Nowhere is that more visible than the Super Bowl, which has long been the advertiser’s golden opportunity to reach a broad audience of captivated US consumers. Last year’s event drew an estimated 112M TV viewers, and brands paid up to $7M for a 30-second ad slot.

To stand out from the pack, TV advertisers are turning to a range of emerging technologies to make ads that have the potential to go viral, deliver a strong return on ad spend (ROAS), and reach entirely new audiences. 

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The post The Future of the Super Bowl Ad: How tech like generative AI is automating TV ad creation & production appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Autonomous tractors capable of tilling, plowing, and fertilizing fields without a human operator in the tractor cabin  
• Connected farm platforms that will allow farm operators to remotely track and manage operations 
• Agricultural drones that can map, spray, and spread across fields and orchards autonomously
• Harvesting robots that have the ability to carefully pick and transport produce
• Automated weed control, which consists of robots that can identify and then remove or treat weeds in fields 
• Soil optimization tech that allows farm operators to understand their soil at a granular level, analyze how to optimize yields, and measure carbon storage in soil 
• Crop biologicals that deploy natural means to treat and protect crops 

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the farms of the future.

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The post The Future of the Farm: How technology is making farms more connected, efficient, and sustainable appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In the future, conversational AI and AI-powered recommendation engines will make ordering food more human-friendly, accessible, and convenient. These technologies will be able to integrate with drive-thrus, smart speakers, apps, and even metaverse avatars, allowing customers to simply speak their order using a convenient channel while the restaurant makes hyper-relevant recommendations that can increase order value.

This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.

WHAT are CONVERSATIONAL AI AND AI-POWERED RECOMMENDATION ENGINES?

Conversational AI allows customers to interact with software using their voice or text (via chatbots), with natural language processing (NLP) allowing for human-like communication. AI-powered recommendation engines use data to develop personalized recommendations for customers. 

By pairing these technologies, restaurants can create virtual ordering assistants that can take orders, upsell, integrate loyalty, and answer questions from guests, allowing restaurants to prioritize staff for other tasks like food prep or order fulfillment.

FIRST MOVERS

In a rare move for the fast food giant, McDonald’s acquired AI-powered recommendation engine Dynamic Yield in 2019. While McDonald’s ended up selling the company to Mastercard 2 years later so Dynamic Yield could scale to other industries, McDonald’s still has a partnership that integrates Dynamic Yield’s software into its drive-thrus and app. Through this collaboration, McDonald’s can dynamically change menu boards to make smarter suggestions to customers based on time of day, weather, restaurant traffic, and trending items. 

Meanwhile, the applications of conversational AI for restaurants are not limited to just drive-thrus — the tech could also be used for customer-facing interfaces like phone and SMS orders, voice assistants, and mobile apps. Domino’s has partnered with ConverseNow which provides conversational AI for phone orders. After an order is placed through ConverseNow’s software, which is integrated with the existing point-of-sale system, employees can immediately see the order and prepare it. ConverseNow also provides conversational AI for drive-thrus and has raised an $11M Series B round in Q3’22.

Recently, Panera announced a partnership with OpenCity to begin testing their conversational AI in select drive-thrus. 

Finally, one key instance of a quick-service restaurant combining these two technologies is Wendy’s partnership with Google Cloud. Through Google’s speech-to-text technology, Wendy’s can take drive-thru and phone orders and then in future instances use voice recognition to make personalized recommendations for the customer.

IMPLICATIONS 

• For restaurants with drive-thrus, conversational AI can help reduce labor costs and increase average order size. AI tools can also personalize order recommendations based on local preferences, weather, and item availability. Using this technology to cross-sell during order flows has been shown to increase sales by upwards of 10%.
• To best facilitate consumer adoption, these solutions should initially be positioned in scenarios where guests aren’t expecting to interact face-to-face with employees, like at the drive-thru speaker. Conversational AI solutions can also be integrated into smartphone apps, which can improve accessibility for disabled users. 
• Restaurants should keep in mind that potential challenges to conversational AI can come from unexpected requests or substitutions made by customers, meaning that some sort of human staff will need to be available in these situations. Additionally, programs will need to be updated with any menu changes or limited edition items. 
• The back-end data collected by conversational AI and AI-powered recommendation engines adds another layer of value that would be more difficult to synthesize with human employees. Integrating AI solutions throughout the order flow can help restaurants A/B test different strategies to help increase check size.

Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:

• The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items to meet changing consumer demands
• Robotic food preparation will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• Autonomous delivery will help reduce reliance on gig workers
• NFT loyalty programs will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

The post How restaurants can increase check size using conversational AI and AI-powered recommendation engines appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In the future, brands will reward their most loyal customers with NFT-based collectibles and experiences to attract younger customers. They will also collect insightful first-party data through resales and trades of NFTs.

This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.

WHAT ARE NFT LOYALTY PROGRAMS?

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are a blockchain-based way to prove ownership of digital assets — which can range from images to songs to videos to clothes for avatars. NFT loyalty programs can be integrated into an existing digital loyalty program and can allow new ways for brands to interact with customers. 

NFTs that provide customers with more use beyond the digital asset itself, such as access to exclusive events or physical products, are called utility NFTs. Utility NFTs help brands build communities with consumers post-purchase and better connect virtual and IRL experiences.

FIRST MOVERS

In Q3’22, Starbucks announced that it will be rolling out an NFT loyalty program called Starbucks Odyssey. The coffee giant, which generates over half its sales from rewards members, wants to use the program to build deeper emotional connections with customers by creating an immersive brand experience that rewards participants with NFTs. 

While Starbucks is one of the first quick-service restaurants to embed NFTs into their loyalty program, other national chains have experimented with the medium. In early 2021, Taco Bell sold 5 NFTs to raise money for its charity The Taco Bell Foundation. Similarly, Domino’s used the attention garnered from its NFT sales to sell merchandise for its nonprofit — Domino’s Partners Foundation.

Source: Rarible

IMPLICATIONS 

• As customers’ smartphones become increasingly crowded with apps dedicated to loyalty programs and a barrage of notifications, NFT loyalty programs give brands the opportunity to provide a differentiated value proposition by offering unique rewards and experiences, virtual or otherwise.
• Restaurants with customers that already value the brand’s digital assets (like Starbucks) will likely find more success with NFTs. Restaurants without this established digital presence need to consider how they can connect an NFT to substantive rewards, like award points or exclusive access, to make them meaningful for consumers.
• Restaurants can take advantage of the exclusivity and status that early adopters associate with NFTs. Because NFT owners derive value from the NFT’s scarcity, customers are more likely to display and share the branded token on a public platform like a social media account.
• Through NFTs, brands can also appeal to a younger demographic that is more likely to actively seek out and engage with these types of rewards. However, the size of the addressable audience could present a challenge as adoption among consumers remains low.

Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:

• The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items to meet changing consumer demands
• Conversational AI and AI recommendation engines will power online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations 
• Robotic food preparation will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• Autonomous delivery will help reduce reliance on gig workers

The post How restaurants can capture high-value customers using NFT loyalty programs appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In 2030, the metaverse will be a new digital channel for restaurants to offer engaging, interactive experiences that boost brand awareness and customer experience. In the metaverse, customers can step into a virtual restaurant to browse menus, meet friends, and even order real food that will then be delivered to their door. 

This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.

WHAT IS THE METAVERSE?

The metaverse is the concept of shared worlds driven by virtual products and digital experiences that are highly immersive and interactive.

Clients can learn more about the companies building the metaverse in our metaverse Market Map.

In the context of the future of fast food, restaurants will be able to build virtual experiences, offer exclusive menu items or digital merchandise, and host virtual events for customers.

FIRST MOVERS

Chipotle was one of the first quick-service restaurant brands to create a virtual experience in the metaverse. In 2021, the fast-casual Mexican chain partnered with Roblox to digitize the brand’s famous Halloween promotion. Players could dress their avatars in Chipotle Halloween costumes, play mini-games, and receive codes for free burritos to redeem in person. 

During the campaign, the virtual restaurant was visited over 8M times and set a company record for digital sales in a single day. In 2022, the fast-casual giant even launched a new menu item on Roblox through an interactive game. 

