Russian HoReCa digitalization market. TAdviser Overview

For the period 2026 and 2027, experts look with some caution. Most of them believe that the market will continue to grow, but its pace will be lower, which will be associated with a decrease in requests for import substitution and/or integration with state information systems (accounting for sales of alcohol, labeled products, such as Honest Sign and Mercury). At the same time, the personalization of marketing offers to the client, the introduction of recommendation services, AI technologies and the Internet of things as practical tools will support both the volume and margin of the market.

In the medium term, Kirill Fedulov believes that the HoReCa market and related service companies, developers and implementers will be in a state of increased volatility, the HoReCa ecosystem will undergo changes in the form of reductions, mergers and acquisitions. Therefore, it is necessary to give preference to mature companies and solutions. They have a margin of safety and offer solutions for implementation that have long proven themselves in the market and are actively developing.

In the medium term (2026-2027), according to Valentin Dyachenko, the demand for digital solutions in HoReCa in Russia will remain steadily growing. In addition to the previously mentioned trends of this year, the expert also pointed to the ongoing import substitution (for example, now domestic booking systems are already leading in the market in Russia), as well as the need to ensure a decent level of cyber business protection.

Do not forget about the possible introduction of responsibility for the refusal of import substitution ERP, which is now being discussed. In the future, in the ERP segment, this can accelerate migration to domestic solutions, redistribute budgets in favor of local platforms and consolidate the market around the largest and most mature of them. These changes can affect, first of all, large chains in the hotel and restaurant business, "said Valentin Dyachenko.

In 2026-2027, according to Nadezhda Belyaeva from Tensor, the growth rate of the digitalization market will decrease to about 5% per year, which is not bad for a mature market.

The HoReCa automation market in the medium term, in the next three years, will grow steadily by 9-13% annually, and its main driver will be the growth of demand for SaaS, said Dmitry Papin from iiko. Large changes in the composition of software developers are not expected: new small companies are constantly appearing on the market, but it is difficult for them to maintain the pace of development and quality of the product, especially due to the need to integrate and support a large number of requirements of legislation on accounting and quality control of products. Most likely, the consolidation trend will dominate - small implementers will leave the market or enter ecosystems.

Most industry experts note the stratification of the market, according to which the range of technologies used and in demand by customers is changing. For most HoReCa enterprises, the implementation of ready-made or with minimal customization of solutions or, as an alternative, cloud services, the development of which is the concern of specialized software companies, is relevant. To a lesser extent, and only in the premium segment, fully customized development is in demand, including mobile services. The trend towards import substitution continues, mainly foreign ERP and CRM systems for domestic developments.

Kirill Fedulov, founder and development director of Okdesk, believes that there is an unevenness in the digitalization of the hospitality sector. Everything related to direct interaction with the client is automated: loyalty programs, convenient payment methods, QR menus, mobile applications, booking systems and other segments. In the same way, as for the maintenance and repair of infrastructure and equipment, the automation of which is more difficult, more expensive and takes more time, there are free niches for development. Advanced and actively developing businesses are following the path of automation of maintenance and repair processes from the very beginning, the expert believes.

Several large solutions for complex automation with large functionality, suitable for network institutions, are widespread on the market, there are also specialized niche services. At the same time, the catering market has a demand for lighter, more flexible, boxed inexpensive solutions with basic functionality and suitable for different types of equipment. Most of this market ― small establishments that do not have large budgets for automation. Moreover, the market is unstable, annually updated by about 15%: old establishments are closed, new ones are opened. The average life of catering enterprises ― only a couple of years, so many entrepreneurs are not ready to invest in automation, and those who are ready to prefer boxed solutions that can be customized for business processes, "Vitaly Ovsyannikov, head of the integrated automation product for HoReCa of Evotor, shared his expert opinion.

Speaking about the implementation formats, Kirill Fedulov notes that big business has historically considered expensive corporate solutions for itself, but now, taking into account the situation in the economy in the coming years, it makes sense for even big business to make a choice in favor of affordable, modern, quickly implemented solutions. Those that allow you to quickly automate individual business segments and assess the results of implementation.

Cloud options for delivering solutions will prevail: in the hospitality industry, it is difficult to imagine using solutions that need to be installed at their own capacity, this requires large investments and competencies in maintaining this infrastructure.

