will help you push through tough economic times, please <a href="https://stampede.ai/contact/">contact Stampede</a>.

cleaning and updating your digital spaces and devices

How to Spring Clean Your Digital Places: Part 2

Instagram Stories vs. Reels. Here’s how and when to use them

Whenever we have a question or an idea, we immediately turn to our best friend, the Internet. The easiest and fastest way to find out more about that topic that’s been keeping us up at night. Today, the world wide web is filled with information on just about every topic, probably being the most reliable way to gather facts. 







During the research process, in particular about products and companies, online <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.stampede.ai/blog/5-star-review-google-form" target="_blank">reviews will pop-up</a>. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as they tend to help shoppers with their decision-making. Though, online reviews are one of those tricky things, can be a real blessing for your business, but can also have a major negative impact on your revenue.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">A sense of legitimacy</h4>



Before we were able to find everything on the Internet, we were still reliant on recommendations of friends and family. Just to give you an idea of how immense the impact of online reviews really is, think about this fact.



 90% of shoppers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In other words, the Internet replaced personal recommendations as the most powerful way of referrals. Impressive right?



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Don’t panic!</h4>



Adding this extra layer to online reviews and referrals is not necessarily the end of the world. However, being aware of its magnitude and extent is crucial for discovering new opportunities. 



Websites like TripAdvisor, Google reviews or Facebook reviews see millions of visitors every month and being present on those online review pages is an absolute must today. But presence alone might not be enough. Control is what you need.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<div class="wp-block-media-text" style="grid-template-columns:35% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="600" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300.png" alt="" class="wp-image-12864" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300.png 600w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-300x300.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-150x150.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-96x96.png 96w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-560x560.png 560w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-16x16.png 16w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-592x592.png 592w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-100x100.png 100w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-60x60.png 60w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/img-reviews_300-90x90.png 90w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
Looking to take more control over your reviews?



<a href="https://stampede.ai/reviews/">Check out our Reviews tool.</a>
</div></div>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Let’s walk through that open door</h4>



In the latest Stampede eBook we put together very interesting stats, concerning online reviews. You will learn why online reviews are important and how they directly impact your business. Download your eBook right and see how reaching your customers, building your brand presence and increasing your revenue is made easy.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>





<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



From time to time the unpreventable might happen. Someone leaves you a negative review. Good news, there are ways to deal with them in a more efficient way. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">How to deal with negative online reviews</h4>



As we all know, not all reviews will be positive. Even though you might have done your best to satisfy your customers during their visit. Fast service, good food and drinks, always responsive to their needs. But they&#8217;ve complained about the lack of decoration in your Cafe. 



Well, sometimes you just cannot prevent a negative review from getting online is what you might think now. I&#8217;ve done everything I could, what else am I supposed to do? We might have a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-respond-to-positive-and-negative-customer-reviews-online/">solution.</a>



Our solution does not only help you to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-wifi-can-help-boost-guest-reviews-of-your-venue/">get more reviews</a>, even better allows you to filter out the negative ones coming in. That way, you&#8217;re able to deal with them behind closed doors first. I.e. get back in touch with the customer and do some follow-up. You might even be able to turn that &#8216;lost&#8217; customer into a repeat one. 



Sounds too good to be true? Why not sign-up for a free trial today and experience it yourself?



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>





<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Alternatively, get in touch with us directly and we&#8217;ll set you up with our online Reviews Feature in no time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#schedule-demohttps://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a></h2>

The Importance of Online Reviews for Your Business

Cate Triendl

More effective way to run meta ads for hospitality

4 Ways CRM Data Can Be Used in Day-to-Day Service by Your Staff

How to Use Segmentation to Increase Guest Engagement in Hospitality

Introducing Quick Campaigns

Snap Box – Stampede Network Application

Stampede-Meta Audience Connect: Simplifying multi-channel marketing strategies

A new kind of marketplace for hospitality apps

October Update – 3x Faster Guest WiFi and more

New Features & Updates – September 2023

Feature Update – Improved campaigns, reporting and imports

At-home meal kit sales are still on a high, making it a valuable additional income source for many hospitality businesses. A success stories resulting from this trend has been featured in the news recently. The popular&nbsp;<a href="https://thehawksmoor.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Hawksmoor Restaurant</a>&nbsp;group reported that they are now&nbsp;gaining around £50,000 a week from their at-home kits&nbsp;with a total revenue of over £1m since launching at the end of 2020.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



