Design Challenge
#3: How might we learn from COVID-19 to reimagine our future for life, work, learning and play?
Project Description
The emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic brought with it unprecedented negative impacts on the economy. Retailers and F&B operators that have relied on traditional means of business have suffered the most during this time as result of tough administrative measures that limit consumer movement.
BYTE is an integrated digital platform that facilitates discoverability, productivity and autonomy for all F&B retailers and operators, big and small.
As the new operating standard for F&B in Singapore, it endeavours to change our way dining, ordering, eating.
Criteria #1: Value
With social distancing measures put in place since March 2020 in Singapore, F&B retailers found themselves serving customers at half the capacity they usually would. This means that in order to survive, they had to find other avenues to make up the shortfall on daily covers to meet the minimum daily revenue. They had to extend their reach to customers beyond their principle geographical location. They had to meet the demand for more takeaway orders. They had to rely on food delivery services or make their own arrangements for order fulfilment.
Criteria #2: Inspiration
BYTE is an integrated digital platform for all F&B retailers and operators, big and small, that facilitates discoverability, productivity and autonomy.
1) Discoverability: BYTE offers F&B retailers and operators the support they need to go digital.
2) Productivity: BYTE is equipped with reservation, ordering, fulfilment and payment capabilities to help F&B businesses operate at higher levels of efficiency.
3) BYTE gives F&B businesses the flexibility to choose how they wish to market their services or deliver orders to customers — freeing them from the reliance on food delivery services.
Criteria #3: Impact
A new and near future reimagined.
BYTE is the new operating standard for all F&B retailers and operators. It democratises information by giving all F&B businesses, traditional or otherwise, a leg up into the digital world. BYTE facilitates calculated dine-in or takeaway decisions by offering real-time information of seating availability and/or human traffic to customers. Lastly, BYTE helps consumers become accustomed to more personal and contactless forms of ordering and payment to minimise the spread of harmful diseases.
Criteria #4: Timeliness
BYTE aims to make digital onboarding simple and fast for F&B retailers and operators. It is meant to be user-friendly and will exist as a website for timeliness of its delivery, with a six-month runway.
With investment, it may be further developed into a mobile app for better accessibility and push-notification capabilities for both customers and business owners.
Criteria #5: Systems Thinking
As an integrated digital platform, BYTE may utilise existing reservation, ordering and payment systems that are already on the market. (Eg. Chope, Open Table, Waitrr, YQueue, FavePay, Deliveroo, Good Panda, Grab Food, lalamove…etc)
Nonetheless, it is recommended that negotiations be conducted with such entities to minimise fees so as to maintain BYTE’s affordability as an island-wide digital initiative.
