Online store or online ordering system – which to choose?

Many customers handle at least some of their orders through the online sales channel. This is a very broad group of entrepreneurs – from the food service industry to branch stores to dropshipping. Such differentiation means that what works in a restaurant will not necessarily work in a clothing store. Two solutions can be chosen for online customer service: an online ordering system or an online store.

Online store vs. online ordering system – similar but different

At first glance, the two solutions have the same purpose – to receive information about the desire to purchase a product, transmit data related to the fulfillment of the order and settle the transaction. However, the online store and the online ordering system are two completely separate tools. In the first case, we are dealing with the execution of orders that do not have to be executed immediately. Products are added to the shopping cart, and order processing can take place at any time. The online ordering system, on the other hand, is dedicated to real-time orders, the customer can follow the progress of the order in real time, and in a situation where a particular point is closed, the system will either not accept the order or ask the customer to choose an order processing time.

Functionality of the online store

In order to fully understand the functionality of an online store, we will discuss how it works using the PrestaShop platform as an example. The online store allows the customer to place an order regarding the products contained on the integrated website. Modules can be added to this system to personalize the store and make the whole thing properly developed. Since there are times when a customer considers a purchase and temporarily abandons it, the mechanisms of the online store allow you to work with the visiting customer. This means that the system allows remarketing, i.e. conducting activities that encourage people to complete a purchase.

Functionality of the online ordering system

The online ordering system focuses on working “here and now.” This is your virtual sales representative or waiter, whose job is to best serve the customer who is present, actively seeking and determined to transact business. The online ordering system can offer cross-selling, such as matching a drink to an order or increasing the size of a dish. With the end of the caterer’s working hours, the system returns the information about the need to place an order at specific times. The ideal solution in this case is Foodeliver, a tool developed by 4b Systems in cooperation with restaurant owners.

Summary – online ordering system or online store?

Both systems can be compared to a knife and scissors – both will cut the package, but only a knife will allow you to comfortably slice the cheese. This does not mean that scissors are inferior to a knife, vide: it does not mean that an online store is an inferior product to an online ordering system. If you are wondering which of these systems would be a better choice, please contact us. We will be happy to prepare your online store or equip your restaurant with an online ordering module. For those who are taking their first steps in the e-commerce space, we will offer simple, attractive solutions that can be expanded with more modules over time.