But what makes them so successful? And&nbsp;what are the&nbsp;components needed to sell meal kits online? We had a look into the strategy behind Hawksmoor At Home and did a little breakdown of their promotions and e-commerce website.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meal-kit-sales-promotions">Meal kit sales promotions</h4>



The first thing that stands out is that when you Google ‘Hawksmoor’, their At Home meal kit landing page is the first on the results page in the form of a&nbsp;Google Paid Ad. This streamlines the customer experience. Clickers will go&nbsp;straight to the e-commerce page&nbsp;instead of having to find their way there from Hawskmoor’s homepage.



The&nbsp;<a href="https://bettermarketing.pub/everything-you-need-to-know-about-googles-ad-extensions-40ad44b6d7a4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ad Extension</a>&nbsp;text tells you straight away what you can expect &#8211; ‘Award-winning steak’ which is delivered UK wide and is also backed-up by their gift card offers. All to draw in as much additional revenue as possible.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="592" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-1024x592.png" alt="" class="wp-image-21221" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-1024x592.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-300x173.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-768x444.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-1536x888.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-1200x694.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-150x87.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c-592x342.png 592w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_f39c723f9459ed98b0234dbcd8fe905c.png 1778w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="e-commerce-website">E-commerce website</h4>



Now, check out their dedicated&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://shop.thehawksmoor.com/cook-at-home-meal-kits/" target="_blank">At Home website</a>. It’s a great example of how a traditional e-commerce website can work for the hospitality industry and be adopted to sell meals online.



Overall the design is quite&nbsp;simple and easy to navigate&nbsp;through, based on building blocks presented in a column view. This makes it familiar for anyone who is used to shopping online, removes friction and increases conversions.



Let’s have a closer look at the individual elements:



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="filters">Filters</h6>



Customers can&nbsp;refine what they’re looking for&nbsp;based on different occasions and months.



Even though the filters are “restaurant specific”, there is no option to filter by courses or servings. This pushes customers to scroll down and browse through the options that Hawksmoor wants them to look through.&nbsp;Similar to a physical menu&nbsp;if you think about it.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="images">Images</h6>



 The website only uses&nbsp;high-quality imagery&nbsp;to capitalise on this need-to-scroll. This way, they can really emphasise on selling the premium restaurant at-home experience. No matter if you dine-in or do it yourself, you’ll still get the full Hawksmoor experience.



The food itself is presented in a&nbsp;social media friendly image style, showing the full meal. Again this is using familiarity to popular food marketing trends on social media, that are known to convert and engage people.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="739" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-1024x739.png" alt="" class="wp-image-21222" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-1024x739.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-300x216.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-768x554.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-1536x1108.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-2048x1477.png 2048w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-1200x866.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-150x108.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-1920x1385.png 1920w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_183c786b35f53cd35cf561d42f185bdd-592x427.png 592w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="meal-kit-detail-pages">Meal kit detail pages</h4>



Now, click to view a kit in detail.



You immediately get a&nbsp;clear breakdown of what’s included&nbsp;in the box with an upsell option to choose drinks as well.



This is followed by a&nbsp;more detailed box description&nbsp;of about 300 words, featuring their story and the thought that went into creating the kit. The text also includes a couple of links to various other resources and possible upsell options.



In addition, strong&nbsp;testimonials, both from customers and food industry leaders can be found on the page.&nbsp;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-it-works-section">How it works section</h6>



The second part covers the&nbsp;4 simple steps&nbsp;from ordering to enjoying the cooked meal, alongside some other useful information.&nbsp;



To finish off, different&nbsp;teaser videos&nbsp;are embedded on the pages. Customers can learn how to cook the perfect steak from Hawksmoor’s Executive Chef or how to mix the included cocktail with their Head of Bars.



