Food & Beverage Trends
An increase in traditional products (consumers seeking recognizable not revolutionary) and an increase in technology are seen to be the two most notable trends this festive season. The technological shift isn’t just affecting how consumers find and purchase foods, but companies now have a wealth of tools that allow them to control the quality, availability, and variety of foods on offer. For example, Brazilian researchers have apparently figured out a way to double the shelf life of grade A fresh milk (go science!). But the step back to a rise in ‘paleo diets’ and traditional food seems to be in correlation with a rise in health consciousness. There’s a definitive increase in plant-based foods, including nuts and seeds, due again to the health drive pushing more vegetarian and vegan based products.
Mergers and acquisitions in the industry mean the big keep getting bigger. The most recent notable one is the Heinz-Kraft merger, making the 5th world’s largest F&B provider. Acquisitions allow for these companies to increase their product portfolio, negotiating power, production volumes and diversify or secure raw-material supply, so this isn’t a trend expecting to slow any time soon.
Sugary beverages switching to healthier sparkling water, especially in the US where soda consumption has fallen for a 10th year in a row. Carbonated water is looking to make serious gains across the retail sector due to this trend switch, as the bubbly feel is still a demand.
The battle for and against GMO labels is likely to continuously rage, a push or pull in either direction will have likely have huge consequences for most in the industry. Likewise, manufacturers and producers are switching from artificial foods and colorings to healthy, natural ingredients due to these health concerns. R&D is going towards more healthy snacks, with massive attempts to reduce salt and sugar contents.
There’s a shift towards ‘evening’ food and drink that attempts to help consumers unwind after a stressful or long day due to the hectic modern lifestyles some people adopt.
Novel ways for dealing with food waste problems are coming into play, this also applies to the producers with a new focus on sustainability, as well as suppliers. Healthy food and drinks are often now not considered just luxury items – as the lower income consumers can find and purchase ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables, that aren’t just thrown out straight off the production line. This is a trend seen over the last few years as consumers switch from more processed foods to healthier, fresh food alternatives.
These trends will be incredibly beneficial to either your marketing or product mix and hopefully will keep you a step ahead of the competition. So whatever your business and whatever your industry, here at 3S POS we have over 20 software tools to help you succeed in the stressful, fast paced and competitive environment. From sales management, stock control, customer relations to advanced business reports.
So whether you’re in retail or hospitality we can provide you with the technology to keep you on top of your business, from corner shops to corporations, giving you maximum space to plan and react to your consumer’s directions. We are more than reliable, providing our software and hardware to trusted partners and clients for over 15 years. 3S POS are also constantly developing new software to keep you up to date with the latest technological advancements and all this is done with intuitive, simple, easy to use tools and outstanding customer support.
Feel free to get in contact with us for more information about food & beverage trends.