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Customer Service for Food Manufacturers: The Most Powerful Differentiator

Enhance Customer Service for Food Manufacturers with Integrated Technology

2021 customers have more choices than ever. Read about the latest trends in customer service for food manufacturers.

The Ever-Changing Food and Beverage Customer

In today’s Tik Tok and Instagram era, food and beverage trends are constantly changing. Viral recipes (looking at you, TikTok feta pasta), fad diets, and more are creating an ever-changing marketplace for food manufacturers. This is especially true in 2021, with COVID-19 shaking up consumer behavior in every industry. An astounding 85% of consumers have made changes to the way they prepare and consume food due to the COVID-19 pandemic (1). Food and beverage manufacturers need to stay on top of customer service trends to stay competitive. Here we look at some of 2021’s food and beverage trends, and how manufacturers can prepare for them.

Convenient Customer Service is King

In today’s fast-moving society, consumers want convenient food products and ways to purchase them. Grocery e-commerce, food delivery and meal kit sales have all increased due to stay-at-home orders and consumers are craving the convenience and ease of daily habits and routines they had pre-COVID. E-commerce now accounts for 10-15% of grocery spend. Food manufacturers need to adopt customer service using technology that allows them to easily sell to consumers from multiple channels, not just in retail stores.

Consumers are also looking for conveniently packaged food products. Almost half of consumers started buying more frozen foods during the pandemic and frozen food sales climbed 17.4% (4). 39% of consumers sought out single-serving or individually wrapped products (4). Companies who could easily adapt to these shifts are able to capture huge sections of the market. Visibility into your existing and previous customer data provides actionable insights that enable optimal customer service for food manufacturers. Access to sales history, and order trends gives food and beverage companies the edge they need to shift production to match changing consumer preferences.

  1. Sources:
    1. https://www.edlong.com/top-7-food-industry-trends-for-2021/
    2. https://www.fooddive.com/trendline/plant-based-foods/98/
    3. https://apnews.com/article/technology-lifestyle-public-opinion-media-coronavirus-pandemic-553d0b4304c20193f44cd8158e916f36
    4. https://www.fooddive.com/news/frozen-food-packaging-gets-more-sustainable-as-consumers-want-more-individu/596352/
    5. https://www.foodprocessing.com/industrynews/2021/report-alt-proteins-poised-for-surge
    6. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/us-food-supply-chain-disruptions-and-implications-from-covid-19

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