Digital product solutions are changing the food service and hospitality market, and customer needs. Restaurants and hotels have to examine how they can use the opportunities of digital technologies to remain competitive in their operations. The key aspects currently emerging in the market are pre-ordering and pre-pay, together with food delivery service and digital cash registers. INTERNORGA 2019 focuses all the innovations in these sectors, and gives companies essential guidelines for their policies.
Home deliveries have become a major sales driver in food service in recent years. One in five of the German population now makes use of online food delivery services, according to a current survey. The specific requirements for the various food delivery services are now a regular component in today’s food service concepts. But online food orders are not the only factor in digitization of the food service market. There is also a rise in advance orders and payments because of the short time available for lunch breaks, reflecting changes in customer behavior.
Claudia Johannsen, Business Unit Director at Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, emphasizes the need for the industry to rethink its approach. “Disruptive business models are constantly changing the food service market. That makes it all the more important to keep up to date on innovations. Food service and hospitality companies that want to remain competitive have to take up the digital opportunities and use them for their own advantage. INTERNORGA 2019 shows what is possible today and tomorrow.”
“Digital technologies give enormous opportunities, calling for rethinking by food service,” says Franz Klein, President of DEHOGA Hamburg, the HoReCa trade association, and calls for members to play an active part in changes within the industry. Digital restaurants such as Datakitchen Berlin play a leading role, giving customer access to the finished meals via digital vending machines. The customers place their orders via the website or via app. Operations Manager Christian Hamerle sees the benefits of digital structures in time savings for all processes and procedures, and greater efficiency without loss of quality, all of which gives customers more time for themselves.
Analyzing supply and demand of services
The supply of digital services is driven by the rising interest of customers in simple, convenient restaurant concepts, and the need for more efficient working processes in the dynamic food service industry. “We have succeeded in attracting a large number of exhibitors from the digital sector at INTERNORGA 2019, which means we can provide a comprehensive overview of the market,” says Claudia Johannsen.
Companies can benefit from technical systems to a great or lesser extent, depending on factors such as sales volume and number of staff. A thorough analysis of individual needs and goals and of the services currently provided is needed to find the right system for a given company.
INTERNORGA will be held from 15 to 19 March 2019, giving information on current technical solutions from billing to better time-keeping. Don’t miss the International Foodservice Forum in Hamburg on 14 March, for inspiration and information on new fields of business.