Owners of bars, cafes and restaurants all over the world will have asked themselves whether to install a public Wi-Fi network in recent years – it is an issue worth examining in greater detail, as it holds real potential for such businesses.
One of the pioneers of free Wi-Fi in such places was actually fast food chain McDonalds in 2007 – and since then an increasing number of business owners have decided to add the feature to their establishments. While it may have felt superfluous to some people during the early stages, as more devices have been released with Wi-Fi connectivity it has become more relevant for the man on the street.
A Wi-Fi network allows people to use their smartphones, tablet computers or laptops to connect to the internet, whether that is for work, play or simply when some form of information is needed – perhaps a phone number or address. Recent research by The Cloud found that 10.6 million Brits use high street Wi-Fi options each week, while five million use Wi-Fi networks in pubs for work purposes.
What is interesting is that there is almost an expectation – particularly among younger consumers – that a bar, cafe or restaurant will have Wi-Fi freely available to customers. Putting this unusual sense of entitlement to one side, there is definitely appetite for the service, especially since penetration levels of internet-enabled devices is rising significantly globally.
Influence choice
When people are deciding where to go to eat or drink, they will consider a whole host of factors – ambience, price, location and product range among other things, but internet access can also be a consideration. Consumers who own internet-enabled devices will often want to check something on the web, download a media file or communicate with friends on social networks; for this they need the internet and generally speaking they will have limited data plans to work from.
By providing free Wi-Fi, a business is essentially enabling the activity that comes naturally to Generation Y and saying ‘don’t worry about your data plans’, which is a neat perk that could influence their decision regarding which bar to go to or restaurant to dine at. There are actually many guides and apps available (for example, from ‘Time Out’) directing people to places with free Wi-Fi.
Naturally, 3G and 4G allow internet activity on smartphones, but a Wi-Fi network delivers the sense of getting added value.
Make people stay
While a key factor in adding Wi-Fi to an eating or drinking establishment is to influence people in their choice of venue; a related point is how free internet can persuade people to stay for longer. Individuals could be persuaded to stay for more than one coffee or soft drink if they know that they can check their work email on their laptop, while those enjoying some downtime can peruse social networks or news sites at their leisure.
Interestingly, research from food industry resource Technomic published a study saying 51 per cent of consumers expect technology to be used more in the ordering process in future – there are doubtless all sorts of novelties that firms can introduce with the aid of the internet. For example, QR codes dotted around a bar to download special offers.
When putting together schemes to complement internet access, businesses should bear in mind that the majority of devices that access Wi-Fi networks are smartphones and laptops, according to research from 2012, but the rise of the tablet means this dominance could soon be broken up.
Tips for making it work
If you decide to install Wi-Fi at your business, then there are some points to bear in mind – the most important arguably being whether your system works properly. If you advertise free Wi-Fi but it does not work then you are bound to disappoint, so check the coverage all around the building. Also, think about whether improvements such as additional plug sockets could impress consumers.
Some firms are still opting to charge for internet access in a bid to monetise the service, but this can really put people off, particularly since the standard has pretty much already been set – in urban areas at least – that customers do not need to pay for Wi-Fi. Logistics is another point to think about; a comScore study from 2012 found that 68 per cent of Android users in the US did not know how to access a Wi-Fi network on their phone. It is important to keep this process simple.
This has actually become a crucial point in the Wi-Fi industry; how to make access smoother and easier for consumers while still protecting the privacy and security of all involved. Concepts such as Next Generation Hotspots are among the most prominently discussed – it seems network providers and local businesses are very keen for consumers to constantly be connected to the web, which should go down well with today’s digitally native consumer.
