Shane Bracken, Managing Director of Subway, Australia, and New Zealand, gives his industry trends and predictions for the year ahead.
Laser focus on ease and value
The overall value proposition will continue to evolve for the QSR industry in 2025, with a strong emphasis on the “quick” aspect. Speed and convenience will remain paramount as customer expectation for fast, efficient service grows.
From a Subway perspective, we are already shifting our business focus to meet this increasing demand. This involves a comprehensive review and enhancement of our core menu architecture to ensure it delivers both value and ease in abundance. By streamlining our menu offerings, we aim to reduce complexity and improve operational efficiency, allowing us to serve customers faster without compromising on quality. Watch this space – value is about to get a whole lot easier for Subway customers.
Energised digital transformation
In the highly competitive Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) space, the cornerstones of success remain quick, easy and convenient service. In 2025, there will be a renewed focus on enhancing these elements for customers. As part of this, Subway will start to pivot to a more digitised customer experience across our restaurants in Australia and New Zealand. This will see QSR businesses partnering heavily with third-party delivery platforms to double down on convenience via digital avenues. From mobile ordering to self-service kiosks, embracing digital solutions will be crucial to deliver on a smooth customer journey.
Continued franchisee engagement
The digital transformation of a QSR business is no small feat – if you’re going to transform your business and make bold leaps in customer experience and menu, you first have to be aligned with the franchisee base. Franchisees are the backbone of our operations, and their engagement and support is vital for implementing new digital strategies. All franchise-oriented businesses must go into 2025 with a clear plan on how they will engage with their wider network, through regular communication, comprehensive training programs and robust support systems.
For Subway specifically, 2025 will strengthen our relationship with franchisees even further as we come together for ‘SUBCON25’, our biennial convention. Bringing 800+ members of the Subway and franchise team together through rich and engaging learning experiences ensures a unified approach.
The loyalty battle
There is a battle going on out there when it comes to loyalty programs, and not just within the QSR industry but retail as a whole. We already have some great loyalty programs within Australia and New Zealand and there is no doubt this will come to the forefront for the QSR industry in 2025. As brands compete for the attention of customers in this space, it will continue to be a key driver for digital and overall business growth.
But it’s not just what you have on offer, it’s about the whole user experience and making this completely seamless. From opening a loyalty offer email to scanning your loyalty card in restaurant, providing a positive customer experience is key. As an industry this needs to be a big focus within our digital offerings to remain relevant in 2025, delivering on personalised rewards and promotions to make it easier for consumers to engage with their favourite QSR brands.
Tempting and innovative flavours
In 2025, tempting tastebuds in intriguing new ways will be crucial, given the fierce competition in the food industry. To stand out, QSR brands must focus on ensuring their products are innovative and align with evolving taste profiles, enticing customers to try new and exciting flavours. Introducing seasonal and limited-time menu items that feature unique and bold flavours creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging both regular and new customers to explore different options. There should also be an increased element of ‘surprise and delight’ for customers, with offerings to sample new flavours becoming more prominent both in store and through pop up events.
In summary, the QSR industry continues to be a highly competitive environment, so unless you are differentiating yourself across key areas like value and customer experience with a focus on digital transformation, you will be beaten out by competitors. The Subway focus for 2025 will be to deliver on a seamless customer journey and digitisation with ease and value integrated at every point.
This article was written by Shane Bracken, Managing Director of Subway, Australia, and New Zealand.
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