Nowadays it is next to impossible to run a successful business without letting your customers order online.

To make that possible you will have to implement an ordering system as part of your business. You could build your own, or use one from a company that specializes in creating ordering systems. If you opt for the second option you will have several options to choose from.

We will group these into free, subscription-based, percentage-based and transaction-based ordering systems and tell you the pros and cons of each.

General pros and cons

There are lots of benefits and almost no drawbacks to having an online ordering system. Reduction of errors that could happen, such as mishearing someone over the phone, will ensure deliveries match exactly what your customers ordered. Your staff will also have more time to focus on other tasks instead of spending it on long phone calls with customers. You will avoid the possibility of all your lines being busy and missing a possible order. Internet marketing will allow you to reach more customers than ever before. Also, an ordering system will add value to your site should you ever plan to sell it.

When it comes to disadvantages, there are not many. The biggest disadvantage is the possibility of your ordering system going down and your clients being unable to place orders. That can be mitigated by using a reliable online ordering system. Another big scare for business owners is losing personal contact with their customers.

This drawback can be mitigated by starting a blog, that will further modernize your business.

Free ordering systems

The one clear benefit of the free ordering systems is that you get to use them for free. You need to check if the companies behind your ordering service are letting you use their system in a way that isn’t annoying to your customers. Some companies use ads inside the free ordering system to generate revenue. Don’t forget that customer experience is one of the most important factors in successfully running a business. Spending some money to keep your customers satisfied is a worthy investment.

We already talked about how there is always a chance that a system will go down. If that happens you will lose money as well as credibility.

Although this can happen to any system, the things that you pay for are usually more reliable than those you get for free. Buying a better ordering system may be worth the price if there is a guarantee that it won’t go offline.

Percentage-based and transaction-based ordering systems

Another group of online ordering systems is those that charge you based on the monthly or annual profit your company makes through online orders. These might be suitable for start-ups. If you are not earning a lot of money this system will be cheap, however as your profits grow the system will get more expensive.

Transaction-based ordering systems are similar to percentage-based ones. The minor difference is that they charge a fee on each transaction you make. In the end, they also get more expensive as your company grows.

You could always change the ordering system once your profit increases, but consider if the change is worth the complications that come with it. When you decide to change the ordering system you use, there will be a few days that your customers won’t be able to order from you online. After that period passes, it will take time for you, your employees and your customers to get used to the change. In addition, there is additional work for you to choose and implement a new ordering system.

It might be better to start with an ordering system that will continue to be cost effective once your business grows.

Subscription-based ordering systems

The last type of the ordering systems on our list are those based on the subscription model. You pay some money monthly or annually and you receive all the benefits of that ordering system. Unless you intend to run a business that is making no money at all these are usually the best ones to choose.

There will be no adds that will ruin the customer experience and they are reliable because their profit is based on how satisfied their clients are. If you choose a carefully thought out subscription-based online ordering system like ordering.co, the price of the subscription will scale with your business. Ordering.co has different pricing for different sizes of businesses ranging from small store owners to huge enterprises. This way you will also be able to start cheap similarly to a percentage or transaction-based ordering systems, but the prices will never go beyond a certain limit no matter how many transactions or how much profit your company makes.

Conclusion

There are a lot of benefits that come with online ordering systems and you shouldn’t miss out on them. Implementing such systems makes your life and the lives of your employees much easier, while giving you more opportunities to grow your business.

The few existing disadvantages can easily be mitigated by choosing the right model of ordering system and implementing a few more improvements to how you run your business.

In the end, it is simple and efficient to make your business better by implementing an online ordering system.