INSPIRATION
Ecommerce has been in the spotlight in the food & beverages industry for a while now. But, the COVID-19 situation further pushed innovations in food supply chains. Food brands utilize digital platforms to offer on-demand online delivery services and reach customers through direct-to-customer (D2C) distribution models. Also, the safety concerns during the pandemic are promoting the growth of ghost kitchens or cloud kitchens that offer only food takeout and deliveries.Along with D2C, brands are focussing on omnichannel distribution to improve customer experience and improve sales.Moreover, food & beverage ecommerce helps food manufacturers to reach their customers better as well as ensure availability.
US-based startup Orderscape makes restaurant voice bots that work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The startup integrates its solution into restaurants’ existing digital order receiving devices such as point-of-sale (POS) devices and tablets, enabling convenient voice-based food ordering for all users. This increases brand accessibility and lets restaurants convert local queries into actionable tasks. Further, the startup offers call center automation with conversational artificial intelligence (AI), improving resource management and providing 24×7 availability.
South Korean startup Ghost Kitchen provides individual kitchen spaces to quickly start delivery businesses. At present, the startup owns 143 kitchens with adequate hygiene management and workflow from material storage to cooking, packaging, and delivery. Also, Ghost Kitchen enables data-driven planning services through a shared data collection from the entire individual kitchens. In effect, the startup minimizes expenses for contracts and interiors by directly offering standalone kitchens for restaurants and other food delivery entrepreneurs.