The way they use&nbsp;storytelling&nbsp;here, once again allows them to draw a detailed picture of what to expect. But also how&nbsp;simple it is&nbsp;to&nbsp;recreate the full Hawksmoor experience in their own homes.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="701" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-1024x701.png" alt="" class="wp-image-21223" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-1024x701.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-300x205.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-768x526.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-1536x1051.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-2048x1402.png 2048w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-1200x821.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-150x103.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-1920x1314.png 1920w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/fle_878dd305bd0ea1482892efe69d37d7a6-592x405.png 592w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



Stay tuned for&nbsp;part two of this series&nbsp;where we have a look at various tools and resources to help you achieve the same for your at-home meal kit sales.



Need help promoting your meal kits to your customers via email and SMS?&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with one of our team. We&#8217;re happy to help.

How To Get It Right: Meal Kit Online Sales Success By Hawskmoor

Emma Dittmer

The Return of Travel &#8211; Cutting Through the Noise [Hotel Insights 2021 Report]



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



What are the key trends for hoteliers that have an impact on a successful recovery?



This is the main question of the newly released hotel industry report from our <a href="https://twitter.com/stampede_speaks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#PrepStartsNo</a> Partner <a href="https://www.eighty-days.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">80 DAYS</a> and their sister company <a href="https://www.hotelbenchmarking.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hotel Benchmark.&nbsp;</a>



80 DAYS has analysed data from more than 500 hotels and additional travel data from Google to work out the key trends influencing the recovery of travel in 2021.



Here’s a summary of the key takeaways to help hotel operators to grow their hotel and be best prepared for the months ahead.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-travel-market">Travel Market</h4>



As expected, the trend for this year will go towards domestic travels and staycationing. Only 12 % plan to travel internationally within the next 9 months (if they can).



For hospitality businesses, this means a clear focus on local marketing and advertising.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-booking-trends">Booking Trends</h4>



Organic search will remain the most popular booking channel. Over a third accounts for website traffic. Within this, mobile remains the primary source for website traffic (65 %) with mobile booking transactions rising by 27 %.&nbsp;



Therefore a well-optimised hotel website (for mobile and desktop) and SEO strategy are critical to maximise bookings.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-2021-04-14-at-12.40.44.png"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/300/171/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMS8wNC9TY3JlZW5zaG90LTIwMjEtMDQtMTQtYXQtMTIuNDAuNDQtMzAweDE3MS5wbmc=" alt="Booking Channels by %" class="wp-image-19888"/></a></figure></div>



The majority of the bookings still come through 3rd parties, although direct bookings have increased by 17% during the pandemic.



Due to market uncertainty, people prefer to book direct to benefit from more flexible booking conditions.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-2021-04-14-at-12.36.38.png"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/300/192/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMS8wNC9TY3JlZW5zaG90LTIwMjEtMDQtMTQtYXQtMTIuMzYuMzgtMzAweDE5Mi5wbmc=" alt="Direct Bookings Trend" class="wp-image-19887"/></a></figure></div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-action-points-for-hotels">Key Action Points for Hotels:</h4>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Implement an agile strategy with multi-scenario planning</li><li>Communicate safety measures in place&nbsp; (96% have rated cleanliness &amp; hygiene as vital/important)</li><li>Adopt messaging &amp; imagery &#8211; make it relevant to the current situation (avoid showcasing crowds, big events etc.)</li><li>Clear brand positioning &#8211; adapt to changing customer needs and expectations</li><li>Targeting &#8211; individual messaging for each customer segment</li><li>Support direct bookings &#8211; highlight the benefits</li><li>Keep engaging with customers through various channels</li></ol>



There are many more interesting stats and findings in the report.



