Help & How-To

Sales & Marketing
Will requiring online customers to register their email address turn away business?
I have an online restaurant menu for both pickup and delivery. I am wondering if most people are adverse to registering an online account before they can purchase. For customers that place an order for pickup at the restaurant, I need a name, email and phone number. For delivery, I need the same but the delivery address anyways.

Asked by jkiene
Posted: Thursday, May 01, 2008  |  Found in Sales & Marketing


More answers by Kim T. Gordon
Answer by Kim T. Gordon
There's a rule of thumb that the longer the form, the less likely people are to fill it out. But in your case, you're asking for the information in order to serve the customers' needs. I suggest you tell customers that if they register once they won't have to put in their delivery information each time they order. Promise to save them time--increase convenience--and most will be happy to comply. It's unlikely customers will believe you really need their email addresses, except perhaps for future promotion, so to obtain this you might offer a reward, such as a coupon for first time registrations.
Kim Gordon is the owner of National Marketing Federation and is a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson. Her latest book is Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars.


Recent Articles & Resources
We've gathered content from some of the best resources on the web. Find tips to help you run a successful business with this collection of videos, articles, expert blogs, and more.
Marketing and promotion
Nancy Meyers talks about how leveraging new mediums and taking innovative approaches are often necessary to the successful marketing and promotion of

Building and maximizing your network
Use this worksheet to identify the people you want to connect with, where and how to find them and how to make sure you’re spending your valuable

Assessing customer profitability
It’s a standard business adage that it is easier (and less expensive) to sell to a current customer than to acquire a new one. Determining which of

Pitching your business
Whether you are making a sales presentation, seeking financing, networking at an event, or even just chatting with a neighbor, you need to have your

Marketing your business on search engines
To get the results you want from your search engine programs, it helps to learn about how search engines work. Once you’re comfortable with search
Have a burning question? Ask now!