Two years into the pandemic, businesses have changed the way they function. The shift towards technology-based solutions is allowing business owners to sail through the disruption. Hospitality sector is no different, as it continues to bounce back with the help of new age business models and innovation in day-to-day operations. One of such innovations is the involvement of data science in restaurant business.

The technology has helped the hospitality sector move beyond the spray and pray approach when it comes to marketing, and reach the customers in a more effective way by making the best use of consumer data to understand their preferences better. Owing to the stupendous results that it has delivered and the scope of growth that it holds, data science has found several advocates in the restaurant industry, one of the most notable of them being Indian origin but a Dubai-based restaurateur Sanjeev Nanda.

Sanjeev Nanda, who runs prominent restaurants in Dubai like Billionaire Mansion and Miss Tess, is of the opinion that adopting new age, tech-based solutions is the need of the hour in a post-pandemic world, and data science is one of the best ways in which the hospitality sector can make the most of the tech-enabled disruption that the pandemic has brought about. “At a time when customers are a bit hesitant towards dining at restaurants, targeted marketing is needed to regain their confidence. Data science can help a lot in that respect,” he says.

Powerful insights

In his argument backing the incorporation of data science in restaurant operations, Sanjeev Nanda pointed out that while most F&B businesses have managed to stay afloat without knowing much about their consumers, change in consumer behaviour and preferences has made it imperative to learn more about their choices and the factors that drive them. Investing in data science comes to the advantage of a hospitality business by providing it with some powerful insights into their present and prospective customers. There are quite a few IT companies that provide custom made softwares or Management Systems for recording customer data translating into actionable insights. This takes your hospitality business on the next level.

The value of consumer data is only going to increase with time, as more and more businesses continue to tap into its potential to send the right message across at the right time. According to Sanjeev Nanda, it has also been helping businesses provide their customers with personalised experiences, which in turn gets translated into higher customer satisfaction, better client retention, faster and more stable growth for business and ease in employee retention.

The road ahead

Living in a digitally hyper-connected world, businesses have no choice other than coming up with new ideas in order to thrive.  That said, technologies like data science have been proving useful allies to businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, with the promise of a sustainable growth. The onus is now on business owners – they can choose to either keep cutting costs or invest in the latest tech that can propel their ventures to new heights.

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