<a href="https://assets.stampede.ai/magnets/80-days-cutting-through-the-noise-the-return-of-travel.pdf">Get the full Hotel Insights 2021 report and start growing your hotel for a successful recovery. </a>

Grow Your Hotel Revenue Faster With These 7 Key Actions

<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.thecaterer.com/news/hospitality-staff-poaching-rise-restaurant-worker-shortage" target="_blank">The Caterer</a>&nbsp;recently reported about&nbsp;staff poaching becoming a new tactic&nbsp;to nick employees from competitors in the run-up for the festive season. This news raises two main questions. How do businesses&nbsp;increase employee retention? And, can it be done without pay rises? That’s when&nbsp;internal communication&nbsp;comes in.



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<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-internal-communication-matters">Why internal communication matters</h4>



Internal communication is about&nbsp;creating engaged and loyal employees, which forms the basis for a long-term work relationship. It helps to build a community feeling and shows that you care about your staff the way you do about your customers. Ultimately it can also&nbsp;increase revenue and decrease training and recruitment costs.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Why you should implement a internal staff newsletter</h4>



It might be challenging to physically gather everyone around for a regular catch-up due to different shifts, etc. So, the easiest and most effective way to communicate with your employees is by sending out staff newsletters by email.



3 main benefits of an internal newsletter:



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">1) Streamlined communication</h5>



Internal communication will be key to ensuring&nbsp;smooth operations&nbsp;during the busy times ahead. Email newsletters are probably the easiest way to update everyone on what’s going on and coming up in your venue.



Compared to other communication tools like WhatsApp or Slack, you can also keep track of who has read it already and it doesn’t get lost in a feed of future messages.



Plus, you can also include your investors and advisors in your mailing list to keep them informed as well.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2) Simplified &amp; organised onboarding process</h5>



Many businesses will hire temporary staff to help them out during the festive season. A newsletter is a&nbsp;quick way to get those up to speed&nbsp;with all the basic information they need week-to-week.&nbsp;



Besides, as newsletters help build engagement, you might be able to turn your temporary workforce into fixed employees.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">3) Motivational booster</h5>



A newsletter is a great way to motivate your staff by&nbsp;recognising all the hard work they’re doing. Let them be part of your achievements over the past months. But also motivate them for what’s coming up.



For more engagement, turn your newsletter into a two-way channel. Use it to&nbsp;gather feedback and ideas&nbsp;from your employees.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">How to set up a internal staff newsletter?</h4>



The best part of a staff newsletter is that you don’t need any extra tools to get started. Take what you’ve got already to hand and&nbsp;use your existing customer marketing tool. This way, you get even more value out of it.&nbsp;



Basically, you&nbsp;approach your internal newsletter the same way you would with a customer one.&nbsp;Mix informative and engaging content and include lots of visuals. Your staff are busy, so you need to make it worth a read.



Here&#8217;re some quick steps and tips when crafting your internal newsletter:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Upload all your staff email addresses to a new “staff segment”</li><li>Create a branded “staff template” with recurring sections that you can reuse</li><li>Make it a regular thing &#8211; every fortnight or even monthly is probably enough</li><li>Curate different content ideas (more in part 2 of this article!)</li><li>Reduce your workload and turn it into a rotating task &#8211; get all your employees involved</li></ul>



Stay tuned for the&nbsp;second part of this article, where we’ll provide you with tons of content ideas for your next staff newsletter.&nbsp;



Need a hand with setting up your <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing/#email">first internal newsletter</a>? <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:contact@stampede.ai?subject=&amp;body=" target="_blank">Get in touch</a> with our team.

How Internal Newsletters Help You To Retain Staff [Part 1]

EnGenius Tech now a Stampede technology partner

DIY meal-kit demand has skyrocketed in the past year. Businesses have put a lot of effort into coming up with their own kits. And their customers loved it! Lots of us have discovered some unknown chef talent. Indeed, meal-kits seem to be a win-win for businesses and customers alike.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



But now that venues start to reopen again and customers are able to enjoy their meals at your venue, what will happen to your meal-kit offers? How could you further increase your meal-kit sales?



