Bytes to Bites: A Consumer Journey Review at Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine

About Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine (XXHC)

Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine seems to have appeared out of nowhere, quickly gaining popularity in the recent few years. With three new outlet openings in 2024 alone (One Holland Village, NEX, and West Gate), XXHC is expanding rapidly, bringing the total to eight locations across Singapore.

Despite the recent buzz, the brand has been around since 2009 and recently won the prestigious Singapore Prestige Brand Award. They are also behind Hip Pot, a hot pot restaurant. For this review, we visited the newly opened NEX outlet.

Highlight 1: Easy Online Access

👍🏻 Online Discovery Experience

One of the reasons we decided to check out XXHC was its strong online presence and visibility on Google Maps/Search. For example, searching terms like “Best Chinese Seng Kang,” “Chinese Restaurants Bedok,” and “Bugis Chinese Cuisine” consistently showed XXHC in top search results with high ratings.

Here’s how they rank for different searches:

Note: Google searches conducted in incognito mode for unbiased results as of May 2024.

Given the high search ranking and almost perfect 5-star reviews with over 1000+ reviews, XXHC stands out even amongst household brands like Paradise and Putien, despite being relatively new, making it a compelling choice for diners.

Google search results from “Best Chinese Sengkang”

Highlight 2: Queue with Ease?

👎🏻 Arrival & Waiting

Upon arrival at XXHC, we noticed long queues, evident from the waiting chairs outside. While the chairs are convenient and snacks and drinks were offered, the experience could be significantly enhanced with a digital queueing system. Such a system would enable guests to roam the mall and receive a notification when their table is ready, offering a more comfortable and flexible waiting experience.

Highlight 3: Member-First Experience

👍🏻 Menu Design & Member’s Price with QR Ordering

Easy enrolment with phone & OTP. Customers have an option to order as Guest

QR ordering which incorporates the discounted prices as a member. Guests pay full price.

The menu design at XXHC is well thought out. Upon opening the menu, the top 12 signature dishes are prominently displayed, making it easy for first-time visitors to decide what to order. Many dishes have a member’s price, significantly cheaper than the regular price. For instance, member prices for some dishes can be almost $6 cheaper, while others are $2-3 cheaper, making the membership sign-up very attractive and almost a no-brainer.

Standee showing membership benefits

The menu and table standee clearly outlines the membership benefits and inform guests that sign-up is free. This well-designed menu leads to high rates of data capture and membership enrolment. The QR ordering system allows guests to sign up and order instantly as members. The sign-up process is straightforward, requiring only a phone number and OTP.

Notably, if you continue as a guest, you have to pay the full price, further incentivising membership.

Menu which clearly showcases top dishes & member’s pricing

Highlight 4: Reviews Done Right

👍🏻 Free Drink on Review

During our visit, the host informed us that leaving a 5-star review would earn us a free ice lemon tea. This strategy effectively drives Google reviews. It’s evident that XXHC’s impressive online ratings are no accident but the result of intentional execution to encourage positive reviews. As of the time of this writing, the NEX outlet had stopped giving the free drink, likely because they had already surpassed 1.5k reviews on Google.

Simple QR to leave a Google review. A free ice lemon tea was served after showing proof of a 5-star review completion.

Highlight 5: Discounts that Delight

👍🏻 Upsell at the Cashier

After dining, the cashier offered us credits at a discount (e.g., buying $1200 worth of credits to get $300 free, representing a 20% discount). This offers great value to customers who enjoyed their meal or are bargain hunters. Such strategies not only enhance customer loyalty but also ensure repeat business, adding another layer to their digital engagement strategy.

Standee at the cashier showcasing the member credits benefits

Highlight 6: Missing the After-Taste

👎🏻 Post-Dining Experience

Unfortunately, the post-dining engagement at XXHC was lacking. This represents a missed opportunity as there were no follow-up emails or messages to thank us for our visit or encourage repeat business. Effective post-dining engagement could include personalised thank-you messages, follow-up surveys, or exclusive offers for future visits, which would significantly enhance customer retention and satisfaction.

Final Thoughts

Excellent New Store Launch Execution but Lacking in Follow Up

What Stood Out

• Google Review Strategy: Offering a free drink for a 5-star review effectively boosts visibility and attracts customers. We commonly see this tactic being employed by other brands for their new outlet launches as well to boost visibility on Google. (BTW, Oddle has a survey tool that allow you to collect reviews from customers and directs them to leave a review on google. Customers can be incentivised with a reward. To find out more, contact us here.)
• Menu Design & Member Pricing: The clear display of top dishes, significant member discounts and seamless membership sign up and QR ordering integrations lead to high enrolment rates and data capture.

Recommendations for Improvement

• Queue System: Implement a digital queueing system to enhance the waiting experience, especially since most locations are in malls.

• Data Utilisation: XXHC only collects a phone number for membership enrolment. More comprehensive data such as email could have been collected to facilitate better post-visit engagement and marketing.

• Membership Post Signup Experience: XXHC could improve the membership post signup experience with welcome emails and post-visit follow-ups to encourage repeat visits.

Summary

Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine’s recent popularity is no surprise given their well-executed strategies for new store launches. Their optimisation for Google Reviews and effective customer data capture are exemplary, providing a solid playbook for other restaurants.

However, XXHC falls short in personalisation and data utilisation, lacking post-dining engagement. The silver lining is that they have already collected valuable customer data, offering a foundation to build upon for future improvements.

For more insights and consumer journey reviews, check out our other articles below:

• Byte to Bites: A Consumer Journey Review at Din Tai Fung

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