F&B and the future of of contactless

Well! 
We all had questions of what it would be like post-COVID, What would it be like going to a restaurant or what would it be like to travel! 
During my recent visit to Mumbai! This was the first visit to eat out at a dining restaurant. 
We all took our seats at the table we reserved and sat down waiting for someone to come and take our orders. 
But, here we were instead handed over a QR Code that we had to scan, browse the menu and for this particular cafe/Restaurant ( Homemade) we placed the order on the web page itself and minutes later the dishes we ordered were served. 
This contactless communication! Was very smooth and hassle-free! 
But, is this the future of not just hospitality but also other business where we will be interacting less with humans and more with technology? 
Will, this not make more of us redundant? 
Will Amazon Go – A shopping experience in the states by amazon where you are billed as you fill your baskets become a reality all over? 
Will online shopping/ Become more of a virtual shopping experience. 
I remember a couple of years ago Rayban had a VR Page on their website. Where you could experience how a particular glasses looked on you. Are we going to see more of us communicating from the comforts of our home and less of ending up at the outlets? 
What about the Spaces/Real estate are we seeing a future of brands having fewer or just one outlet where we can shop (Touch and feel)  and others get converted into warehouses? Isn’t this more like global-localisations? Where we all get connected to being one world? 

LOCKDOWN. DOWN UNDER HOUSE ARREST!!

Lockdown has made me realise, how much I am used to being by myself. 

And how much, I enjoy it too. 

Spending time exercising, reading books and watching movies,

Without having to unnecessary stare at my phone, when you around people as the interaction is hardly there. 

I also observed, that how we humans have lost interacting with one another when we are face to face.  Your presence is on only felt when you upload a post on social media – you normally would respond or get a response to. 

But, when you haven’t uploaded anything or don’t have anything to post – there are hardly any conversations taking place.  

Would we be able to rediscover the art of having great conversations post this lockdown? Or will we fall, into our shells now that we have become comfortable with our own company? Or will we be longing to just get out and go back to what was normal before, how we were before lockdown and don’t want to change?  

Will the simple thing that we always took for granted become more meaningful than ever or will they mean something to us? 

 Making your breakfast, Enjoying the Sunrise & Sunsets. Enjoying a home-cooked meal. 

Would the present be our future- Working from our homes, Fewer colleagues in offices? Would retail stores turn into warehouses and just a couple of them would be open as retail stores? And shopping will only be done mostly online Would Salons, only be available through Appointments rather than unnecessary waiting for your turn? Would Schools & Colleges be only online..? Or Will doctors take appointments & meet patients online and only if critically serious (Emergency or have surgery the patient will be required to go to the hospital) Will we see print medium becoming obsolete and only digital magazines, E-Books and E-Newspaper available to read. (This would involve fewer people to print, Fewer people to distribute and reduction in maintenance. Books fewer copies could be printed, Newspaper just a few of them too and magazines can totally go digital.  

Though all these will affect real estate commercial spaces – But, We would require fewer people in offices and hence so many offices wouldn’t be required. That would automatically reduce your overhead expenses and the same could be used in satisfying your employees & profits too. 

But, Most importantly we would require our I.T infrastructure to improve with better internet connectivity around and stronger Mobile communication towers. 

These changes will also affect the automobiles sector – But will keep Air pollution & congestion to a bare minimum, Which has been now with cleaner air & Clearer skies. 

Restaurants & Cafes will be both delivery services & Walk in and going out will be an occasion and be social than ever before. 

Cinema chains could create an app – where they have movies screening with the timing and if there are fewer seats sold for a particular time, that can be replaced by another movie and about *100 tickets per screening should be allowed. So if you have four screens – 250 capacity. 100 people per screening for each film. 

Or they could start with a subscription-based model like the other streaming sites only for films & Movie Festivals. 

Though this will impact the revenues of the films in some ways, anyways filmmaker sells the movie rights to streaming sites & broadcasting channels to premier it. And this way they anyway make money. 

In the future anyways Small budget movies will be released on the OTT Platform and films with cinematic appeal with them will be released at cinema theatres. 

Though with these changes there will be a rise in a lot of unemployment. But we all do have skills that would give us the digital platform to grow and make money – We all would be our own channel of content and earn money too through Monetising your channel. 

These changes will create a new market for other Jobs that you never thought could exist. And at the same time will you be freer.

