In an era where digital and physical retail intersect, the food and beverage sector stands at a critical juncture.As Asia’s food and beverage industry witnesses an accelerating shift – with consumers increasingly turning to online ordering even as they return to their favourite dine-in spots – the challenge for merchants is to seamlessly integrate these two worlds.Facilitating  this transformation is the recent collaboration  between Foodpanda and TabSquare, aiming to redefine dining experiences through state-of-the-art digital solutions.Jakob Angele, the CEO of Foodpanda, told Inside Retail that this fusion of offline and online experiences isn’t limited to food; it’s swiftly becoming a norm across  diverse sectors from groceries to broader retail.The story so farAngele believes that, post-pandemic, food delivery has become critical for restaurants.“From a good-to-have, it has now become a must-have in our daily food interactions. We think dine-in is a key play for us to help restaurants grow their business,” Angele said.In order to increase customer loyalty and remain  competitive, he observed that F&B merchants need to integrate both online and dine-in ordering to build a customer journey that seamlessly spans across food delivery, self-pickup, and dining in.He added  that technology is set to play  a larger role in daily food interactions. This, as customers increasingly look for faster and better experiences when ordering deliveries or eating out at restaurants. “We want to help our restaurant partners get more tech-savvy and  provide customers with richer experiences, such as QR code table ordering and online payments,” he noted.The Tabsquare collaborationAccording to Angele, Foodpanda is kicking off a new  Tabsquare collaboration across four markets, namely Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. The collaboration simplifies manual processes like taking orders and collecting payments.“When ordering via TabSquare in restaurants, customers can order via the QR menus, receive personalised recommendations based on their past purchasing history and make digital payments once they are done,” he said.As part of this collaboration, customers have more control over their service, especially in busier restaurants which are often reliant on  speed of ordering and menu/food customization.  In addition, users in Singapore get up to 20 per cent off while dining.Consumer expectationsAngele reiterated that, in  keeping up with consumer expectations, it is crucial for merchants to leverage data-driven insights. For example, data from customers’ past orders and app usage can be used to determine their preferences. “By gathering and analysing customer feedback based on orders made, the insights we get can ensure that recommendations are constantly updated and that customers see the most relevant products for their needs,” he explained.To help merchants retain customers and gain a larger customer base, Foodpanda provides a range of intuitive digital tools which can help merchants gain more visibility in front of customers.The omnichannel trendIn the past six months, over 200 major retailers with a total of over 2,000 outlets have gone live on Foodpanda shops. Customers can have their orders delivered in less than an hour, thanks to a series of major brand collaborations across the region (Robinsons Easymart in the Philippines, Giant Mini and AEON in Malaysia – specifically AEON Maxvalu, AEON Wellness, and Daiso). According to Angele, waiting times are significantly shorter as a result of these quick commerce partnerships. Customers can place orders from a total of over 50,000 retail stores across the region, and have their orders delivered within the hour. “Being able to provide faster deliveries also helps retailers meet an expanded range of customers’ demands, such as last-minute ingredient refills, or urgent items like medicine,” he stated.The futureAngele thinks technology and AI-powered tools can enable restaurants in Asia to gather more insights, improve their efficiency and productivity, and drive revenue. He believes the future lies in how restaurants and F&B players utilise this technology to offer customers more personalised or tailored experiences.“For instance, menu items might be conceptualised differently to reach different customer segments. Many restaurants are already seeing that there is a preference towards localised cuisine to be added to existing menus,” he noted.He is also seeing similar omnichannel trends in grocery shopping. The company recently launched the pick-up feature, which is currently available in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, with plans to roll out in Bangladesh and Pakistan in the coming months. The feature offers customers an option to self-collect their groceries on their way home. This is especially popular with customers working in business districts. “Merchants want revenue, and seamless logistics in the delivery process, so our job is to offer them ways of bringing in more customers, and more channels for showcasing their food or products, while providing an efficient delivery service,” he said.