Yelp is sharing some findings from a national survey it commissioned from Nielsen to “get intel on how consumers across the country are making reservations.”
This comes as the company is rolling out Yelp Now, a recently announced search tool for reservations and ordering. The feature enables users to filter search results to show businesses with available reservations based on date, time, party size, and the type of food they want or restaurants that deliver.
Yelp Now will eventually expand to include businesses beyond restaurants including spas, hotels, plumbers, and dentists.
The roll-out began earlier this month in select U.S. cities on desktop and iOS. It allows users to reserve tables at restaurants that use Yelp SeatMe and Yelp Reservations. For delivery, users can access those using Yelp’s Eat24, ChowNow, Delivery.com, or EatStreet.
“Our goal is to make Yelp the best place for consumers to discover and transact with great local businesses, and to help business owners connect with the millions of people who use Yelp every day,” says Yelp’s Brad Menezes. “Whether you’re the couch potato ordering food at midnight or the die-hard foodie planning a dinner at the hottest new restaurant, we’ve got you covered!”
Here are some findings from the Nielsen study:
Nearly 4 in 10 (39%) Americans researched or checked reviews of a restaurant before their last dining experience Nearly a third of Americans (28%) researched or checked reviews of a restaurant before they placed an order for takeout or delivery
15% of Americans made a reservation last time they dined out. In Atlanta and DC, men made reservations three times more often than women.Of people who made a reservation last time they dined out… – 42% did so online or using an app
– More men than women went online or used an app to make that reservation (47% vs. 37%)
– 75% of people who made a reservation last time they dined out did so within 2 days of their dining experience.
– More men than women made a same day reservation (46% vs. 33%)
Yelp also provided some New York-specific stats. 18% of New Yorkers made a reservation last time they dined out.
The company says, “In the NYC Metro, more women than men made a reservation last time they dined out (20% vs. 16%) Of those in the NYC Metro who made a reservation last time they dined out: 41% did so online or using an app; More women than men made the reservation online or using an app (42% vs. 40%); 46% did so the same day as their dining experience; 100% of men did so within 2 days of their dining experience vs. 62% of women.”
Yelp will announce its Q1 earnings on Wednesday, and will likely discuss Yelp Now and its reservations business further in the ensuing conference call.
Images via Yelp
