Right here, right now
Food manufacturers may not have expected Pokemon-Go to impact their business in 2017 but it will, predicts Mintel.
Improvements in geolocation and beacon technology are set to have a knock-on effect on how people interact with their immediate surroundings and how they look for things to do, watch, eat or buy.
Brands could alert users to sales or special offers that are curated to local events – “a positive, serendipitous way to offer deals, something that will appeal as economies across the Euro region remain shaky,” says trends manager at Mintel, Catherine Cottney.
The firm has already surveyed European consumers for their receptiveness to such offers and found that 29% of UK millennials would happily share their real-time location with companies they like in exchange for nearby special offers.
Mintel believes this kind of technology has the ability to inject an element of "playfulness and urgency" into discounting, which has become so ubiquitous in the world of retail that it has started to lose all meaning.
Many food retailers and restaurateurs have already jumped on board to offer consumers bargains – as well as simultaneously cutting down on food waste - through a number of apps that alert consumers to foods nearing their expiry dates.
EU-backed FoodLoop, British designed The Pantry and French app Zéro-Gâchis offer such solutions and work with leading retailers across Europe, while the apps BuffetGo and ResQ do the same for restaurant food that would otherwise get thrown in the bin.
