In a reflection of the growing number of merchants tapping mobile location data, Denny’s bolstered its visibility across several sites and mobile applications, successfully reaching on-the-go consumers and urging them to visit a nearby restaurant.

Denny’s sought to leverage mobile strategy in a way that would drive in-store traffic from consumers belonging to all generations – not only millennials. After implementing location data management service Yext’s platform, the restaurant brand saw search impressions for its local pages jump by 162 percent, enabling it to more readily reach individuals searching for a place to grab a bite.

“Location matters because people have to walk through bricks-and-mortar doors in order to experience our brand – we are not an online vendor,” said John Dillon, chief marketing officer of Denny’s. “The purpose of our digital presence is to drive diners into our actual restaurant locations time and again, and that is where Yext’s product is invaluable.”

Bringing diners to Denny’s doors
Denny’s looked to use a scalable technology solution that would boost the brand’s visibility on search pages and within apps so that hungry consumers seeking local restaurants could easily find a Denny’s location. With many individuals turning to their smartphones for such information, investing in a mobile-optimized solution made the most sense.

Per a recent Yext study, 93 percent of consumers claim they consider more than one restaurant when seeking a place to dine, while 65 percent consider at least three choices before making their decision. Therefore, it becomes imperative for restaurant chains to win diners’ fleeting attention and loyalty.

Denny’s tapped Yext’s PowerListings tool to strengthen its presence on local mobile Web pages, listing sites and campaigns. This also gave Denny’s the ability to instantly update its listings for as many locations as it wanted, all from one comprehensive dashboard.

The diner brand was also drawn to mobile location data due to 90 to 92 percent of its system being franchised, meaning that having locally relevant information was of paramount importance. Denny’s wanted to give local franchisees the option of updating their own mobile and Web pages, as well as social channels.

This enabled them to reach out to specific customers and forge additional one-to-one relationships.

A Denny’s executive at the 2015 Mobile Marketing Association Forum New York affirmed that location-based messages and advertisements have resulted in ramping up the restaurant brand’s in-store visits, proving that targeted data is imperative for food and beverage marketers to drive sales (see story).

The chain is also interested in exploring Yext’s beacon-enabled product, underscoring food marketers’ interest in sending consumers in the vicinity targeted offers or messages in a bid to prompt in-store traffic and sales.

Keeping information mobile
Denny’s has made more than 600,000 updates to its existing listings as it ramps up to make its presence more visible on mobile platforms. Optimizing local pages and social accounts with correct details – such as hours of operation and phone numbers – is imperative for brands seeking to make themselves available to new customers.

A Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores executive at the Mobile Marketing Association’s Mobile Location Leadership Forum revealed that local discoverability is one of the company’s top uses of mobile, as four in five local mobile searches culminate in a purchase (see story).

Meanwhile, several of Denny’s competitors have been experimenting with geolocation as they sharpen their consumer-targeting techniques.

Restaurant chain IHOP attempted to drive in-store traffic by relying on geolocation technology to adapt its mobile site to reflect each user’s time zone, further raising interest in its new all-day breakfast offerings (see story).

“Our breakfast competition is different from our dinner competition, which is different from our late night competition,” Mr. Dillon said. “Weekday breakfast differs from weekend breakfast, and so on.

“We recognize that consumers – not just millennials – are more mobile, so our digital presence is key to winning and keeping attention and loyalty.”