A relatively new trend, says Yulia Petrova from Kit-Systems, has become the active replacement of popular messengers with chats in applications. Until recently, the share of their use was approximately equal, but now priority is given to applications that are becoming the main communication channel with the brand. The development of mobile marketing allows companies to form and broadcast personalized promos based on the analysis of client preferences.

Mobile interfaces are becoming more widespread. For implemented solutions, such interfaces are the choice of must have. In the field of equipment repair, says Kirill Fedulov, it is impossible even to imagine how to perform work without mobile applications that allow you to plan trips, report on checklists and technical lists, and register detected breakdowns. They must also have offline options.

According to Yulia Petrova, in 2025 the companies were focused on the implementation of accounting and ERP systems. The advantage was given to migration from foreign solutions to products of domestic vendors. HR and BPM systems were actively implemented, automating business processes and reporting. In the network catering, EDO systems were in demand (electronic document management - ed.), Which is facilitated by the expansion of the list of labeled products, as well as the tightening of the rules for the circulation of alcoholic beverages. Somewhat underestimated in this segment remains, in her opinion, the potential of CRM solutions that help businesses create digital customer profiles and build omnichannel communication. This is partly due to the complexity of integration and achieving a measurable business result.

The largest market participants, Yulia Petrova notes, optimize production processes, transport and warehouse logistics, as well as customer delivery by introducing solutions based on artificial intelligence. Modern AI systems play a key role in digital transformation: they not only automate routine operations, but also provide a qualitatively new level of analytics and forecasting. The use of AI in conjunction with Lakehouse architecture (a repository of heterogeneous data that can be used as is for analytics, detection of patterns, machine learning and building datasets for neural networks - ed.) Provides companies with a higher level of data management, increases the accuracy of strategic decisions, reduces operational costs and creates competitive advantages in the market. Custom developments remain the privilege of the market's biggest players. The mass segment relies on ready-made solutions with a standard, but sufficient set of tools for most, accompanied by service support from the vendor.

In the hotel and restaurant business, there is a clear trend towards automation, which in the future will only intensify. Over the past year, in the HoReCa segment, we have observed a steady demand for POS/RMS systems with ready-made contours/ UNIFIED STATE AUTOMATED INFORMATION SYSTEM/Honest Sign" Mercury"and, SBP without which full-fledged work of a bar, cafe, restaurant or catering is now simply impossible. For guests, automation is a faster and more comfortable service, personalization of the experience of interaction with the institution. For example, a personalized showcase (ordering your favorite dish, the possibility of customizing it (turning on dopas, removing something from the composition, etc.). Moreover, such personalization is not just a desire to please the guest, it is also real money, since it increases the check by 20%. For owners of establishments, automation is a decrease in the influence of the human factor, which means a decrease in the number of errors and positive impressions of customers, "said Cryon Valentin Dyachenko, head of the sales group of the company.

Another driver of growth in the HoReCa digitalization market, says Valentin Dyachenko, was the growth of the share of payments through the SBP. According to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, in 2024, 13.4 billion operations worth 69.5 trillion rubles were carried out through the SBP. Convenience, speed, low fees and low costs make this payment system profitable for business. Hence the request from companies for built-in QR payment in POS systems or mobile checks and for the correct fiscalization of 54-FZ payments, including for courier delivery services, when payment is made outside the outlet. Cash register suppliers are actively promoting SBP scenarios, firmware updates and check optimization. Cloud (digital) cash desks help to comply with 54-FZ for delivery services, so the demand for such services is growing in proportion to the increase in the popularity of delivery among the population.

In the fast casual and street retail segments, the trend towards self-service and "cash desks without a cashier" has strengthened, which is facilitated by both the personnel shortage and the client's desire to speed up service as much as possible, and without unnecessary interactions with staff. The trend towards gamification, the client's desire to simplify and speed up interaction with the institution, transfer communication to user-friendly channels (most often to instant messengers) maintain a steady demand for CRM systems with the ability to integrate instant messengers and applications and BI (for automatic collection and analysis of data from customers). BI and Big Data today are used to compile menus taking into account demand, guest preferences, margins, as well as dynamic pricing depending on load and a number of other factors (for example, weather). Personalized offers based on data analysis are a key trend in 2024, increasing customer loyalty by 10-15%.