According to the recent report “A Tale of Two Tables” by <a href="https://kam-media.co.uk/resources/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KAM Media and Slerp</a>, 89% of customers want the restaurant brand to continue delivering and 62% want their favourite restaurant brand to start selling meal boxes nationwide.&nbsp;



So is it worth keeping your meal-kit offering available to satisfy this demand, whilst also reopening for normal service?



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reasons-why-meal-kits-are-here-to-stay">Reasons Why Meal-Kits Are Here to Stay</h4>



Our <a href="https://twitter.com/stampede_speaks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#PrepStartsNow</a> partner Flipdish sees meal-kits as a <a href="https://www.flipdish.com/resources/blog/why-meal-kits-are-here-to-stay-and-a-smart-new-revenue-stream-for-your-business" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">key revenue stream for restaurants in the future</a>.



Here’s why:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The number of bookings allowed in venues is still limited and lots of your customers might not be able to secure a booking.</li><li>They are an additional revenue stream with little additional costs.</li><li>You can reach more potential customers with your offerings. Some might not be able to travel to your physical location.</li><li>It’s convenient for your customers &#8211; no need to look for recipes and buy ingredients.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-create-more-meal-kit-ordering-buzz">How to Create More Meal-Kit Ordering Buzz</h4>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/quick-tips-to-drive-more-sales-at-home-kits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Customer awareness about DIY meal-kits has reached a mainstream level.</a> It’s now on to you to make the most out of this and secure more revenue from your meal-kit sales.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-spread-the-word">1. Spread the Word</h4>



Leverage your social channels and share regular posts about your meal-kits. Highlight the fact that customers can still order your popular kits to enjoy at home. Pin your posts and add an “order direct” button to make it as easy as possible for customers.



Don’t forget to add your meal-kit offerings to your regular newsletters to increase sales. For a little extra sales push, combine them with a promotion.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-come-up-with-new-meal-kit-ideas">2. Come Up With New Meal-Kit Ideas</h4>



With Summer just around the corner, customers might want to take their dining experience outdoors. What about <a href="https://lovindublin.com/lovin-home-comforts/bbq-kits-order-cook-at-home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBQ</a> or picnic meal-kits? Get creative to make your offerings even more attractive.&nbsp;



Consider special event meal-kits for birthdays, anniversaries, sports events, etc. You might also offer a premium version of it with limited or high-end specials and ingredients.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-get-the-maximum-out-of-your-online-store">3. Get the Maximum Out Of Your Online Store</h4>



Make sure that your online store lets you upsell and cross-promote your entire product range for additional revenue.



Also, allow your customers to add special dietary restrictions during the ordering process. You might also think about making your meal-kits available in different group sizes and offering a special family version.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-go-the-extra-mile">4. Go the Extra Mile</h4>



Turn your DIY meal-kits into a special at-home customer experience, provide more than just food and drinks. This could be table decorations or a curated playlist of music.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-bonus-tip-nationwide-delivery">5. Bonus Tip &#8211; Nationwide Delivery</h4>



By offering your meal-kits nationwide you can upscale your reach and increase meal-kit sales massively. You can connect to a whole new range of customers. Plus, you can also deliver to your regular customers whilst they are on their staycations.



Several operators already offer this such as Pizza Pilgrims. The biggest challenge is packaging, but if others can solve that, so can you!



Need some assistance with spreading the word about your meal-kit offerings via email and SMS marketing campaign? <a href="contact@stampede.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reach out</a> to our team. We are happy to help.

4 Creative Ways to Increase Your Meal-Kit Sales

The financial and operational benefits of a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/what-is-a-hospitality-crm-system-a-full-guide">Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system</a> are immense for any type of business. 



Though CRMs also come in all shapes and sizes, and not all are suitable for the hospitality industry.



We had a look at the main differences between a generic CRM and a hospitality-tailored one.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-generic-crm-vs-hospitality-crm">Generic CRM vs. Hospitality CRM</h2>



Generic CRMs, such as HubSpot or Salesforce, are centred around sales. Their main core features are for example lead management, forecasting and task management. They therefore often fall into the B2B software category.



