If you’ve never heard of Veganuary, then we don’t know where you’ve been hiding! Last year over half a million people signed up to try a month of veganism, and as participation has more than doubled each year since it began, 2022 looks set to be their biggest year yet.
And even those customers who haven’t embraced a totally plant-based diet are more open than ever to trying the vegan option on a menu. All verticals of hospitality are embracing quality-vegan options - and we believe there are ways to make your app vegan-friendly too!
Make products easy to find with a separate category
Customers love convenience, so grouping your vegan options together makes it easy for people to go straight to what they’re looking for. That’s not to say your vegan burger shouldn’t also feature in the main menu, to tempt flexitarians into trying it!
A separate category also puts emphasis on how many options you offer - seeing them all in one place demonstrates the variety and encourages repeat visits.
You could also use the sort order of menu items to place the vegan options at the top of the list in each main menu category, ensuring they get maximum visibility!
GBK 'Vegan Burgers' menu categoryHead of Steam 'Recommends' menu category
Vegan drinks menus
The need to shout about vegan items on a food menu is a given, but surprisingly few businesses put the vegan symbol against drinks.
Cocktails, beers, ciders and wine can all be non-vegan, due to the use of milk or ingredients in the filtration process, such as isinglass, gelatine and casein.
Signpost your drinks with a ‘VE’, as you would your food. It can be time-consuming for vegan and vegetarian guests to Google the ingredients of certain brands before they order.
Many brands also make vegan drinks alternatives available - by using almond or oat milk as a replacement in espresso martinis.
Special offers throughout January
Running promotions within your app during January can encourage customers to try your newly-launched products. Bundle deals for small plates and sharers or a ‘vegan happy hour’ could tempt even the most carnivorous visitor to try Bang Bang Cauliflower for the first time.
For example, Head of Steam are taking advantage of Veganuary this month, and are offering 50% off all vegan food in January!
For brands whose offering includes vegan specials that change weekly, we’d also recommend using the front page of the app to shout about those promotions and draw the customer in.
Double points or extra stamps
Encourage customers to try your vegan offering with double-points on those dishes! This is a simple way to use your existing loyalty scheme to promote Veganuary.
If you already have a coffee stamp card, for example, why not introduce one for the Vegan menu for the month?
A generous loyalty scheme is a great way to ensure customers keep returning; 88% of consumers are influenced by loyalty rewards when choosing which venues to visit (KAM Media, 2019).
Members of loyalty programmes have also been known to generate 12-18% more revenue than customers who do not participate, so it pays off to reward customers for loyalty to your brand (Blackhawk Network, 2020).
Pairings and recommendations work a treat
Upsell and recommend a vegan beer to go with a customer’s vegan burger, or a vegan cocktail to go with their pizza.
If customers are new to being vegan or trying it for the first time, they might be unsure of what to order so giving recommendations and steering them in the right direction can only help their customer experience.
It’s also a great way to upsell sides and increase spend per head.
“Did you know our onion rings are vegan too?! Want to add a portion?”
Market to your Vegan customers with audiences
Create audiences of users who order from the Vegan category of the menu. This will allow you to shout about your vegan offering to those who are most interested!
You can also show custom home-page modules to members of that audience, or grant them perks once Veganuary is over, to tempt them back in.
The power of push
Use push notifications before Veganuary starts to make sure you’re top of mind in Veganuary.
Follow this up throughout the month itself, with regular notifications about offers, new dishes or events.
You can also tailor your marketing messages to the audience you’re sending them to, so that they have the best possible engagement rate.
Get creative with your app and branding!
Why not turn your app icon green for the month?
You can also use the modules on the homepage to advertise new products and offers, link out to the official Veganuary website or encourage customers to book ahead.
Add product images to your vegan items to enhance your menu.
Take the pledge!
Last, but by no means least, why not encourage staff members to take the pledge and try veganism for a month?
Becoming vegan can seem daunting, so it’s so helpful for customers when their favourite brands accommodate them and present their options in the clearest way possible.
Get in touch with the team if you have any questions or are interested to find out more - we’re always happy to help!
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