McDonald’s also made an entrance into the metaverse with a Chinese Lunar New Year event. Partnering with AltspaceVR and Spatial, the brand designed a hall of Chinese zodiacs that players could explore through VR. The food giant has also filed trademark applications that suggest a virtual restaurant may be opening soon that sells both virtual and actual goods with home delivery.

Source: Wendy’s

Wendy’s is another fast food chain experimenting with the metaverse. Wendyverse opened in Horizon Worlds (Meta’s virtual reality world using the Oculus VR platform) in April 2022. Through this partnership with Meta, players were given a set of tasks to complete that would give them a promo code to redeem at a real Wendy’s restaurant.

IMPLICATIONS 

• The metaverse gives restaurant chains space to experiment with marketing and menus. Fast food chains investing in the metaverse can use the virtual space to try out new strategies that build brand awareness among new and existing audiences. This can include collaborations, virtual events, or even just experimenting with tweaks to existing considerations, like restaurant layout and menu items.
• The metaverse is still in its early stages. Restaurant brands and operators should pay attention to the successes and failures of other consumer industries — like fashion and grocery — that are further ahead in their metaverse efforts, to better understand what strategies work best with consumers.
• The metaverse will be an additional channel for facilitating delivery orders and can help drive consumers to stores, growing both revenue and customer loyalty for restaurant brands.

Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:

• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items to meet changing consumer demands
• Conversational AI and AI recommendation engines will power online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations 
• Robotic food preparation will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• Autonomous delivery will help reduce reliance on gig workers
• NFT loyalty programs will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

The post How restaurant chains can use the metaverse to create a new digital channel for orders appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In 2030, autonomous vehicles will be routinely delivering food on behalf of restaurants — opening up opportunities for these companies to offer new customer experiences (like 24/7 delivery) and lowering customer costs by removing outlays like the expectation to tip.

This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.

WHAT IS THE AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY?

Autonomous delivery uses ground-based robots or aerial drones to automate the delivery process, often incorporating features such as temperature control and tracking for perishable goods. Some autonomous logistics vehicles are designed to travel on roads alongside passenger cars, while others are designed for use on sidewalks.

FIRST MOVERS

Early players in autonomous ground vehicles include unicorn Nuro, who has received funding from Chipotle and has partnered with Domino’s. In Q3’22, Uber Eats announced a 10-year partnership with Nuro to make deliveries in Texas with plans to expand to California. 

SOURCE: DOMINO’S

Refraction AI, another player in the space, partnered with Chick-fil-A in 2022 to begin testing autonomous delivery. Both Nuro and Refraction AI use self-contained vehicles smaller than the average car to make contactless deliveries. 

In drone deliveries, Flytrex has seen significant activity from restaurants. In 2022, the company partnered with Brinker International, the holding company of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s, as well as sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s. These partnerships point to the broader corporate interest in drone delivery.

IMPLICATIONS 

• Autonomous delivery still faces a number of barriers on the path to commercialization, most notably a complex regulatory environment that has made it challenging to launch and scale services. However, restaurants should monitor early movers that have been announcing regional tests in the past year.
• Drone delivery offers a number of advantages over ground-based alternatives. For example, drones can carry out deliveries more quickly and affordably (and have been shown to reduce energy usage by about 90%), without adding to road traffic or burning fossil fuels. This can also mean that orders will be fresher they arrive.
• Restaurants should begin investing in their own fleet or partner with third-party autonomous vehicle providers to help reduce delivery fees, reduce reliance on gig workers, and have more control over the branded delivery experience.
• As autonomous delivery grows, restaurants should evaluate how restaurant layout and location will need to adapt. For instance, consider where autonomous vehicles will be stored when not in use and where staff will load the vehicle with orders. Also strategize how different geographies (such as dense, urban areas) might be more suited to smaller ghost kitchens with drones versus full sit-down restaurants with wheeled vehicles.

Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:

• The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items to meet changing consumer demands
• Conversational AI and AI recommendation engines will power online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations 
• Robotic food preparation will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• NFT loyalty programs will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

The post How restaurants can reduce reliance on gig workers using autonomous delivery appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In the future, restaurants will be able to create and test new menu items in a faster, less wasteful, and more cost-efficient way. Combining AI tongues and social listening, restaurants can identify early trends as well as tweak recipes and menus to grow revenue.

