Speculation about future trends can be engaging, but current trading conditions require practical action.

Rather than focusing on emerging concepts that are not yet operational, this approach highlights how existing technology can be applied now to influence hospitality performance.

The priority is not prediction, but implementation.

1. Labour Shortages and Automation

Labour shortages remain a structural challenge across Australian hospitality. A significant proportion of venues continue to report difficulty hiring suitable staff, and this pressure is expected to persist.

Automation and self-service technology provide an immediate operational response.

Self-ordering is one of the fastest levers to implement. Nomni Online Ordering enables customers to order and pay from anywhere, with native Nomni POS integration and Magic App connectivity. Moving beyond basic QR table ordering allows guests to order across multiple fulfilment modes, including dine-in, pickup, delivery and catering. Direct ordering also reduces reliance on marketplaces and associated fees.

Self-service kiosks, such as Nomni Kiosks, further streamline service. They support faster transactions, reduce manual entry errors and enable structured upselling within the ordering flow.

Digital self-ordering commonly increases average order value, while simultaneously reducing front-of-house workload. For some venues, this supports leaner staffing models. For others, it frees staff to focus on higher-value guest interactions rather than transactional tasks.

2. Cost and Revenue Pressure Require Operational Efficiency

Rising costs and margin pressure demand tighter operational control. While Nomni POS includes inventory capabilities, higher-performing venues extend this with fully integrated supply chain and back-office management, particularly across multi-venue groups.

Automating invoice processing, menu optimisation and pricing decisions represents the next stage of POS evolution. Reducing manual data entry and aligning purchasing with real-time sales data improves accuracy and cost control.

Nomni Supply supports automated inventory tracking and digitised invoice processing. Real-time stock visibility reduces over-ordering, limits spoilage and improves procurement efficiency. Integrated reporting enables clearer visibility into theoretical cost of goods sold and purchasing performance.

Waste reduction is also increasingly linked to customer expectations. A growing proportion of Australian diners indicate willingness to support venues demonstrating sustainable practices. Technology that improves stock control and reduces waste contributes to both margin protection and brand positioning.

3. Customers Expect More for Every Dollar Spent

Cost-of-living pressures have increased customer scrutiny on value. Guests expect tangible benefits when they choose to spend.

Traditional loyalty programs have faced persistent challenges, including limited performance visibility, high costs, fragmented branding and poor data ownership. Modern loyalty platforms address these gaps by giving venues control over branding, programmability and customer data.

Nomni Loyalty replaces static points systems with a fully branded, omnichannel experience. Rewards are configurable and integrated across ordering, POS and digital channels. Customer data flows into Nomni Engage, enabling targeted offers and automated campaigns from a single CRM environment.

Friction has historically limited loyalty adoption. Card-linked loyalty simplifies participation. Customers earn rewards automatically when paying with a registered card. If they do not use a digital wallet at checkout, they can scan a QR code on their receipt to collect rewards.

This structure improves participation rates and increases average order value. Programmable currency allows venues to adjust incentives by day, occasion or customer segment.

Next-generation loyalty functions as both a rewards system and a structured customer data foundation, supporting coordinated omnichannel engagement.

4. More Efficient and Effective Marketing

As marketing costs rise and attribution becomes harder to justify, high-performing venues focus on owned customer channels to increase frequency and average order value.

Using transaction data and programmable currency insights, venues can introduce gifting products and exclusive experiences that encourage customers to bring new guests. Structured CRM data enables targeted engagement rather than broad discounting.

Nomni Engage supports automated campaigns, behavioural triggers and personalised messaging based on real customer activity. This reduces manual marketing effort while improving timing and relevance.

At the same time, traditional high-cost native apps are being replaced by a new generation of Magic Apps. Magic App can be launched quickly and accessed via the home screen icon or QR code. It integrates directly with Nomni POS, loyalty and digital ordering.

Magic App is designed for ease of update and flexibility. Venues can create branded digital experiences for permanent operations, events or temporary activations without extended development cycles.

5. Regain Control of Data and Make It Actionable

Reliance on third-party platforms often limits access to customer data. Restricted visibility reduces the effectiveness of analytics and AI-driven decision-making.

The focus is shifting toward first-party data ownership. When venues control transaction, loyalty and ordering data directly, they can make informed operational and marketing decisions.

Nomni’s ecosystem centralises this information. Nomni Supply provides visibility into the cost of goods sold and purchasing performance. Nomni Online Ordering captures detailed customer behaviour data. Together, these systems generate structured insights without external dependencies.

AI tools can then analyse this data to support menu recommendations, personalised promotions and demand forecasting. Ordering and customer data can also inform staffing decisions, assisting with schedule optimisation and workforce planning.

Owning and structuring data creates the foundation for AI to deliver measurable operational improvements.

6. Reduce Technology Costs

Many venues rely on dozens of separate technology tools to operate. Each system introduces additional contracts, support channels and integration requirements.

The shift toward unified platforms reduces this complexity. A single technology stack allows venues to select required modules while ensuring they operate cohesively.

Consolidation reduces duplication, minimises integration overhead and lowers total technology spend compared to managing disconnected systems.

Nomni One provides a connected platform where ordering, POS, loyalty, supply and back-office functions operate within one environment, aligning front-of-house and back-of-house operations through shared data.

What’s Next?

Beyond these six priorities, several structural shifts continue to influence hospitality operations.

• Robotic Automation: Robotics are increasingly used in food preparation, delivery and customer service to improve efficiency and reduce labour dependency. Nomni POS integrations now support automated preparation workflows, enabling orders to flow directly from POS to production systems.

• Central, Ghost and Cloud Kitchens: Virtual brands operating from shared kitchens continue to expand delivery reach while reducing overhead. Central production kitchens are also growing, requiring enterprise management systems connected to POS, digital ordering and advanced KDS workflows. Coordinated supply and production management becomes essential, particularly for scheduled and large-volume orders.

• Direct Hyperlocal Delivery: Venues are prioritising direct integrations with local delivery partners to reduce marketplace commissions while maintaining speed and convenience.

• Voice Ordering and AI Assistants: Voice interfaces and AI-powered chat support are being introduced to streamline ordering and customer service interactions.

• Subscription Models: Subscription offerings, including recurring meal plans, member-only pricing or delivery benefits, are being explored as mechanisms to stabilise revenue and increase customer lifetime value.

Sounds good? Contact us today to discover how Nomni can help your venue thrive in 2025 and beyond!