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– Tanisha Saxena(cbedit@imaws.org)

The conventional dinner routines are yielding to a high-tech gastronomic journey, where the realm of food ordering and delivery is evolving into an exhilarating experience, leaving no palate unsatiated. With innovations such as contactless orders and the use of drones for the swift delivery of delectable treats, we are delving into the most tantalizing trends and technological breakthroughs that have revolutionized the food industry. As part of our efforts at Cybermedia Research, we engage in insightful discussions with notable point-of-sale establishments and esteemed experts to comprehend the profound influence of technology in shaping and propelling the mechanisms of online food ordering.

New innovations

“Consumer preferences in food ordering have evolved significantly in recent years, with a strong shift toward online platforms. Customers now have the freedom to choose from various food delivery apps, depending on factors like convenience, available discounts, and loyalty programs,” says Ciju K Raj, General Manager of Sales at Wep Solutions Limited.

In addition, a notable innovation in the food delivery industry is the use of QR codes within apartments. This technology allows residents to order food directly from a menu without installing a specific app, simplifying the ordering process and speeding up delivery.

Similarly, Artificial intelligence and machine learning have played a crucial role in optimizing food delivery operations. These technologies help platforms understand customers’ ordering patterns, enabling personalized recommendations and incentives to encourage more orders.

He explains, “In the ever-evolving landscape of food delivery, ensuring food safety and quality during transit has become a significant challenge, with businesses often relying on immediate refunds to address customer complaints and uphold trust. Simultaneously, mobile apps and user interfaces have undergone a transformation, emphasizing user-friendliness and an intuitive ordering process with minimal checkout steps, making them pivotal to the success of food delivery apps. However, these platforms grapple with data privacy and security concerns, as the absence of robust policies may expose customer behavior data to multiple parties, including cloud kitchens, thereby raising significant concerns regarding sensitive information protection. On the positive side, restaurants and delivery services have embraced data analytics to enhance their offerings and customer satisfaction. This is achieved by collecting and analyzing customer-specific data, allowing them to tailor promotions, menu choices, and service improvements to cater to the preferences of local customers, ultimately resulting in elevated satisfaction levels. This dynamic environment highlights the intricate interplay between technology, customer expectations, and data privacy in the realm of food delivery.”

Addressing the challenges

In the challenging landscape of online food ordering in India, restaurants grapple with significant issues, including exorbitant commission rates imposed by delivery aggregators, a lack of control over valuable customer data, and the daunting task of competing with well-established industry giants.

“Thrive Now emerged during the pandemic, driven by a mission to enhance the profitability of restaurants in a world where commission fees were skyrocketing. Their innovative approach involves creating customized ordering solutions for individual restaurants, multi-outlet establishments, and even large F&B corporations through the development of dedicated microsites. This empowers customers to place orders directly with the restaurant, bypassing aggregator platforms. What truly sets Thrive apart is their remarkably low commission rate, charging a mere 3% per order compared to the monopolistic 25-30% rates prevalent in the food delivery arena,” says Dhruv Dewan Co-Founder & COO.

Safety and financial inclusion

BANKIT, a FinTech company operating in India, offers a suite of digital payment solutions tailored to address the unique needs of rural and unbanked populations. One of their key differentiators is their Assisted Model, known as the Agent Model, which simplifies transactions and financial services, making it accessible to individuals with low financial literacy, particularly in rural areas. This approach removes the complexity associated with traditional banking, making it easier for users to pay bills, transfer money, and access financial services.

Amit Nigam, Executive Director and COO at BANKIT opines; “Accessibility is another hallmark of BANKIT’s solutions. They leverage local retail shop owners, known as BANKIT Agents, as touchpoints for accessing banking services. This approach provides convenient access to financial services, especially in areas where traditional banking infrastructure may be lacking. By offering services to those with limited or no access to traditional banking systems, they empower individuals and businesses to participate in the formal economy, fostering economic growth and development in these underserved communities. We recognize the preference for cash transactions in rural areas and bridge the gap between physical cash and digital payments with their Cash to Bank and Bank to Cash services. This flexibility ensures that customers can seamlessly transition between the two payment methods, making their financial lives more convenient.”

The Market ecosystem

During our interview with Ashish Tulsian, the Co-founder and CEO of Restroworks (POSIST), We got to know that these days what exactly enterprises seek. He explains, “POS continues to operate as the single most important tool in the restaurant management stack and it will continue because the transaction at a restaurant starts at the POS and wherever the transaction starts, that remains the epicenter of the problem as well as the solution.”

A cloud-based system allows enterprise restaurant operators to grow at scale, improve bottom-line efficiency and deliver a consistent guest experience by offering all the necessary features and settings required by restaurants to manage the front-of-house operations. He exemplifies, “These features include, but are not limited to table management, menu customization, order splitting, single touch billing, role-based access control, floor plan visualization and reservation management.”

With multiple feature sets and a completely cloud-based platform, restaurants are getting a fully customizable and adaptable POS system. Everything from the look of the POS interface to controlling the flow and processing of each bill can be altered to fit every restaurant’s specific requirements. We offer a range of customer experience solutions such as customer order displays, QR ordering, and web and app ordering which provide customers with a convenient, quick, and contactless dining experience while empowering staff members to focus on other areas of hospitality and delighting customers.

Ashish concludes, “A POS system indeed supports various payment methods, including credit cards, mobile payments, and cash to settle bills, and multiple payment methods can also be easily used to settle bills for customers as well as the staff. Enterprises look for third-party solutions including payment gateways globally. The marketplace aims to deliver an open platform that makes it easy for our customers to seamlessly integrate the apps they want with our software. It streamlines the process of finding and connecting the right app for the right job.”

The Way Forward

Payment solutions for food chains have undergone a remarkable evolution over time, transforming the way we order and pay for our favorite meals. We speak to the Vice President of DigiRestro Nikhil Kitukale about handling orders and payments in a cloud-based POS system like Digirestro involves several flexible methods. He points out, “A, Fine dining restaurant can use the such applications for orders, allowing waiters to place orders conveniently. B, Waiters and managers have the option to punch orders directly into the POS system. C, DigiRestro offers a QR code ordering system, enabling customers to place orders from their tables and make payments using their smartphones.

Regarding payment security, he highly emphasizes safeguarding customer and financial data. To ensure data protection, multiple security measures are in place. These measures include encryption, access control, and regular security updates to maintain the system’s integrity. Furthermore, Digirestro integrates with various payment gateways without charging payment processing fees. Notably, for UPI payments, they print a dynamic QR code on the bill, simplifying the payment process. This code automatically populates the total bill amount, allowing customers to make payments securely. The system’s reliability is vital, as any order loss directly affects a restaurant’s business. Therefore, Digirestro ensures a 100% uptime for their POS system, prioritizing uninterrupted service for their customers.”

In essence, As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more innovations in the way we pay for our favorite meals.

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