World view South Africa Decoding cravings 16 Food retailers are under more pressure to compete than ever before their rivals are no longer simply other retailers and grocers, but also new players and gig economy companies such as Uber Eats. South African retail company Woolworths wanted to understand what is driving peoples new food preferences so that it could develop new products, change the format of its stores and promotions, and approach price from a new perspective. South African retailer Woolworths wanted to know what South Africans are eating and why and turned to a chatbot for answers. By Katie McQuater