AI, VR, and AR are Impinging on Food and Beverage Industry

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Food! We all love food! There is hardly someone who doesn’t love food! Before few years, going to restaurants and having delicious food was the only option. Another option was ordering food on calls. But this was not always a feasible option as very few restaurants offered home delivery and took an order on call. Technology now has brought a revolutionary change in the food and beverage industry.

Not only the food and beverages industry but also every other industry must understand the importance of merging the latest technology with their businesses to gain maximum profits and expand the businesses.

Technology not only helps the company but also helps end users by offering the best user experience to them. In this article, we are going to discuss what are the ways in which artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality can help food and beverage industry.

Before heading towards the main points, let us put the spotlight on some interesting statistics related to artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality:

 

  • 31% of enterprises are expected to start using Artificial Intelligence in the year 2018
  • The combined market size of AR and VR is expected to reach 215 US billion dollars by the year 2021
  • There will be around 1 billion augmented reality users by the year 2020
  • Since the year 2013, there has been an increase of 450% in the job requiring AI
  • According to a survey done by ISACA, 64% of US consumers believe that augmented reality enhancements would benefit the workplace
  • Adobe did a survey that says 47% of digitally mature organizations are already having an effective artificial intelligence strategy
  • 38% of consumers believe that artificial intelligence will improve customer services in upcoming years

Artificial intelligence for food and beverages industry-

Did you know that the food processing industry is one of the major sectors in the western countries like the USA, UK, etc? The lifestyle of America is very different than eastern countries. The people of America tend to eat packed food more than freshly cooked food. It is due to their hectic lifestyle.

The reason might be anything but this sector is a well established one. There are various ways in which artificial intelligence can be extremely useful. Hence, top app developers are inventing various ways AI can be used in.

Sorting of food items-

In every unit, the food items need to be sorted. Shape, size, and weight of each piece of food (vegetable, fruit, etc.) are unique. Before a decade, the sorting used to be manual.

Now that the technology has arrived, this can be done with the help of automation. The use of cameras, Near Infrared spectroscopy, x-rays, and lasers are done to analyze every aspect of the fruit/vegetable as it moves along. The sorting is not done only on the basis of size, shape & weight; but also on the basis of the quality of these food items are sorted.

Since these food items need to be of standard quality and must not provide any kind of harm, manufacturers are now taking advantage of AI in sorting food items.

Strategising-

Along with the benefits of sorting and quality checks, artificial intelligence is also helping in strategizing. Forming a business strategy needs a lot of skills, the experience of that particular market and importantly, it requires research.

As we know that AI has helped the research sector to a great extent. Artificial intelligence keeps a track of user behavior. It tracks what your target audience is eating, drinking, what food-related internet surfing they are doing, what food chains they are visiting regularly, etc.

This research captures every single minute detail and shows you what exactly the end user desires to eat. As per the trending flavors, companies can make changes accordingly in their existing products or launch new products to catch a huge amount of customers.

Also, companies are favoring experiments! A world-famous beverage brand called Coca-Cola has now enabled customers to make their own customized drink by adding their favorite ingredients. This is another way of research as they will come to know what flavor is liked most by the consumers.

How consumers can serve the taste buds well with Artificial Intelligence-

AI not only helps brand and companies but also helps consumers. According to the eating habits of consumers, AI apps are guiding them to the restaurants that serve similar kind of food.

Also, AI keeps track of all of your personal data as well and suggests you healthy food items according to the health conditions.

Virtual reality and Augmented reality for food and beverages industry:

Have you ever tried ordering food online using any application? Whenever you try to order something new that you have tasted before, what does impress at the first sight? The image right? It has been observed that visual presentation of food items is considered as an important factor to attract consumers.

There are various ways in which augmented reality and virtual reality can help the food industry. There are various AR innovations developed by augmented reality app developers in the market that are helping technicians in maintaining the food products.

Also by using virtual reality, some posh restaurants are offering their customer some great experiences. These restaurants enable their customers to wear VR gadgets and see the video of “making of the tasty beer” or anything! By visualizing these, the taste buds of customers automatically get enhanced.

After all customer experience is the most important factor in food and beverages industry. Research says that customers do promote places where food is of average taste but other factors such as ambiance, music, food presentation, etc. are good. We cannot miss social media.

Millennials have a habit of posting classy pictures of unique cuisine on their social media accounts and checking in. This gives popularity to the brand. By watching those pics, others too plan to visit the place. The same does AR and VR.

The term tries before you buy is quite popular with the customers. By using virtual reality technology, the food industry is offering their customers a chance to feel the food product virtually. This includes mouth-watering visuals along with aromas!

Yes! It is not just related to food items but also customers can virtually feel the ambiance of the restaurants. It is a myth that you need to have a VR gadget to experience all this. You can use Facebook and 360-degree innovations to experience VR.

Marketing! No businesses run without marketing. Marketing is the soul of any business. According to a theory, on an average, a business should spend 30% of total capital in marketing. Companies are bringing great innovations in marketing and promoting their brands.

More unique the marketing strategy is, more ROI is gained. AR and VR can bring innovative and engaging ways to promote brands. Let us see some great examples where AR and VR are used in food/beverages industry.

Coca-Cola launched a Christmas magic campaign in the New York City. Users could see a hidden Santa! And also some hidden scenes across branded bus stops in NYC. this campaign by Coca-Cola has proved that content is not limited to blogs, articles, and social media.

These campaigns are taking content beyond physical space. The marketers are indulging in this practice not simply to attract potential buyers but to educate consumers on the nutritional value of their food. Yes, even broccoli can now be made appealing to kids. Some top VR apps are serving the food and beverages industry well.

Conclusion:

AI, AR, and VR are only related to information technology, healthcare, e-commerce, and marketing. This statement is proved incorrect as we are discovering new trends in these three technologies that have scope for other industries like food and beverages industry.

Packaging, quality control, influencing end consumer, marketing, etc. are the ways in which AI, AR, and VR are helpful for organizations. These are also helpful to the consumers.

So, if you want to automate and streamline your restaurant process, then hire app developer for all your specific restaurant app development.

Hemendra Singh
Mr. Hemendra Singh, Managing Director, also the co-founder of The NineHertz is a visionary leader who oversees the corporate direction and successful growth of the Company and its employees, alike. With a career spanning nearly 10 years and a degree in Information Technology, Hemendra is the epitome of the new-age entrepreneurship in the emerging Digital India, who has catapulted The NineHertz to be counted among one of the foremost IT Companies in India.