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5 Ways Data Analytics Can Improve the Food & Beverage Industry

Food & Beverage Industry

Ever wonder why some promotions are hit while others miss? It’s frustrating, right? You put in all that effort, and sometimes it just doesn’t click. What if we told you there’s a way to get it right more often? Data analytics can give you the answers you need.

Imagine knowing what will sell before you even put it on the shelf. That’s the power of data. In this blog post, we will learn the exact recipe to do that for food and beverage businesses.

What is Food and Beverage Analytics?

Food and beverage analytics is all about using data to make smart decisions. It may mean looking at your own business’ sales, customer feedback, and even social media. By analyzing this data to spot patterns and trends, you can get a clear picture of what’s really going on in your business.

However, it’s important to look outside your own company’s data as well. Understanding the dynamics of the market around you is crucial to making informed business decisions and focusing your time and resources on the right opportunities.

Example

Let’s take a look at an example using Brizo FoodMetrics, a market intelligence platform that provides detailed analytics for the food and beverage industry. The screenshot below shows a map of New York City with various food and beverage establishments marked. Brizo offers valuable insights into these businesses, such as their ratings, number of reviews, and price ranges. 

Menu and ingredient data is also available: in this example, a dish filter for “Soup” narrows the search results to only establishments offering soup on their menu.

Source: Brizo FoodMetrics

This kind of data helps businesses understand the competitive landscape and identify opportunities for improvement.

5 Ways Data Analytics Can Improve Food & Beverage Industry

Here’s how you can boost sales and create loyal fans with the right data analytics insights:

1. Pinpoint Ideal Prospects

Let’s say you’re offering a product or service to restaurants and want to ensure it’s a perfect fit. 

With data analytics, like the insights provided by Brizo FoodMetrics, you can identify exactly which tools or systems these restaurants are already using. 

For example, DAVO faced a challenge in targeting restaurants that used POS systems compatible with their tax management product. By leveraging Brizo’s market intelligence, they were able to pinpoint which POS systems were in use, helping them focus on the right prospects and discover new integration opportunities.

Here’s another example: For instance, a vendor could identify that grocery stores are heavily adopting reservation systems, signaling a potential market for scheduling or queue management solutions tailored to this sector. 

Source: Brizo FoodMetrics

By leveraging Brizo FoodMetrics’ market intelligence, vendors can pinpoint which types of businesses are most receptive to their offerings and fine-tune their marketing strategies to cater to these diverse segments.

2. Competitor Analysis for Restaurant Chains

Want to know what your competitors are up to? Data analytics can help. It shows you what they’re doing in real-time.

With data analytics, you can dig into how your competitors are performing. Check their ratings, menu items, prices, and even the tech they use. This data lets you see where you stand and what you need to improve.

Take this example of BurgerIM restaurant chains across the U.S.

Source: Brizo FoodMetrics

The data shows they have the most establishments in California, with 19 locations. Texas follows with seven, and Florida has six. This kind of info tells you where they are strongest and where gaps might be.

Knowing this, you can decide where to open your next location or which markets to target. If you see they are weak in certain states, that might be your chance to swoop in.

3. Gap Analysis

Consumer tastes evolve over time. If you’re a food and beverage manufacturer, your offerings might be missing some trending ingredients. Data analytics can help you find out.

Look at this screenshot. It shows how you can filter food establishments by different ingredients within Brizo FoodMetrics.

Source: Brizo FoodMetrics

Food and beverage manufacturers can use data to see which items are popular or prevalent in certain geographic regions. Maybe there’s a high consumer demand for a certain type of sauce you don’t currently produce. Developing exciting new products can help bring your brand into new establishments eager to stay relevant with their offerings. 

4. Enhancing Your Customer Lists

Data analytics can help you enhance your customer lists and find new prospects for your business. To be successful, you’ll need more than just names and contact info: detailed business data helps you better understand the market and optimize your efforts.

With the List Enricher feature from Brizo FoodMetrics, you can import an existing data file from your CRM or prospect list, automatically match those establishments to Brizo’s database, and enrich that data three ways:

Search WITH

Enhance your list with detailed foodservice metrics, such as cuisine type, technologies used, and average rating for each establishment. Knowing more about each location will help you understand how to best connect with them and strategize within the overall market.  Search WITHIN

Apply filters to your list to segment and prioritize the best matches for a targeted sales and marketing campaign. It helps you focus your efforts on the most promising leads.

Search WITHOUT

Do a gap analysis by excluding your current customers from your search results to see who you’re missing. This way, you can uncover new prospects and expand your reach.

5. Improve Sales and Marketing Campaigns

Want to attract more leads and close more deals? Data can be your assistant. With data-driven insights, you can develop targeted marketing campaigns that hit the mark every time.

Using analytics tools, you can pinpoint exactly who your ads should target.

Check out these search results for restaurants serving the West African rice dish jollof in Houston, Texas. Brizo’s restaurant database shows detailed info about different establishments in Houston, like “042” and “7 Star Cafe.” You can see their locations, cuisine types, and even menu prices.

Source: Brizo FoodMetrics

This kind of data helps you create campaigns that speak directly to your ideal customers. For instance, if you are a food & beverage distributor who notices a high concentration of West African restaurants in a particular area, you reach out to those restaurants with the ingredients they need to create those dishes. 

You can also use food and beverage industry research to create insightful content for your customers. For example, this screenshot of point-of-sale systems in Nevada shows which systems are most popular. For example, Square is used by 294 establishments, while Clover POS is used by 135.

Source: Brizo FoodMetrics

Knowing this, you can create content that speaks directly to these users. If you’re writing a blog post or creating a marketing campaign, you can focus on topics relevant to Square and Clover POS users.

Conclusion

With actionable insights into your competition, customer preferences, and market trends, you’ll always be a step ahead.

Ready to see the difference data can make? Try Brizo for free and get access to real-time data on over 2.1 million food establishments. Start your free trial today and make better decisions!