Hospitality-specific CRMs on the other hand put the customer in the focus, which makes them B2C. Their features are designed to better communicate with customers and create personalised experiences to drive long-term loyalty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Main differences</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Customer journey</h4>



The hospitality customer journey covers both online and offline interactions. This makes it much harder to track than a complete online journey an e-commerce business might have.



In order to map out the full journey operators rely on <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/5-common-data-integration-flaws-in-hospitality-tech">integrations to get access to more data points</a>. Even though well-known CRM providers offer a whole range of different integrations, they are mostly not hospitality related.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Customer profiles</h4>



Customer profile management looks entirely different for B2B and B2C.&nbsp;



B2B contact management can be quite complex with associated companies, stakeholders involved, deals attached, etc. None of which is needed in the hospitality context.&nbsp;



What matters here is to build a single customer view. Such a 360° customer profile should include basic contact information but more importantly, store preferences and previous online and offline interactions.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Reporting &amp; Analytics</h4>



Hospitality KPIs are quite unique compared to other industries. They are more focused on visit data and marketing ROI. For example, in-venue visits and retention rates but also table covers, loyalty or WiFi sign-ups. 



Contrary to generic CRMs, these can all be easily accessed in a hospitality-specific one and operators can use them to build their own reports. 



There might be the option to add them to generic ones, however, this will come with additional costs.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Marketing</h4>



Equipped with CRM insights marketers can create <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-create-personalised-marketing-campaigns-with-your-crm">personalised and tailored campaigns</a> that bring customers back.



So integrated email &amp; SMS marketing is probably one of the most important CRM features for hospitality businesses. This also covers the option for setting up marketing automation. 



A CRM is meant to improve operational efficiency. The best time-saving marketing tools are without doubt <a href="https://stampede.ai/downloads/category/Email%20Templates">templates</a> and pre-build customer segments. However, they need to be relevant to the industry to be really effective.



For a quick overview, we’ve summarised the most distinctive differences in the table below:



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="604" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison-1024x604.png" alt="Generic CRM vs. Hospitality CRM" class="wp-image-23149" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison-1024x604.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison-300x177.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison-768x453.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison-1200x708.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison-150x88.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRM-comparison.png 1423w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



The <a href="https://stampede.ai/amaze">Stampede CRM</a> is designed specifically to meet the needs of hospitality operators and marketers. <a href="https://stampede.ai/get-started">Reach out</a> to get started and bring back more customers, more often.

What Makes A Hospitality CRM?

New feature alert! <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/loyalty/">Loyalty</a> by Stampede launches today. Bring more customers back to your venue with our digital stamp cards. Become your customers’ preferred place to go and reward them to increase their loyalty.



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Customer loyalty is more important than ever before. Acquiring new customers comes with a notably higher cost than building a long-term relationship with your existing ones. Plus, regular customers spend up to 67% more in your venue compared to one-time visitors.&nbsp;



Loyalty and reward programs are a proven way to keep your customers coming back in. It’s time to ditch your paper stamp cards and take them to the next level. <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/loyalty/">Go digital with Loyalty by Stampede</a> and start saving time and money on printing fliers and paper cards immediately.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-get-started">How to Get Started</h4>



<div class="wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%">
Loyalty by Stampede is easy to use and quick to set up for your business. You set the reward and decide how many stamps it takes to redeem it.
</div>



<div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-medium is-resized"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Loyalty-design-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/300/300/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMS8wNC9Mb3lhbHR5LWRlc2lnbi0xLTMwMHgzMDAucG5n" alt="loyalty design" class="wp-image-19829" width="271" height="271"/></a></figure>
</div>
</div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improved-customer-experience">Improved Customer Experience</h4>



Improve your customer experience with our digital stamp card. Loyalty by Stampede offers your customers an uncomplicated way to get rewarded for each visit. What’s more, all your returning customers will be automatically issued with their digital stamp card and stamps!