The Lockdown in some ways has questioned us – Are we humans really moving ahead or are we falling back behind and becoming like the Homo sapiens, we have originated from – Humans who would go hunting, Make food and sleep and repeat and did not have any leisure, luxuries that we humans consider to be “Normal” Like the Internet, Phone and the basics to live our life. Yes, we have come this far! But, how far have we come as individuals, and as people who did not always belong on earth? But, having been ruling ever since we realised we were the who can capitalise here on the earth, Where species moved freely. Who if you have noticed have taken over the streets and the nature once again presently.

F-Pace 

 

The last Few years has seen the growth of Mid-Size Suv segments growing rapidly then ever in India,From Maruti Suzuki to Hyundai to Ford and the Honda all fighting for sales in the same segment and doing very well,But the moment one of these 4 companies has seen the decline of sales,They have planed to introduce a facelift of the same Model.But,With number of customer already making up their mind and taking decisions.Will we see Suv’s once a very niche market today a mass market with competitive pricing as the “New it Thing” .There are more brands not only in the Mid-Size but also in the luxury segment launching Suv’s all around the world from Bentley launching Bentaga ,Jaguar F-Pace coming soon to India and The URUS by Lamborghini getting introduced to the world.Will the Suv’s rule the automobile for another decade? 

Carma will only tell us,What to expect in the near future.

Mercedes Benz-Luxe Drive

Mercedes-Benz-GLC-350-e-4MATIC5

Luxe Drive – A Concept by Mercedes Benz,To bring its existing clients and  future probable clients from around the city in India event Was started  last year touring around cities around india To experience Luxury at its best with Three important aspects that highlight the Brand.  Adrenaline.Gourmet.Design. Mercedes Continued  the concept this year too by starting the tour from Kolkata in March ,Moving to Vizag,Vijayawada,Chennai and bangalore in south and finally coming to Nashik  my home town this weekend,It was an amazing experience to experience the three most important elements the brand stands for Adrenaline.Gourmet.Design  

Adrenaline- Experience GLA,A Class and C class driven around by Racing professional through obstacles,features highlighting the off road capabilities of the Suv available with the brand and last,but not the least  got to experience the safety features of the cars with the brand by getting driven around by the professionals,By knowing exactly what ESP – Electronic  stability Program helps you, You  too drive around the GLA,A and C at the obstacles track and full your wish of experiencing a Mercedes. Have a look at the complete range of Mercedes at the event from the AMG’S to the most  recent launched SUV “GLC”.

Thats not all ,got to know about the complete functionality of “ILS”-Intelligent lighting system of the  car and how it helps us.

The Gourmet highlight is getting to feast on the most exclusive food taste  available for your palate with Ritu Dalmia curating some of her finest dishes for the crowd.

Design- A brand known to distinguish and craft a design with the essence of being true to luxury has partnered with  Gauri Khan to showcase her luxurious  furniture designs.

The Weekend had activities for kids too,to engage with the brand – “The kid zone” – PS4 Having the racing games for kids to drive around the Mercedes virtually without being left out to experience the car from the drivers seat just Yet. The Merchandise Store –   A store for the kids and Mercedes fans to,not loose hope if they can’t buy one  car right away,They can surely buy the favourite  model cars 1:1 ratio   from the brand,or buy the accessories .

The fitness Freak could also invest in Mercedes bike,since cycling is still a trend these days 

For the adults and kids both you can end your luxe drive weekend by trying your hand with Golf at a Golf Course set up at the venue.

Ending the weekend with true luxury and living a true Mercedes experience.  

   

Love is in the air!

love-4

Love is the common factor that can bind us yet we so often take for granted.

We live in a world where we differentiate so much amongst people. Right from the colour to the appearance and to their social status that we forgot that the most important aspect of judging a person is how he or she as a person makes us feel in their presence. They maynot be good spokespersons or savvy conversationalists but their positivity rubs on us and we feel attracted to them in silence. Simply their presence makes us feel happy and proud of being around. Their calmness is contagious like the serenity of a lake. We can spend hours around them without being distracted or bored. Perhaps it’s the love that connects.

On the other hand most of the times we get too judgmental about people. We want them to behave in a particular way and be of a particular status or personality. This is when we miss the essence of love. The essence of love is to just be. The rest is all waste of time and idleness of the mind. The mind having nothing better to do misses out on the moment and tries to act like a big bully. It tells us what to do instead of how to feel. It takes us away from the real essence of being to rather the meaningless pursuit of what is unimportant in the larger scheme of things. So to love and feel the love of others is more soothing than the best of wine that you have ever had.

Check out the preview of Tiger Mates to understand how we need to feel life, how we need to love!