Every year, from November through to the end of January, businesses collate and read industry predictions for the coming year. These give a valuable insight into market trends, suggesting where investments should be made in order to survive, and hopefully thrive, in a changing environment.
It’s certainly been a tough start to the year for some; we’ve already seen once mighty chain, Byron Burger, admit that costs need to be saved if it’s going to prevent the closure of 20 stores. If others are going to avoid similar difficulties then it’s vital that they make the right decisions, spend their money wisely and keep the positive attention of customers.
With clients across the whole spectrum of the food and hospitality industry, we are proud to be in a unique position, one that allows us detailed insight into changes, not just in one vertical market, but many. As such we can draw parallels between markets and reach solid conclusions about the direction that the food and hospitality industry, as a whole, is taking.
Given this, we’ve now published our own guide to 2018. The paper, which can be downloaded here for free, makes four predictions we feel certain will impact the wider market in the coming year. They are: loyalty, operations technology, virtual kitchens and staff retention in a corporate setting.
To find out more about our industry predictions you’ll have to download the paper. Saying that, there is one prediction we didn’t include within the paper…
Bonus prediction: Venue transformation
As mobile ordering grows in popularity, there’s something curbing a minority from investing: that is the connectivity and physical capability of their venue/s. Consider some of the exhibition centres you’ve been to, sports grounds, theatres or even shopping centres. WiFi or data signal can be limited by location, structure and size. It’s an issue, and one that has been felt and dealt with by some of our most successful clients.
The operators of these buildings know the benefit that digital ordering can have on the customer experience, but they don’t feel able to move forward. In 2018, we predict businesses will start on the digital transformation of their venues in order to adopt digital ordering (and other) technologies. The modifications to be made might be as simple as investing in a stronger WiFi network, but could involve some physical restructuring of the site. In either case, the undertaking won’t be small but the benefits reaped will make the investment more that worth it.
Of course we know that the reasons for making such changes will extend beyond the potential of digital ordering. Digital transformation will lead to improved network connectivity that can be applied to everything from data collection and protection, to in-event management. The end result will be the same though, a business better prepared to take on the challenges of 2018 and beyond.
Yes, if our industry predictions are right, then 2018 looks set to be a year of movement in the food and hospitality market. Changes are coming, some small, some large. It is our intention to be here as a support to our clients, guiding them as needed and providing them with a technology platform that, we guarantee, will always be at the forefront of the industry.
It’s not as catchy as: ‘When is a door not a door?’ (answer, when it’s a jar) but it speaks to the idea that in-car collection, and the technologies that support it, are flexible enough to bend to the needs of a business and its guests.
Delivery can be daunting to the uninitiated, and it might be tempting to sign up with a third-party ordering aggregator that offers the service, such as UberEats, but other options could suit your business and brand better. Here we present three different ‘levels’ of delivery, starting with the most basic – and cheapest method: doing it yourself.