Your customers only need to download the app once to start collecting points. The Stampede loyalty app allows them to keep all their stamp cards from different venues handy in one place. They&#8217;ll never miss a stamp, forget a card or end up with duplicate cards again.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-of-using-loyalty-by-stampede">Benefits of using Loyalty by Stampede</h4>



<div class="wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%">
<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Increased spend per head and visit</li><li>Fast and easy change of promotions and offers&nbsp;</li><li>Customise your loyalty cards to your own branding</li><li>No staff training required</li><li>Save money on printing costs for flyers and posters</li></ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-medium is-resized"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Loyalty-redeem-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/300/300/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMS8wNC9Mb3lhbHR5LXJlZGVlbS0xLTMwMHgzMDAucG5n" alt="loyalty redemption methods" class="wp-image-19831" width="257" height="257"/></a></figure>
</div>
</div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-customers-get-their-stamps">How Customers Get Their Stamps:</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list" id="block-4ebaf83e-1901-41be-b998-75a21aba3b8f"><li>By logging into your <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">Guest WiFi</a>&nbsp;</li><li>Through scanning a QR code</li><li>Through taping a unique NFC tag with their phone</li></ul>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact">Get in touch</a> with one of our team to set up Loyalty by Stampede at your venue today. Sign up your business before 15th May 2021 and you’ll get Loyalty for free for 6 months.

New Feature – Loyalty By Stampede

GDPR isn&#8217;t another networking acronym or government agency. GDPR is short for the <a href="http://www.eugdpr.org">General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),</a> which takes effect on May 25, 2018 throughout the EU.

<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/tackling-gdpr-compliance-before-time-runs-out">Any business established in the European Union</a>  will have to comply with all the GDPR laws. Of course, with Brexit approaching rapidly, requirements may fluctuate with the UK, but even UK based businesses that deal with EU customers will be bound by the GDPR rules.
<iframe loading="lazy" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/n5WJOncaHt4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Basically the goal of GDPR is to empower individual data privacy. It ensures that when people give their personal information out to a business, that data is used for a specific purpose, kept only for specific period of time and stored securely.
<h3>What does GDPR Mean for Your Business WiFi ?</h3>
<a href="https://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2016/08/public-wi-fi-forget-the-scare-stories-read-this/">There are a lot of myths</a> floating around about what exactly GDPR is going to mean for your business &#8211; from multi million dollar fines for users downloading pirated movies on your network, to businesses being required to retain personal data for all users on their WiFi network. Some of the stories are just that &#8211; stories &#8211; while other rumors are filled with half truths.
<h3>Why even bother with the hassle?</h3>
With Stampede, you can offer your patrons <a href="https://www.stampede.ai/how-it-works#security">safe, secure and &#8211; yes &#8211; GDPR compliant WiFi. </a>
Terms and Conditions, data retention, <a href="/blog/blackbx-wifi-and-gdpr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GDPR requirements</a> &#8211; we&#8217;ll take care of all of that for you so that you can get on with what you really want to do: run your business.
Users in your business connect to your WiFi through our secure captive portal (<a href="https://www.stampede.ai/how-it-works#marketing">fully brandable as yours, of course</a>) where they can authenticate with a social media profile, like Facebook, or by using an email address. You can use this opportunity to then <a href="/blog/press/marketing-with-wifi">gather marketing data about your customers</a> &#8211; name, age, post/zip code &#8211; and even ask questions. Once connected, users need never log in again.
The end result? Customer data is kept safe, secure and, most importantly,  GDPR compliant.
<h3>Get GDPR Compliant Today</h3>
You can get started getting your business GDPR compliant for FREE!
Stampede <a class="" href="https://www.stampede.ai/how-it-works#integration">integrates with most of the world&#8217;s leading WiFi equipment providers</a> &#8211; award winning names like UniFi, Open Mesh, LigoWave, Cisco and more. Don&#8217;t have your own WiFi equipment? No problem, we can help you out there, too.
Don&#8217;t let GDPR ruin your business &#8211; try Stampede today!
<a class="eut-modal-popup" href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Click here to get started.</a>

Offer GDPR Compliant WiFi with Stampede

4 Types Of Customer Loyalty: How Loyal Are Yours?

Breakdown: 3 Ways Customers Advocate Your Hospitality Brand

Making a Success of Loyalty Programs [Part II]

Making Sense of Loyalty Programs [Part I]

Can Your Customer Database Help With Recruitment?

