Would you invest a lot of money to open a fancy restaurant or would you pay for an expensive dinner in a gourmet environment beyond refinement and, in fact, all this in the virtual world? This became possible with the arrival of the metaverse. But why is thisnew internet” is making the world euphoric?
The metaverse immerses users in a virtual environment, providing a truly immersive experience without having to get up from the couch. To access this “new layer” is necessary to use virtual and augmented reality technologies, as already happens in famous games, in the style of “Minecraft”, The Sandbox, Decentraland, USM.World, among others. In them, users create their own characters, participate in missions and interact each.
Bringing this new moment to the day to day of a company, now it is possible to hold meetings in the metaverse and participate in fairs and events, even interacting with visitors. It is also an innovative way to reduce the distances imposed by the home office work format, or a way to bring together employees who work in different locations.
Thinking about leisure, it will soon be easy to visit emblematic tourist places, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris (France), for example.
Is connection between the physical and the digital is gradually transforming consumer behavior, in terms of what you wear, eat, how you have fun and, above all, how you pay for this whole experience. And that is only the beginning. The trend is that these innovations advance more and more. Research from McKinsey & Company, a business consultancy, indicates that spending in the metaverse could reach $5 trillion by 2030.
Although it is a field full of uncertainties, the truth is that the changes in the metaverse are already taking place in various sectors, including food outside the home. Burger King, for example, launched Keep It Real Meals last year. The action consisted of fixing QR Codes on packages that, when accessed, unlocked digital collectibles and bonuses in NFT format. Some customers received vouchers for sandwiches and exclusive products.
McDonald’s is another chain that decided to bet on this universe, approving a patent application for virtual assets and will have a virtual restaurant that will offer real products. Namely, consumers will soon be able to interact in the virtual world and receive their orders physicallyat home, through delivery.
Given these examples, the question remains: how can the food service segment surrender to the metaverse, acting efficiently on all its business fronts and ensuring the best customer experience?
In this sense, having an adequate Integrated Management System (ERP) will play a leading role in the performance of the company. As much as it takes place in a virtual environment, consumer behavior remains an important source for supporting various strategies for the products to be offered, including understanding the company’s ability to meet emerging demands. In a case like this, the ERP is decisive to maximize opportunities and understand how the consumer will approach this interaction.
“It is the ERP that will have the capacity to process all the information generated in the virtual and real world, and that will help the manager to understand what worked or not, what must be done to correct it and what the problem is or the best way forward. Decision-making is conscious because it is based on truthful information about the consumption that is taking place in real time. This allows the restaurant to create strategies that deliver more value to the customer.”, highlights Eduardo Ferreira, CCO of ACOM Systems, the foodtech responsible for the ERP EVEREST.
The tools that an ERP carries with it help in the best construction of the products and services that are going to be offered. An example of a tool is menu engineering. In the same way as in the offline world, within a service in the metaverse, the menu that will be available to users is designed to meet the needs of customers, but, above all, to bring profitability to the business.
“The restaurant needs to know what products will be brought to the metaverse, considering some aspects, such as preparation costs, demand and coverage radius. And these definitions go through menu engineering and the study of the ABC curve of products. Another care will be with the types of dishes and the preparation time, because those that are in the virtual environment need to be prepared and delivered with much more agility to the consumer.”, reinforces Eduardo.
The demand of the metaverse also will create another perspective for dark kitchenswhich can cease to be “ghost restaurants” and go to receive interactive visits from customers, connecting them with the choice and preparation of dishescreating a value experience.
“The metaverse is an opportunity for the industry to explore innovation, flexibility, and scalability. But it is necessary to rely on smart solutions, capable of delivering mobility and agility so that the entire production, delivery and after-sales process has a positive impact on the customer.”, concludes the CCO of ACOM Systems.
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