Since January of 2021, there has been a 49% increase in foot traffic at pizza restaurants across the U.S. And as more people get vaccinated and indoor mask mandates are lifted, the numbers are set to go even higher.
Pizzeria Visits Up 47% Since January
The information comes from the data scientists at brick-and-mortar marketing expert Zenreach. The almost 50% increase was recorded from January to June of 2021 in Italian and pizza restaurants and bars. However, the increase was not the same across the board as some cities saw some fantastic growth, while others didn’t.
The biggest traffic comes from Los Angeles with an increase of 156% in pizza stores. And overall, the state of California saw a 119.9% jump. On the opposite side of the scale is Phoenix with a slight increase of just 5%, while the entire state, Arizona, only up 3.9%.
Two cities famous for their pizzas, Chicago and New York City were up 85% and 82% respectively. But statewide New York had the upper hand with 92.18% and Illinois came in at 79.66%. In other parts of the country, the numbers were up and down with minimal to decent gains. For example, Texas saw a 29.42% jump, while Florida just managed 8.84% since January.
Marketing Strategies for Pizza Restaurants Post-COVID
In a blog written by Megan Wintersteen, VP of Marketing for Zenreach, Wintersteen says pizza restaurants need to tailor their strategies to the coming increased competition as more restaurants open.
Wintersteen has five considerations for pizza marketers.
- First-party data – You have to perfect your first-party data collection strategy as targeting browsing behavior or third-party data go by the wayside. As Wintersteen says, you have to find places to integrate data collection opportunities.
- Know your customers – Use tools that are readily available to truly engage with your customers and know who they are.
- Personalized messaging – Once you know your customers, you are also more likely to know what they want. Create specials and offers to cater to their likes, such as special ingredients on their pizzas.
- The right KPIs – There are many key performance indicators for measuring your business. Wintersteen says to measure what matters to keep your business growing.
- Expand your reach – Beyond your channels, email, social media, website, vlogs, and others, look for paid advertising. Zenreach reports restaurants with paid advertising saw a 53% lift in email CTR and close to 180% increase in store Walk-Throughs from email campaigns.
One thing for certain, there will be more challenges and opportunities as the economy keeps opening up. Whether your city saw huge increases or not, marketing your pizza store effectively in the coming months will dictate how well you do.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, “Pizzeria Visits Up 47% Since January” was first published on Small Business Trends