Written by Jayla Alisha
Exclusive for Great-taste.net
As technology becomes an important part of every business process, restaurants and the whole food industry in general is now looking at the potential benefits the latest innovative technologies offer. Amongst the many effects of technology in restaurants, the increased convenience it offers is just one of the main reasons for adopting it, according to 79% of people surveyed in a Statista study. Meanwhile, 92% believe that there will be more advanced tech innovations to watch out for in the future.
Smartphones, in particular, now have their own way of connecting restaurants to their customers and vice versa, easily, faster, and more conveniently. In this post, we will feature how smartphones and the food industry are connected wirelessly and have become an intertwined society.
Online reviews and marketing
Restaurants are now aided with more tech platforms to connect with their customers through smartphones. Apart from websites that need to be mobile-responsive, the food industry is able to find creative ways to use mobile devices to connect with customers, either through apps, email, or social media pages. Similarly, customers are able to connect with restaurants regarding their experiences through online reviews that can be helpful in the development of the business.
“65 percent of location-based traffic on social media comes from restaurants,” stated an article featured by the Pymnts.com. “Searching for restaurant reviews is one of the most popular mobile actions.”
Trends in customers posting photos of their food, tagging restaurants, and sharing their experiences through social media has led to higher recognition and revenue for many businesses as well.
Mobile payment process
Contactless and mobile payments are projected to triple in the United States this year as more smartphones are now built with mpayment features. Most premium handsets are now built with NFC (near field communication) chipsets and their propriety mobile payment systems. Apple has introduced Apple Pay, while Samsung has Samsung Pay. Other Android devices are able to run the Google Wallet that also works the same, so long as the handset has built-in NFC. Apple and Samsung have introduced the fingerprint scanning technology to secure their handsets during every transaction.
The new Galaxy S7 Edge was initially rumored to come with the more advanced iris sensors, which scans the eye of the owner to unlock the handset and securely make payments. However, Samsung opted to keep the fingerprint technology on their new flagship. Nevertheless, O2 reported that the handset came with more advanced specifications than its predecessor, with a faster LTE for connection, powerful processor for quicker loading time, and the latest Android Marshmallow. Information on the previous handset shows, Samsung Pay is one of its unique features as it’s able to keep important content of your wallet in one place such as money, credit card, debit card, loyalty card details and much more. Other mobile producers have applied a two-way authentication process to enhance the security protocol of their devices.
Food ordering via mobile
With the help of mobile apps, businesses are aided with ways to provide convenience through customers by offering to delivery their food to customers. Instead of calling restaurants, hungry customers are now able to view the restaurant’s menu, order delicious meals directly from the app, and wait for it to be delivered to their doorstep. Customers value convenience above all other factors. By offering a food ordering app, customer service, customer experience is enhanced. It can assist restaurants by:
• Geo-aimed push notifications
• Targeted advertising
• Compete and make sales anywhere
As smartphones continue to evolve, expect new technologies to further enhance the food industry in the not too distant future. How do you project smartphones to develop the service of restaurants in the near future? Share your insights below.
Photo Credit: Samsung Newsroom via Compfight.