How to Unlock Hidden Revenue From Your Gift Cards

According to Hubspot,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-loyalty-statistics" target="_blank">loyal customers spend 67% more than new customers</a>. Loyalty programs, therefore, can contribute a good amount of&nbsp;additional revenue to your bottom line. But there are a wide array of different loyalty programs on the market. So how do you find the one that works best for your business and your customers?



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<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-loyalty-programs-explained">4 Loyalty Programs Explained</h4>



To help you find the right one, we’ve broken down the main differences of 4 common loyalty programs that are used in the hospitality industry.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Point-Based Loyalty Program</h4>



The point-based loyalty program is the most widely used one. It is often described as being “easy to earn and easy to redeem”. It’s pretty straightforward and aims to encourage frequent and short-term purchases. Points are earned per £ spent and translate into rewards or freebies.



Two successful industry examples using point-based loyalty can be found in&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en/dd-perks" target="_blank">Dunkin’ Donuts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pizzahut.co.uk/hut-rewards/" target="_blank">Pizza Hut</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Tier-Based Loyalty Program</h4>



Tier-based loyalty programs give their&nbsp;members ranks&nbsp;(e.g. silver, gold, elite) based on their spend and are often used by higher-priced businesses, such as airlines or hotel chains.



Usually, small rewards are given as base offerings which increase in value for higher tiers. What makes this type of loyalty program so attractive is the fact that&nbsp;customers are committed to spend more in order to move up the tiers&nbsp;to unlock even more benefits. However, tier-based programs are more long-term oriented and customers don’t usually get an immediate benefit.



Hotel chains such as&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.marriott.com/loyalty.mi" target="_blank">Marriott</a>&nbsp;or the US restaurant chain&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.chick-fil-a.com/one" target="_blank">Chick-fil-A</a> are examples for tier-based systems.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><meta charset="utf-8">3. Paid Loyalty Program</h4>



Paid programs or VIP membership programs aim to create an element of exclusivity for their members. Members usually pay a monthly or annual fee to be able to access all kinds of free perks.



This program is probably best known from the retail industry, e.g. Amazon Prime. Arguably Brewdog’s ‘<a href="https://support.brewdog.com/support/solutions/articles/11000036773-what-benefits-do-i-get-as-an-equity-punk-">Equity for Punks</a>’ program comes under this umbrella too. It offers shares in the company as well as discounts in bars and online. Plus some other perks such as an invite to the “Annual General Mayhem (AGM)” &#8211; the reality of this was essentially a one-day beer and music festival.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Stamp or Punch Loyalty Card</h4>



Our last loyalty program, the stamp card is probably one of the&nbsp;most simple, yet highly effective&nbsp;ones. Customers earn a stamp for every purchase which they can exchange for rewards once they have a certain number of stamps.



In general, stamp cards are great for&nbsp;any type and size of business. It’s a simple method of encouraging customers to come back by promising something for free in return for their loyalty, at&nbsp;a small cost to the business.&nbsp;Also, compared to other programs, stamp cards have a visual appeal. Customers can see how many stamps they have left.



Stamp cards are often a typical loyalty program for coffee shops, but big chains, such as&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/deals/mccafe-loyalty-card.html" target="_blank">McCafé</a>&nbsp;also use it.



To get the most out of this type of loyalty program, businesses should opt for a&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/loyalty/" target="_blank">digital version</a>. A digital stamp card is not only more convenient for customers (no more missed stamps or losing cards), but also allows venues to collect valuable customer data. This data can be used for personalised marketing outreach.&nbsp;



Watch out for <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/making-a-success-of-loyalty-programs-part-ii/">Part II of this blog article</a>, all about how you can turn your loyalty program into a success, including some inspiring customer examples.

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