This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.

WHAT ARE AI TONGUES AND SOCIAL LISTENING?

AI tongues and social listening are separate technologies that can work together to speed up R&D. 

AI tongues use sensors and artificial intelligence to replicate how humans will perceive a taste — allowing for rapid taste tests without relying on human subjects. Social listening technology taps into consumer sentiment conveyed in social media posts, online reviews, and other forms of digital content to generate actionable insights about what new ingredients, flavors, or habits might be gaining popularity. 

By combining these solutions, restaurants can predict what new items will gain traction with consumers and hone recipes and flavors that are likely to appeal to a broad variety of tastes. Detecting these new consumer habits early on can also help restaurants adapt other considerations beyond taste, including opening hours, layout, and category offerings.

FIRST MOVERS

Because this technology is still relatively nascent, first movers have typically been in the CPG industry, where players have expansive brands and product lines to experiment with novel ingredient technologies.

In 2019, McCormick & Company partnered with IBM and its newly developed Hypertaste, an AI-assisted “digital tongue.” McCormick says that it reduced the time it took to develop new products by 70% and that it was able to tweak formulations between 50 and 150 times before finalizing.

Source: IBM

Tastewise uses AI and social listening across data sources like menus, reviews, and social media to create dynamic dashboards for restaurants, food service, and CPG companies on consumer trends. The company has raised $25M since 2019. 

Using similar data sources, Singapore-based AI Palette tracks ingredient and flavor trends across 15 different languages to identify opportunities for new products by geographic region. It also predicts how long consumer demand might last. 

Both startups have partnerships with large CPG companies like Nestle, PepsiCo, and Kellogg’s.

For more information on what early-stage companies are disrupting food and beverage R&D, read our early-stage food & beverage product development and distribution Market Map.

IMPLICATIONS 

• AI tongues and social listening technology can help restaurants release new menu items in a fraction of the usual time: traditional R&D can take around a year for restaurants. This tech can help restaurants reduce uncertainty and timelines around product development, meet evolving consumer expectations, and stay ahead of competitors. 
• Restaurants should evaluate partnering or investing in AI tongues early. Because the technology is still nascent, providers will be more likely to form exclusive partnerships to test and scale capabilities — giving both sides advantages over competitors.
• Restaurants should prioritize social listening tools that can easily incorporate new and emerging platforms and social media to get a more accurate picture of consumer sentiment and boost loyalty. These technologies can also help restaurants tweak items to better match regional tastes, making new items more successful and profitable.

Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:

• The metaverse will become an extension of the brand experience 
• Conversational AI and AI recommendation engines will power online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations 
• Robotic food preparation will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• Autonomous delivery will help reduce reliance on gig workers
• NFT loyalty programs will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

The post How restaurants can reduce the cost of R&D using AI tongues and social listening appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In the future, fast food restaurants will have adapted their store layouts to rely exclusively on robotic food preparation to cook menu items. Robots will work in sync to fill orders, account for customer substitutions, and communicate with autonomous delivery vehicles to quickly bring customers fresh, accurate orders.

This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.

WHAT IS THE ROBOTIC FOOD PREPARATION?

Robotic food preparation hardware companies develop robotic systems that leverage AI and machine learning to cook, assemble, and package meals. Cooking robots can cook food more consistently and with fewer errors (like over or undercooking), leading to less waste and higher customer satisfaction. Some can be retrofitted to existing kitchens, while others are stand-alone machines.

FIRST MOVERS

Over the past year, Miso Robotics has racked up a significant number of partnerships with national quick-service restaurant chains like Chipotle, White Castle, and Buffalo Wild Wings to automate cooking foods like tortilla chips, burgers, and chicken wings. In Q4’21, the company raised a $35M Series D round, bringing its total funding to $66M.

Source: Miso Robotics

While US brands have significantly ramped up on these partnerships in the last 12 months, cooking robots have already seen significant activity in regions like Asia. For instance, in 2020, KFC partnered with Hyundai Robotics in Korea to develop robot chefs.

To dig deeper into this market landscape and connect directly with vendors, CB Insights clients can check out the Automation in Restaurant Tech Expert Collection and interactive Market Map. 

