___________________________________________________________________________________ Digitization
first approach when it comes to customer engagement . This requires a deep understanding of customers , which can only come from enhanced data collection and analytics capabilities , which is becoming easier thanks to the rise of online shopping .
Many consumers prefer to grocery shop from home , so retailers must find ways to blend elements of in-store shopping with their digital offerings . In-store associates , for example , can be replaced by virtual store associates or artificial intelligence-enabled chatbots . Making these changes means rethinking the entire customer journey and identifying opportunities made via promotional online offers . Being data-driven also enables retailers to build trust with customers for example , by providing information about food ’ s origins and ingredients .
4 . Advancing automation for safety and efficiency For the food industry , automation holds great promise ; the scope for automating manual processes in the food value chain extends all the way from the farm to the dinner table . For example , robotic farming , combined with crop-status analysis , can save time while quantifying yield potential and environmental impact of crops .
In warehouses , automated storage and retrieval systems can manage a variety of food products under different storage conditions . Meanwhile , at packaging facilities , restaurants and retail stores , robotics can automate repetitive processes with remote oversight and minimum human intervention , reducing human errors and food contamination .
5 . Building digital-era skills and culture While large-scale automation will replace some jobs , it will supplant them with new ones . Already , early AI adopters in the food industry have experienced an uptick in the demand for high-skill jobs . However , this puts the food industry in direct competition with other sectors for digital talent . Those that focus on upskilling existing talent and making the most of the expertise from reliable technology partners therefore stand in best stead to succeed .
A digital-first world
The uncertain and quickly changing world we live in continues to exacerbate the challenges faced by the global food industry , but technology offers huge opportunity to solve them while developing a better understanding of their customers through data-driven insights .
Food industry leaders need to take the opportunity to use technologies to drive a ground-up transformation of their supply chain while understanding customers better through data-driven insights . This will not only benefit the environment , but also help boost their own revenues , setting them up for success in the future . ■
For a list of the sources used in this article , please contact the editor .
Arvind Pal Singh www . cognizant . com
By Arvind Pal Singh , Vice President , Products & Resources Consulting , GGM at Cognizant . Cognizant engineers modern businesses . It helps clients modernize technology , reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world .
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