What’s more, of the 400+ catering professionals surveyed, “80% revealed they have a slightly, or very, positive outlook for their business in 2018” citing UK mini breaks, ‘staycations’ and diversifications into new areas (such as street-food) as the main reasons for their optimism.
It also looked at industry-wide marketing methods and what businesses consider to be the most “impactful” - 34% agreeing to word of mouth, followed by social media and a business website. The power of customer review sites such as TripAdvisor (which 72% agreed had had a positive impact on their business) also reflects the fact that “user generated endorsement is a very powerful influencer as it’s seen as authentic and an independent insight.”
Speaking of the internet, Nisbets said: “it is obviously important for a business to have an online presence where they can positively drive interaction with customers and share their own news and brand messages.” Although 81% of respondents feel that Facebook is “the most important social media channel for marketing their business,” only 52% said that they “prefer” using the site compared to 20% on Twitter and 18% Instagram.
On upcoming trends, there was unanimous agreement that healthy eating will continue to “lead the way” with 30% claiming its “still the most important (trend) for them.” 15% consider vegetarian food the second biggest – “prompting more operators to increase the number of vegetarian dishes on their menu” – followed by small plates/ sharing platters (13%), home cooked (11%) and local sourcing (10%). 93% of operators
That said, cost remains a serious concern for many operators who must consider the implications of changing menus, for example, to reflect food changes. 37% admitted to reviewing costs ahead of trends and consumer demand, and over 60% agreed that healthy eating was “impacting their costs and/or profits.”
The full report can be viewed here: https://www.nisbets.co.uk/pulse.