Platform Personalization

HOW FOOD & TRAVEL APPS GAIN MASS APPEAL WITH CUSTOMIZATION

- WRITTEN BY: DAMIEN MARTIN

In an era of personalization, where lifestyles and social media feeds are individually curated, eateries and apps both feel pressure to deliver experiences that feel exclusive to patrons yet reach a mass audience.

That obviously is a tall task, but Al is making it not only possible, but a viable model for growth. Food and lifestyle apps are connecting unique places and experiences with those who would enjoy them most. It's allowing consumers and businesses to find their niche and have fun doing it.

POWER RANKINGS

A generation that grew up online, Gen Z is often portrayed as being bad at socializing and making friends. Solving that might just be a matter of finding the right way to reach Zoomers. Beli, an app launched in 2021 for cataloguing and ranking dining experiences, seems to have found the combination. Four in 5 Beli users are under 35, and the app has become something of a social network for foodies.

So far, at least, the app is invitation-only, maintaining an air of exclusivity and sense of community even as it grows. Beli users posted 30 million reviews in 2024, surpassing Yelp by a wide margin.

"I don’t want the implications that, let’s say, a public Yelp or Google review has," Gillian Feinglass, one of Beli’s power users, told Taste. "These are my own thoughts, and I share them with my own community. I get very creative with my summaries or my thoughts on restaurants."