Dubai – Technology is at the heart of one of the content spaces of Gulfood. The Foodverse shows creations connecting online tools like the metaverse to services regarding food. Visitors can, for instance, use augmented reality glasses by Akshaya.io and dive into the service of a restaurant chef that could be on the other side of the world. “The glasses allow you to have the experience of seeing a finished dish and listen to the whole story of the food from the chefs themselves,” the company’s founder Ganesh Raju told ANBA.
The technology has been tried by businesspeople during the Middle East’s largest food and beverages trade show. The purpose is transforming the possibilities in the hospitality industry by bringing together virtual experience and real stories.
Another lecture during the trade show highlighted the industry trends in African countries. “The African consumers are hungry for technology,” Richard Lawrence, director of Innovatr, said. He is an expert in Consumer Goods Innovation of the agency that has offices in Sout Africa, Dubai and London.
Growing habits, Lawrence said, include the factors impacting the consumer’s choice. These are personal “needs” that the use of technology comes to solve. The expert mentions the example of the cashless economy solution, a model that includes in-app purchases and online payments, so that the consumer doesn’t have to carry money or credit cards around, thus feeling safer.
Lawrence also mentioned the example of Jumia Food, a food delivery company that operates in Morocco and Tunisia. The company offers free delivery on Mondays and has a contactless delivery option. The service caters to an increased need for added convenience, the expert said.
Experience creation
Another strategy he mentioned is the so-called omnichannel. It’s a business strategy that integrates physical channels and digital channels to offer a unified customer experience. As the customer goes around, the apps and data move around with them, thus making the purchase a technological experience.
The consumer’s demand for new experiences is also demonstrated in purchases that basically become workshops. It’s the case of uCook, a South-African based restaurant that offered to send a kit on Valentine’s Day for couples to cook a recipe taught by the establishment. That’s what the speaker called micro experiences, which can be created in different niches and have become more and more sought after by consumers.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda