The Food and Beverage (F&B) industry is a rich and vibrant one – influenced not only by cuisines from across the globe, but also by consumer tastes and ever changing technologies that bring new innovations in food preparation and availability – and often change the focus of the entire market from wholesaler to consumer. Read more http://virtual-solutions.co.uk/latest-food-trends/

1. KeepingUptoDate
withthe
LatestFoodTrends

2. The Food and Beverage (F&B) industry is a rich and vibrant one –
influenced not only by cuisines from across the globe, but also
by consumer tastes and ever changing technologies that bring
new innovations in food preparation and availability – and often
change the focus of the entire market from wholesaler to
consumer.
Unlike many other markets, the F&B industry is subject to a lot of
fluctuation and changing trends throughout the year; this can
make it extremely difficult for businesses to know what and
where they should be investing their time, energy and money –
between 2016 and 2017 alone, there were expert made
predictions for at least 10 major global trend changes, and over
100 smaller ones.As an F&B business, you need to have your
finger on the pulse – but where do you start?
How do you determine what will become an established trend,
and what is likely to be a passing fad? Which trends will you
implement that suit your business plans and goals?
Where will you look to discover what trends are up and coming?
‘49%ofpeoplesaytheyrelyonrecommendationsfrom
influencerswhenmakingpurchasedecisions.’
TwitterandAnnalect,2016
Deciding what factors you are going to take into consideration,
which trends are viable for your business to implement, and
what would benefit your bottom line means that these decisions
cannot be taken lightly.

3. What’sthedifference
betweenaTrend
andaFad?
A trend is a shift – it could be in thinking, application
or attitudes towards certain foods and dining
experiences.
It is something that will likely have a long term impact
on the market and plays a large role in influencing
your customers.
A fad however, is a short term fascination with an
idea, product or experience – it may produce a short
term financial boom, but once a new innovation or
idea comes along, it will be abandoned by
consumers and be mostly ignored thereafter.
‘Brands have made a lot of money
jumping on the fad of the moment
(think sriracha or kale);
the trick is to know when to get out
before the market disappears.’
- Forbes

4. Trends can act as a benchmark – revealing a company’s
sensitivity towards consumer wants and needs. By showing
awareness of current trends, a business is essentially telling its
customers that they understand what they want, and are an up-
to-date, desirable establishment.
But determining how or if your company should adopt a current
trend is a complex issue.
If your venue, for example, has a long history of providing rich
and luxurious foods which use full fat produce, it may not be
compatible with a shift towards healthier eating – yet a
wholesale overhaul of your menu could be seen as a betrayal of
the traditions and history of your establishment, which may
upset loyal customers.
Providing a healthy eating addition to your menu could show
that your business recognises changes in consumer attitudes –
and caters for it. This is then done without sacrificing the
products that bought your loyal customers to you in the first
place.
‘What’s important to note is that trends will come and go –
restaurants need to find their core, their substance, their story’
– Food Sheikh
Why is Recognising Trends
important?

5. To truly understand your audience and what they want from your business,
you need to know who they are engaging with
- to understand what Influencers are driving their culinary desires,
and how those Influencers themselves are being influenced.
‘Social intelligence forms an essential part
of the research mix as food and beverage brands
attempt to spot burgeoning trends
and social change in order
to respond with effective strategies.’
- Brandwatch

6. Who and What
are
Influencers?
Influencers are those people whose opinions are sought
after, and can have a large long-lasting impact not only on
the type of food that is popular, but the public opinion of
your establishment.
Some of the most popular types of Direct Influencers are
Bloggers and Vloggers (Video Bloggers).
These individuals are highly connected and are very
aware of what consumer opinion changes are happening,
and can directly influence coming trends.

7. These people don’t just review the food they are
presented with (although this of course is part of it)
– they also look at the establishment as a whole
– how they have been treated by the service staff,
what sort of timescale they were served in, how the
ambience and atmosphere affected their meal, the
hygiene and cleanliness of the venue, and many
other considerations.
Then they share their thoughts regarding their
experience as a whole with their online following.
‘F&B business need to serve the best of what they
have to offer and give customers the best experience
whenever they visit their restaurant, whether they are
busy or not. Sometimes quality changes affect
customers more than quantity changes.’
– Zubiya Sheikh
Connecting with the right Influencer is an important
step – there is a huge variety of different Bloggers
and Influencers that you could connect with, but not
every one of them will be the right fit for your
establishment. Research needs to be undertaken to
determine your customer demographic
– for example: it makes no business sense to appeal
to Over 50’s if your audience is in the 25-30 range.

8. Another major Influencer is Social Media.
This is where consumers from across the globe can
connect with one another, discuss new topics and
trends and influence each other in their opinions.
Channels such as Facebook have ‘Groups’ which
allow for like-minded individuals to gather, and
individual influencers (such as the Bloggers) may
have their own channels which allows them to
promote their opinion to a greater number of
readers.
‘Social media has become of the major key points
restaurants should consider if they want more
customers, because anything posted about them,
good or bad online is for all to see and decide
whether they really want to visit the place or not.’ –
Zubiya Sheikh
Because of the practical ‘real-time’ nature of social
media, it is vital that your business is aware of any
channel where it has been mentioned – if the
reaction has been positive, you can show your
appreciation. If the reaction has been negative, it
gives you the ability to try and rectify the situation
and convert the unhappy customer into a brand
champion.

9. This real-time application also means that
interested consumers are made aware of trends
and changes very quickly – to capitalise on this,
you need to be aware of them too.
As well as these Direct Influencers, there are
Indirect Influencers – such as Food Apps and
Review Sites.
These channels may not directly impact the
direction a trend is taking, but they provide a
consumer with information regarding your venue
before they ever step foot in it.
Knowing how to monitor and collate data from
these sites allows you to make any adjustments
or alterations to your venue or service without the
expense of hiring an external reviewer.
‘Influencer marketing saw explosive growth in
2016, with 86% of marketers having used the
tactic, 94% of whom found it effective.’
– The State of Influencer Marketing

10. How Do You Locate Current Trends?
Bloggers and Influencers are one way of connecting
with what is popular – however it is not the only way.
Understanding the key media providers for your
industry is extremely important.
Knowing which magazines, websites, radio and TV
channels are likely to focus on food and beverage, and
report on current trends will give you various streams of
information you can collect data from.
Networking with others in your industry, and the
industries that support yours (such as wholesale
distributors and technological innovators) allows you to
discuss upcoming trends and their viabilities – it gives
you actionable information, and potential insights into
what your competitors will be doing.
Establishing what the current trends are, discovering
what is coming next, and connecting with Influencers and
Market Leaders is no easy task; it takes time and effort –
but it allows your brand to establish its self as forward
facing and innovative – enticing customers to come and
be a part of a new experience.

11. For F&B Venues to succeed, then a digital presence and
connection with Influencers is going to be vital going
forward. In such a crowded market, where impact is
everything – staying in front and becoming a Market Leader
is more difficult than ever.
It requires extensive data-driven analytics, a highly trained
bespoke team who understand what content they need to
be reviewing, and the connections they need to make, and a
deep understanding of what drives the consumer.
Businesses that take these factors and create a bespoke
marketing plan
(be it in-house or outsourced to a professional company) will
be putting themselves
ahead of their competition and give themselves the
flexibility to shift with the market,
and continue to appeal to customers – even as their wants
and needs are changing.
‘Social influencers have a very big role to play and
appeal to Millennials and restaurants I’ve worked with
can directly see the impact of investing in social media
marketing.’
– Aneesha Rai

12. Thankyou
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