Back in 2014, when David Cameron was Prime Minister, the biggest tech launches of the year were Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s ill-fated glasses. The Apple Watch hadn’t been launched, Apple Pay didn’t exist, and Kim Kardashian married Kanye West.
It was also the year that leading hospitality tech firm, Zonal, entered into a long term partnership with CGA by NIQ, via the launch of the first ever GO Technology report. In the 10 years since, the reports have tracked the adoption of tech solutions in hospitality by consumers and businesses alike.
A decade on, here are the top ways that innovation has reshaped our sector.
Booking and payments
Ten years ago, over half (58%) of consumers said they preferred to make table bookings by telephone. Fast forward nearly a decade, only a fifth (20%) of consumers cite this as their preferred booking method, with nearly half (45%) now wanting to book online. As for using AI tools to book – we didn’t know what that was back in 2014.
Consumer preferences when it comes to paying for food in bars or restaurants have also seen a significant shift. In 2014, GO Technology revealed that only 6% of consumers used digital payment methods for their orders. By 2024, this had increased to 43%, resulting from the rapid adoption of mobile devices for payment as a result of the pandemic.
Data sharing and loyalty
Advances in mobile technology over the last ten years have opened up the potential to tailor services and offers to guests and in turn help drive loyalty. In 2018, GO Technology found that only half (51%) of consumers would be willing to exchange personal information to receive tailored offers, increasing to 64% a mere two years later.
Consumers’ growing desire for value has also led to an increased engagement with brands and loyalty schemes. Back in 2021, less than a quarter (23%) were signed up to more than one loyalty programme, but by 2024 nearly half (47%) of consumers have joined several loyalty schemes, primarily to make the most of deals and promotions available.
The need for speed
Our first ever report also revealed that 17% of young consumers, aged 25 to 34, were frustrated by having to wait to settle the bill at the end of a meal. This has increased to a whopping 75% of young consumers in 2024.
Similarly, people have become increasingly demanding that their food is served in a timely fashion. In 2014 nearly half of consumers (47%) cited waiting a long time for food as their number one frustration when going out for a meal, while this year’s report revealed an increase to nine in ten (91%) consumers who now say long waits and hot food served cold are their top bugbears.
All of which goes to show that investing in tech that can help deliver on these fundamentals is key to business success.
Commenting on the findings, Tim Chapman, Chief Commercial Officer, Zonal, said: “Hospitality has evolved significantly over the past ten years and tech has played a fundamental role in this journey, enabling operators to deliver the fast, seamless and hassle-free experience that consumers have come to demand and in turn, drive growth.
“Looking ahead to the next ten years, there will undoubtedly be more change to come, but one thing we can be certain about is that technology will continue to play its part. However, this doesn’t mean that hospitality will become all about robots and automated processes. The best hospitality experiences remain those that offer the right balance of technology and traditional face-to-face service and that’s never going to change.”
Click here to access all the latest reports. To discuss the research, email CGA by NIQ client director Andy Dean at andy.dean@nielseniq.com.