IMPLICATIONS 

• While initial investments in these solutions can be expensive, national quick-service restaurant chains have begun significant partnerships and testing, paving the way for lower costs in the future. Leaders like Miso Robotics are looking to cut the cost of robots by a third to roughly $20K per robot.
• Restaurants that are looking to test robotic food preparation without fully investing in buying robotics should consider startups that offer Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) models. In many cases, the cost per hour is cheaper than a part-time employee.
• Robotic food preparation tech for performing a simple repetitive task efficiently, like flipping burgers or manning fryers, has seen the widest adoption in the space. Restaurants should think strategically about how robotic food preparation can be used in their current menus or how new menu items can be created to prioritize these preparation methods.
• Robotic food preparation can help reduce food waste. Because these robots reduce human error, like burning food or cross-contamination, they also help with margins by reducing food waste and enabling more standardized quality control across locations.

Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:

• The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items to meet changing consumer demands
• Conversational AI and AI recommendation engines will power online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations 
• Autonomous delivery will help reduce reliance on gig workers
• NFT loyalty programs will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

The post How restaurants can increase profitability and reduce food waste using robotic food preparation appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Alternative investing platforms that open access to non-traditional assets like private equity, real estate, art, and crypto for retail investors and their advisors
• ESG powered by AI that gives retail and institutional investors more complete and accurate assessments of investments’ environmental and social impacts
• Asset tokenization that converts financial or physical assets into digital tokens via blockchain technology, providing the infrastructure for companies and investors to more efficiently issue, track, and trade assets

In this report, we dive into how these 3 technologies are poised to have a transformative impact on both retail and institutional investing and the players that have an edge.

The post The Future of Investing: How technology is reshaping wealth and asset management appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Automated logistics facilitating efficient product delivery and returns
• Interactive product setup and care solutions enabling immersive self-service
• Predictive customer service to provide proactive assistance
• AI-powered virtual agents enabling hyper-personalized interactions
• Utility NFTs creating post-purchase engagement opportunities
• Embedded recommerce solutions integrating with the post-purchase journey

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping what happens after we make a purchase. 

The post The Future of the Post-Purchase Experience: How technology is transforming the way we shop appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Drone- and robot-based exploration to reduce capital costs and time to production
• Nanosatellite monitoring to reduce ongoing operation & maintenance costs
• Aerial gas leak detection to detect and address methane emissions
• Carbon source capture to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions
• Geothermal wells to increase oil field productivity and sustainability

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of upstream oil & gas.

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The post The Future of the Oil Field: How technology will boost oil well performance & sustainability appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• AR/VR & reality capture to visualize project plans, train workers onsite, and measure daily progress
• Building information modeling (BIM) & digital twins to give realistic representations of project plans and reduce product development costs
• Drones for surveying, monitoring, and maintaining safe operations
• Workplace safety & exosuits to improve safety and reduce the physical strain of work
• Automation & robotics to drive efficiency and productivity by reducing manual labor and minimizing errors
• Industrial internet of everything (IIoE) for overseeing and coordinating entire projects, from design to execution

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping future job sites around the planet.

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The post The Future of the Job Site: How robotics, digital twins, and wearable devices are making the job site more connected, efficient, and safe appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The auto insurance industry has already seen significant advances in the last decade in terms of its digital sophistication. But there is still a long way to go.

The future of auto insurance will be built on key technologies such as:

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The post The Future of Auto Insurance: How technology is changing every aspect of the $766B market appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items and meet consumer demands
• Conversational AI and AI-powered recommendation engines that will handle online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations
• Robotic food preparation that will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• Autonomous delivery that will help reduce reliance on gig workers
• NFT loyalty programs that will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

In this report, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of restaurants.

The post The Future of Fast Food: How robot chefs, virtual ordering, and autonomous delivery will feed us in 2030 appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• • Virtual fleets that provide on-demand vehicle-sharing services to eliminate the cost of owning a fleet
  • Electric roads to recharge electric vehicles (EVs) as they drive, allowing fleets to operate more sustainably
  • Digital twins for fleet management to enable better decision-making and scenario management
  • Fully autonomous fleets that sidestep driver shortages while also improving fleet efficiency and road safety
  • In-vehicle payment platforms to improve efficiency by automating payments associated with charging, services, and maintenance

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of the fleet.

