Tips for designing digital menus that can boost your online food orders by up to 30%. Lift up customer experience and engagement.
Want to increase your online food sales by up to 30%? Start with your digital menu. Research shows that customers spend only 109 seconds browsing menus. 70% decide based on photos. A well-designed menu can grab attention and simplify decisions. Even make wait times feel shorter! Here’s what you need to know:
- Organise Layout: Group items into categories like Specials, Mains, and Drinks. Highlight best-sellers in "Golden Triangle" areas (top left, top right, centre).
- Use Great Photos: High-quality, consistent food images can boost sales by 30%.
- Write Clear Descriptions: Short, detailed descriptions with ingredients and allergen info build trust.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure easy navigation, readable text, and fast loading on smaller screens.
Build an Effective Menu Layout
A well-organised menu is key to a smooth ordering process. A clear and structured digital menu can influence customer choices.
Group Items into Categories
Divide your menu into easy-to-navigate sections such as Specials, Mains, Bundles, and Drinks. This helps diners find what they’re looking for fast. Placing related categories together can also encourage extra orders. For example, putting appetisers near mains.
Feature Top-Selling Items
Highlight your best-sellers by placing them in high-visibility areas like the centre, top left, and top right - often referred to as the "Golden Triangle".
To make these items stand out:
- Use bold text or coloured boxes for emphasis
- Position them at the start and end of each section for better visibility
"Menus should have elements that make it pleasant to look at but the design should always avoid clutter. Too much information or too many design elements can be distracting and hard to read from a distance." - Samsung VXT
Balance Space and Content
A good layout strikes a balance between white space and essential information. Use white space to avoid overwhelming the viewer. Include varied text sizes to create a visual hierarchy. Replace lengthy descriptions with icons for dietary details when possible.
Make Your Menu Look Better
Once your menu is well-organised, the next step is to improve its visual appeal to draw in your customers.
Add Professional Food Photos
Good food photography can increase sales by up to 30% and boost customer confidence. 85% of online users more likely to try new items when they see attractive photos.
To take great food photos:
- Use natural or professional lighting to make colours pop.
- Focus on the food itself, avoiding any distractions in the background.
- Take shots from different angles to highlight the dish's best features.
- Ensure the photos match the actual portion sizes served.
- Keep lighting and styling consistent across all images.
"Images entice customers. For pictures of your product, always use your own professional, real images, as businesses often get criticized when their offering doesn't live up to photoshopped stock images used for advertising. Stock images should only be used for thematic background purposes." - Gabby, Enplug's Lead Content Developer
Use Easy-to-Read Text
Typography plays a big role in how easily customers can navigate your menu. Follow these tips:
- Use a font size of at least 30 points.
- Apply bold text for headers and regular text for descriptions.
- Ensure there’s high contrast between the text and its background.
- Choose fonts that align with your brand and are easy to read.
- Stick to consistent font styles throughout the menu.
A clear hierarchy with varying text sizes makes it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for. All the while keeping the design professional.
Write Clear Item Descriptions
Detailed descriptions help customers make informed choices. It also makes them feel more confident about their orders.
"Having descriptions on your menu items helps in a couple of ways. It increases your search engine ranking because you have more searchable text on the website, and it builds consumer confidence by showing customers exactly what to expect." - Erin Trampel, Designer
When writing descriptions, focus on these points:
- Mention the main ingredients and how the dish is prepared.
- Highlight any standout flavours or combinations.
- Include allergen details to help customers with dietary restrictions.
- Keep the descriptions short and to the point.
- Use accurate and appealing language to set expectations.
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Make Ordering Simple
Once you sort your menu design, focus on making the ordering process as smooth as possible.
Show Clear Pricing
Displaying prices in a clear way helps build trust and keeps attention on your food.
Here’s how to present prices well:
- Use a smaller font size for prices compared to the dish names.
- Skip the MYR / SGD symbol and show just the number (e.g., "12.90" instead of "MYR 12.90").
- Choose a lighter font colour for prices to make the dish names stand out.
"When customers are reading your menu, you want their focus to be on how delicious your food sounds, not how expensive it is." – Laure Joumier
Make it Work on Mobile
Over 56% of traffic coming from mobile devices. A poor mobile experience can drive customers away. 57% of users won’t recommend a site that’s hard to use on mobile.
