Looking back, there has been a drastic change in the food habits people have been following around the globe over the years. With the dawn of the fast food revolution, pizzas and burgers have been ruling the taste buds of people around the world. However, this trend took a ‘U-turn’ back to healthy eating habits because of the growing health concerns and increasing popularity of healthy food among consumers. But this drastic change has not taken a severe toll on the fast food industry yet. Globally, the fast food industry generates revenues of over a whopping $570 billion – which is higher than the economic value of most countries. According to Technavio’s report on the global quick-service restaurant market 2016-2020, the global quick-service restaurants market is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 4 % during the period. Join us as we explore some of the latest trends and challenges in the fast food industry.
Thriving in a highly competitive industry like the fast-food sector requires businesses to keep track of trends and adopt new strategies to succeed in the long run. Contact us to find out how we can help you.
Fast Food Industry Trends
With increasing competition in the fast food industry, innovation and change have become inevitable to keep your customer base in place. The players in the fast food industry are continuously experimenting with new techniques, which will help them to attract potential customers and simultaneously maintain the loyalty of existing ones. Below are some of the trends that are influencing companies in the fast food industry:
Speedier payment methods – The idea of reducing the wait-time in service was one of the primary drivers that led to the birth of the fast food Brands operating in the fast food industry are trying to formulate new ways in which they can make transactions faster and easier. Several companies have formulated methods and apps by which customers can now directly pay through their phones by enabling quicker transactions.
Revamped menu cards – The tug of war between the demand for healthy food and tasty, indulgent ones are forcing players in the fast food industry to add a pinch of nutritional touch to their products. The whole idea is to prevent the loss of customers due to their inclination towards healthy food habits.
Automation in fast food – Several popular food chains such as McDonald’s have already introduced automation through self-order kiosks in their outlets to make the food ordering process simpler and quicker. Automation will reduce the risk of order errors and also reduce the wait time for customers.
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Fast Food Industry Challenges
Although the future of the fast food industry looks promising, the brands operating in this sector are not free from obstacles. It is vital for companies to be on their toes and identify these challenges before it becomes too late. Let us take a look at some of the critical challenges that the food industry players have to watch out for:
Cut-throat competition – Over the years, the lucrative prospects in the fast food sector have attracted a large number of companies in this industry. This has created massive competition in the market among brands to grab the more significant chunk of the market share. The increasing rate of competition among fast food joints is one of the major reasons why they should continually strive to differentiate themselves from the others.
Consumers’ shift to ‘healthy’ – The shift of consumers towards a healthy lifestyle is a major threat to the survival of the fast food industry. The popular belief that fast food has a lot of side effects is just adding fuel to the fire. Therefore, it is high time for companies in this sector to re-invent themselves and undertake measures to convince customers that they are all healthy.
The threat of being sued – Food intake habits have the potential to disrupt the entire well-being of a person. Therefore, laws have been formulated to make nutritional disclosure in food items mandatory and more stringent. There have been numerous instances in the recent past where consumers have sued fast food joints for causing obesity and cultivating unhealthy eating habits. This calls for the fast food giants to make alterations and healthier additions to their menus.
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