Restaurants are using locker-like technology to offer contact-free food pickups
Trend - Fast food chains, restaurants, and ghost kitchens have begun using smart locker devices to store customers' takeout orders, streamlining the pick-up process while ensuring ordered food items remain at optimal temperatures.
Insight - Due to the pandemic, consumers are now accustomed to contact-free purchasing. This is especially true in the food industry, which, in response to sudden lockdown measures, saw a deluge of new delivery and pick-up solutions pop up. And while these solutions made food ordering safer, they also made things more efficient and convenient for consumers. Now, restaurants are doubling down on the contactless model and appealing to new customer expectations via the use of smart food lockers.
Insight - Due to the pandemic, consumers are now accustomed to contact-free purchasing. This is especially true in the food industry, which, in response to sudden lockdown measures, saw a deluge of new delivery and pick-up solutions pop up. And while these solutions made food ordering safer, they also made things more efficient and convenient for consumers. Now, restaurants are doubling down on the contactless model and appealing to new customer expectations via the use of smart food lockers.
Workshop Question - How could your brand create more efficient consumer experiences?
Trend Themes
1. Contactless Food Pickups - The pandemic has inspired the rise of smart food lockers that streamline contactless food pickups and appeal to new customer expectations
2. Ghost Kitchens - The growth of ghost kitchens has enabled companies to offer customers diverse and popular food brands through contactless ordering and delivery, a trend accelerated by the pandemic
3. Smart Food Lockers - Increasingly innovative smart lockers are being developed with features like see-through doors, temperature control, and analytics to improve efficiency for staff and safety for consumers
Industry Implications
1. Food Service Industry - Restaurants and fast food chains can embrace the shift towards contactless food pickup solutions and inventive smart food locker technology to appeal to shifting customer preferences
2. Retail Automation Industry - Retail automation companies like Bell and Howell and Apex Order Pickup Solutions can partner with businesses to provide more streamlined and efficient order and pickup solutions
3. Airport Industry - Airports can take advantage of ghost kitchens and contactless ordering and pickup solutions to offer a wider range of food options to consumers while still maintaining safety during a pandemic