"In mobile web design, the navigation menu serves as the user's primary tool for interaction. Its design should prioritize simplicity and intuitiveness to ensure users can access content without too much effort." - Webstacks
Here’s how to optimise your menu for mobile:
- Make sure text is easy to read and buttons are simple to tap on smaller screens.
- Use a vertical menu layout designed for 4" x 6.5" screens.
- Compress file sizes to improve loading speed.
- Test your menu on different devices and network conditions.
- Add a sticky menu bar for quick navigation on longer pages.
- Place key buttons where they’re easy to reach with a thumb.
Set Prices and Offers
Done streamlining the ordering process? Next step is setting prices that encourage customer engagement and higher order values.
Use Smart Pricing
Pricing isn’t just about numbers; it’s also about psychology. According to restaurant consultant Aaron Allen: "As we complicate menus, complicating menus burdens customers. When the guest leaves they feel less satisfied, and part of it comes down to the perception that they might have made the wrong choice."
Here’s how to make pricing work for you:
- Highlight premium options to make mid-range items look more appealing.
- Offer a discounted menu for the quieter hours.
Create Meal Deals
Bundle pricing is a great way to increase order sizes. At the same time, it gives customers a sense of getting more for their money. Studies show that well-designed meal deals can encourage higher spending. But don't forget to showcase them on your digital menus.
Key tips for meal deals:
- Combine items that naturally go together, like a main dish, side, and drink.
- Show the original prices crossed out next to the bundle price.
- Use visuals to make the deals pop and grab attention.
Add Limited-Time Offers
Digital menus are perfect for creating urgency with time-sensitive deals. These offers can nudge customers to act fast:
- Place limited-time offers or seasonal specials in highly visible areas, like the top of the menu.
- Instantly update menu items during happy hours.
Track and Update Your Menu
Once your menu design is in place, keeping an eye on its performance is crucial for long-term success. Use these strategies to track and improve your digital menu:
Check Performance Data
Pay attention to key metrics like the most-ordered dishes and average order value. Also note peak ordering times, frequent customisations, and items that receive little attention. These insights can highlight areas that need improvement.
Test Different Designs
A/B testing can help uncover which menu elements perform best. For example, displaying prices as plain numbers without currency symbols. This was what researchers Cornell University discovered.
Here are some elements worth testing:
- Price formats (e.g., with or without the MYR / SGD symbol)
- Item descriptions and their placement
- Visual emphasis on certain dishes
- How menu items are categorised
Another tactic? Introduce a higher-priced item to make mid-range options seem more attractive.
Use Customer Comments
Customer feedback is a goldmine for improving your menu.
"Designing a menu isn't just about showcasing your culinary talent or maximising profit margins. It's about cooking up dishes that make your guests feel seen - and leave them hungry for their next visit." - Clarissa Buch Zilberman
Based on feedback, you can:
- Tweak recipes to match common guest requests
- Add new dishes inspired by customer suggestions
- Remove or revamp items that consistently underperform
- Create specials or promotions tailored to customer preferences
Conclusion
Digital menus can increase revenue by up to 30%. Almost 90% of smartphone users scan QR codes. 87% of diners rely on detailed menu descriptions to decide what to order. These highlight how important it is to refine your menu's design and functionality.
Here are some strategies to keep in mind:
- Frequent Updates: Add seasonal items and make changes based on performance data to keep your menu engaging.
- Strong Visuals: Use high-quality food photos and clear, easy-to-read text to present your dishes.
- Logical Layout: Organise items in a way that makes sense and spotlight your most popular dishes.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Make sure your menu works smoothly on all devices.
- Transparent Pricing: Clearly display prices in SGD and consider bundling items into appealing meal deals.
By focusing on these areas, you can create a digital menu that looks great and also works well. Use analytics to track performance and make adjustments based on customer feedback. These can help you maximise your menu's potential.
The key is to test, tweak, and refine non-stop. That's how your digital menu grows your business in Malaysia and Singapore's competitive F&B market.
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We use the term 'restaurant' throughout the article for consistency. However this guide can be generally applied to any type of food shop, including but not limited to: bakeries, bars, bistrots, boulangeries, butcheries, cafés, cantinas, caterers, coffeeshops, delis, diners, eateries, food trucks, grocers, patisseries, pubs, and more.