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The post The Future of the Fleet: How technology is making transporting freight more efficient and sustainable appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Autonomous delivery systems, which leverage a combination of self-driving cars, sidewalk robots, and drones to minimize last-mile inefficiencies
• En-route manufacturing, which brings fulfillment closer to the end customer, enabling faster delivery at a lower cost 
• Robotic stores on wheels to bring the shopping experience to the consumer’s doorstep, driving delivery volume with added convenience
• Delivery lockers and storage systems that improve the economics of last-mile delivery and facilitate reverse logistics
• Digital twins to optimize the flow of resources across the supply chain, generating efficiencies in the delivery journey

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of last-mile delivery.

The post The Future of Last-Mile Delivery: How technology is tackling the complexity and cost of fulfillment appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Automated logistics facilitating efficient product delivery and returns
• Interactive product setup and care solutions enabling immersive self-service
• Predictive customer service to provide proactive assistance
• AI-powered virtual agents enabling hyper-personalized interactions
• Utility NFTs creating post-purchase engagement opportunities
• Embedded recommerce solutions integrating with the post-purchase journey

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping what happens after we make a purchase. 

Want the full post? Become a CB Insights customer.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post The Future of the Post-Purchase Experience: How technology is transforming the way we shop appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• Connected fitness devices to make the home a center for health and wellness
• AR/VR for remote work redefining collaboration and connection in the home
• Smart package delivery combining security and convenience 
• Dynamic monitoring systems to make the home more comfortable and energy-efficient 
• Voice-enabled appliances to automate routines and simplify everyday tasks 
• Robotic assistance to help with daily tasks and offer companionship

In this report, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future homes we’ll live in.

The post The Future of the Home: How technology is automating and connecting the home appeared first on CB Insights Research.

• • Brain-computer interfaces that improve tech accessibility and communication options, particularly for non-verbal patients.
  • Gesture recognition technology that lets people use intuitive motions to interact with machines.
  • Haptics that enable users to feel virtual environments, creating more natural, immersive experiences.
  • Virtual humans that use avatar technology, facial expressions, and natural language to make human-machine interactions feel more like human-to-human interactions. 

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of human-machine interactions.

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The post The Future of Human-Machine Interactions: How technology is becoming more immersive, accessible, and empathetic appeared first on CB Insights Research.

These Covid-19 clinical trials saw enrollment levels that were 80% higher than average. However, for many diseases, such as cancer, less than 10% of eligible patients enroll in a trial. Many patients only enroll in a drug trial when existing forms of treatments have already failed.

Determining patient eligibility can be a massive challenge on its own. For those that are eligible, participation is often cost- and time-intensive. The process is inefficient for other stakeholders, too — timelines for drug trials average nearly a decade, typically costing over $1B. 

To tackle these challenges, startups and big tech companies are actively developing tech solutions for clinical trials — from IoT-enabled devices for remote monitoring, to machine learning for electronic health record (EHR) processing, to AI-based cybersecurity for data protection. The clinical trials market is now worth $67B, according to CB Insights Industry Analyst Consensus.

Download the full report to find out the key areas clinical trials will evolve next, including:

• Using artificial intelligence to parse EHR data for clinical trial recruitment
• Decentralizing clinical trials across many sites, including at home
• Using real-world data sources to supplement clinical trials results
• Conducting in silico trials by simulating patient populations

The post The Future of Clinical Trials: How technology is making drug trials more efficient, cost-effective, and inclusive appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Today, these facilities are filled with people moving quickly around, using handheld scanning devices and other decades-old automation equipment to pick, sort, package, and ship items.

In the future, there will only be the quiet humming of robots without a person in sight. They operate in total darkness and the space is barely heated or cooled — just enough to protect the products and robotics — saving on energy and cost. The robots move in harmony, grabbing items from shelves and delivering them to conveyor belts. An automated packaging system makes a custom box perfectly sized for the goods.

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The post The Future of the Warehouse: How tech like drones, AR/VR, and advanced robotics will supercharge warehouse efficiency appeared first on CB Insights Research.