New Survey of Diners Finds That Mobile Is a Major Influencer on Food and Dining Choices

AUSTIN, Texas, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot, Inc., a leading digital savings destination connecting consumers with retailers, restaurants and brands, both online and in-store (www.retailmenot.com/corp), released a new study today, titled "The Evolution of Dining in the Digital Age," that explores digital savings and mobile habits among restaurant patrons, as well as general habits related to dining out and spending.

More than ever before, consumers are turning to their digital devices to help make dining out decisions easier, including searching for nearby locations and deals. In fact, nearly a third of consumers (32%) have used a deal that they found online or on their mobile device at a restaurant in the past three months. But that's not all they're using their smartphones for when dining; the survey breaks down when, where and how their mobile devices impact the dining journey.      

Download the full study at http://www.retailmenot.com/dining2016

Mobile Makes Its Way to the Food and Dining Scene
Convenience is a major factor for today's mobile consumer, and figuring out where to dine is no exception. Of the diners surveyed, one in four currently has at least one restaurant-specific mobile app on his or her smartphone. That number increases significantly the more diners eat out. Among people who dine out eight to 10 times a week, more than two-thirds (68%) use a restaurant-specific mobile app.

Consumers rely on their mobile devices for a variety of restaurant-related research prior to dining out. Topping the list is finding a restaurant location (53%), browsing a menu (49%) and researching new restaurants (37%). Not surprisingly, younger consumers rely on mobile the most. Consumers aged 25 to 34 are more likely to research new restaurants on their smartphone than any other age group (60%).

Mobile device usage doesn't stop once they are in a restaurant either. Nearly two-thirds of diners will use their smartphones for a variety of tasks while dining in a restaurant. This includes taking a photo (32%), checking in on social media (19%) and searching for online deals (19%). Other tasks include browsing reviews (17%), looking up nutritional information (16%) and paying for a meal via mobile (8%).

"As consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices for help with their dining choices, it is imperative that restaurants market to diners via mobile," said Marissa Tarleton, chief marketing officer, North America, RetailMeNot, Inc. "Mobile marketing technology is a powerful medium when it comes to serving up the right dining content, in the right location, at the right time. When done well, mobile has the ability to drive more diners through their doors and keep them coming back for more."

Diners Love a Good Deal
A whopping nine out of 10 customers have looked for a restaurant deal at least once. Additionally, 81% search for deals on a regular basis (13% search every time, 30% search most of the time and 38% search sometimes). Interestingly, high earners use online or mobile restaurant deals the most: 46% of diners who earn $150,000 or more per year have used an online or mobile coupon at a restaurant in the past three months. Furthermore, deals drive consumers to explore restaurants that they may not have known otherwise; in fact, 80% are likely to try a new restaurant if it is offering a promotion.

The survey also concluded that differences lie among various age and location demographics. Among people in urban areas, those aged 45 to 54 responded that  "yes," they have used a deal found online or their smartphone, more than any other age group. However, in suburban areas, Millennials (aged 25 to 34) use deals found online or their smartphone the most.

For more information on these findings and more, download the full report at http://www.retailmenot.com/dining2016

About the Survey
The purpose of this research is to collect insight from consumers aged 18 to 65-plus on their food and dining habits and is based on two surveys conducted using Google Consumer Surveys between March 22 and April 6, 2016. The surveys are based on a sample of the U.S. adult Internet population. A survey about digital and mobile coupon usage at restaurants reached 1,001 respondents. A survey about general dining out habits reached 1,032 respondents. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) is a leading digital savings destination connecting consumers with retailers, restaurants and brands, both online and in-store. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers to save money while they shop or dine out. During the 12 months ended March 31, 2016, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced over 700 million visits to its websites. It also averaged 19.2 million mobile unique visitors per month during the three months ended March 31, 2016. RetailMeNot, Inc. estimates that approximately $4.8 billion in retailer sales were attributable to consumer transactions from paid digital offers in its marketplace in 2015, more than $600 million of which were attributable to its in-store solution. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio of websites and mobile applications includes RetailMeNot.com in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk in the United Kingdom; retailmenot.de in Germany; Actiepagina.nl in the Netherlands; ma-reduc.com and Poulpeo.com in France; RetailMeNot.es in Spain, RetailMeNot.it in Italy, RetailMeNot.pl in Poland and GiftCardZen.com and Deals2Buy.com in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit http://investor.retailmenot.com.

Media Contacts
RetailMeNot, Inc.
Michelle Skupin
(808) 224-3215
[email protected]

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SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.

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