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Technology will continue to evolve every year, but how are big brands adapting to these changes and incorporating new tech fads into their marketing strategies? It&rsquo;s a question that&rsquo;s been asked by countless companies, including Forbes, which predicted<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertbtucker/2018/01/29/eight-technology-trends-ready-for-exploitation-in-2018/2/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650#50e55d694a43" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> some of the top tech trends for 2018</a>.To build and expand on those predictions, 1851 rounded up four consumer facing technology trends that franchise brands can&rsquo;t afford to ignore.

Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are essential tools for engaging customers and creating a memorable experience. AdWeek released an<a href="http://www.adweek.com/digital/4-brands-explain-how-their-apps-improve-customer-experience/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> article</a> that highlights the benefits of mobile apps and how these brands are effectively using it to their advantage and where they&#39;ve found success. 

One of those areas is personalization. It&rsquo;s beneficial to let each consumer personalize their individual app so that their experience with a brand can be customized. &nbsp;An example of a brand that nailed it is Chipotle. The brand<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/chipotle-launches-new-mobile-app-improve-experience?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> relaunched</a> its app late last year to make it more individualized. The new app enhances guests&rsquo; experiences on-the-go by offering quick reorder features, easy payment options and the ability to receive, store and redeem offers.

Push notifications are another way in which mobile apps are impactful. Notifications can go a long way without being over the top, from greetings and reminding consumers they&rsquo;re near a store to promoting new menu items or product launches. Sephora is an example of a brand that knows how to use push notifications to their advantage.<a href="http://www.adweek.com/digital/4-brands-explain-how-their-apps-improve-customer-experience/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> The app lets customers know when their favorite product is back in stock or alerts the customer if they&#39;re near a store.</a>

Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots

Many brands are also tapping into artificial intelligence for mobile phone orders. The system uses voice recognition to take orders and answer questions. Domino&rsquo;s Pizza is bringing an<a href="http://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/dominos-testing-artificial-intelligence-phone-orders?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Alexa-like application to its phone orders.</a> The test is expected to expand throughout many stores in the coming months and is being synced with the digital ordering assistant DOM on the brand&#39;s mobile app. It&rsquo;s a smart move considering that Domino&rsquo;s reports <a href="http://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/dominos-testing-artificial-intelligence-phone-orders?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">two-thirds of its orders are placed online or through mobile apps.</a>

Chatbots are another platform for franchise brands to consider, as they first rose to popularity in 2016 and have not taken a back seat. Taco Bell&rsquo;s chatbot<a href="https://www.tacobell.com/stories/TacobotFeedArticlePage?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> TacoBot</a>, for example, allows customers to chat with it 24/7. Customers can ask questions about the menu, order food or just use TacoBot as a friend to talk to.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has become more popular this year. It&#39;s a pricey investment, but it creates a memorable, personalized experience for every individual customer. VR has been popular among beauty brands, but it&rsquo;s making a shift in the food and restaurant sphere as well. Many brands are now incorporating it into their food menus. This allows consumers to browse the menu on their app and view 3D models or photographs of actual dishes.

In December of 2017, Starbucks launched a<a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-first-in-store-augmented-reality-experience?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> virtual reality experience</a> for its new Shanghai location. Consumers can look into their phone and tour the roastery. The experience allows consumers to learn about the coffee roasting process right from their smartphones.

Another brand capitalizing on VR is<a href="https://www.honeygrow.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Honeygrow</a>. The fast-casual chain is using<a href="https://www.klip.tv/honeygrow-vr/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> virtual reality</a> to train and educate employees across the nation.<a href="https://www.kfc.com/about/franchising?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> KFC</a> has also implemented this training tactic as well&mdash;it rolled out VR as a training platform for employees and franchisees as an interactive<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/technology/virtual-reality-your-restaurants-next-favorite-tool?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> onboarding tool</a>.

Venmo

It&rsquo;s hard to find consumers who don&rsquo;t love Venmo. It&rsquo;s easy and efficient&mdash;you can pay your friends and family on the go. Grubhub also announced last week that they will now be taking payment from customers via Venmo.<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/17/17244570/grubhub-venmo-split-food-orders-app?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Essentially, users can now use Venmo inside the GrubHub app to pay for orders.</a>

It&rsquo;s fascinating to watch brands transform and see what tech tactics they&rsquo;re incorporating into their marketing strategy. As technology continues to change, it&rsquo;s crucial that brands stay ahead of technology trends so they can remain relevant and competitive. After all, who knows what could be next in 2019? The answer may even be robots&mdash; Little Caesars is currently working on securing a patent for a<a href="http://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/little-caesars-patents-pizza-robot?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=4-consumer-facing-technology-trends-that-brands-cant-afford-to-ignore-2706650" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> pizza robot</a> to make all of its pizzas in-store

4 Consumer Facing Technology Trends that Brands Can't Afford to Ignore

1851 Franchise

1851 rounds up  four of the top technology trends in 2018 and offers insight as to how brands are effectively using them to drive sales and connect with consumers on a personal level.

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