An important role in the digitalization of HoReCa is played by the integrated provision of information security, the prevention of incidents related to the functioning of mobile applications, POS, accounting systems, payment terminals. This approach supports the demand for a variety of information security solutions, including Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) and EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response), Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), Database Protection Solutions (DAG, DCAP), of course, Web Application Firewall (WAF) and DDo solutions. Given that a certain part of HoReCa companies conduct their own development of applications and websites, there is still a demand for solutions for controlling privileged users (Privileged Account Management, PAM) and for code analysis (SAST, DAST, OSA), which helps to protect yourself when working with contractors.

Customers' use interests AI in HoReCa focus on implementation chat boats virtual assistants and to automate communication with the customer. There are cases to improve the efficiency of personnel, continuous monitoring, KPI regular analysis of the work shift. Therefore, Valentin Dyachenko believes, it is possible to predict the growth in the introduction of computer vision and video analytics systems in HoReCa. In addition, artificial intelligence it will be more widely used in analytics to predict demand, personalize offers for guests.

The Internet of Things and robotization is another global trend that will affect the HoReCa industry. IoT and the use of IoT devices allow not only to improve client service, but also to organize inventory accounting in warehouses, automate storage condition control and a number of other functions.

The demand for CRM has grown, as Nadezhda Belyaeva, head of Saby Presto at Tensor, notes. Catering establishments began not only to sell food, but to pay a lot of attention to relations with guests - loyalty programs, online reservations, mobile applications are in great demand. Visitors actively study the menu in advance, which changes the model of interaction with customers. IoT systems are becoming more and more popular. They help to monitor the condition of the equipment, reduce the risks of breakdowns and downtime, and optimize maintenance costs. BPM systems and BI analytics help optimize business processes and analyze sales.

In 2025, in the catering market in Russia, customers are moving towards even greater convenience and automation for guests and employees. Integrations with mobile applications, online menus and delivery systems, self-service cash desks, QR menus, chat bots are being introduced. Platforms are becoming more and more cloudy and "AI-friendly" - routine processes are being automated, including tax accounting, recognition of checks and documents, EDO and integration with state systems.

In implementation approaches, there is a noticeable increase in demand for boxed products and platforms that can be quickly implemented and customized. For large networks or unique concepts, custom development, integration of all systems on one platform and a set of unique options are relevant.

The restaurant automation software market, notes Dmitry Papin, CEO of iiko, is growing steadily from 2023 to 2025, and is doing it faster than retail. Revenue in such a situation will grow, including due to the development of new formats in catering: street food, food courts and food markets, dark kitchen, etc. The demand for cloud solutions that completely close the IT tasks of the enterprise and do not require the client's own strength to support is also growing. Loyalty management applications remain the most marginal, as restaurant marketing costs grow and the budget for guest analytics increases. Solutions for automating delivery are promising. Services based on automatic forecasting have huge potential.

In 2024 and 2025, the Russian HoReCa market experienced an accelerated digitalization cycle, said Yulia Mickiewicz, Operations Director of KODE. The increase in cost, partly caused by external, sanctions, and partly internal, macroeconomic reasons, as well as personnel shortages, forced the owners of restaurants and hotels to actively invest in automation in order to reduce costs. The bulk of investments are accounted for by automation of internal business processes - ERP, accounting, warehouse, logistics.

Many development companies create microservices to automate various highly specialized tasks: alcohol reporting, work with labeled products through EDM, etc. This, on the one hand, provides customers with a wide range of solutions, but on the other hand, greatly complicates the support process. When a user encounters an error, it is not always clear on whose side the problem is, "says Violetta Gostishcheva from SoftBalance Group of Companies.

Cloud solutions and customized "boxed" solutions are also relevant, she adds. They are usually chosen for implementation by small businesses.

As of December 2025, the TAdviser database contains information on more than 1.1 thousand. IT projects carried out in companies belonging to the HoReCa industry. Among the different classes of IT solutions, these enterprises most often implement ERP and accounting systems. These two classes account for over 460 projects implemented in this industry. Data on other classes of systems are shown in the diagram below.

Experts expect an increase in the use of neural networks and AI for HoReCa. The mass release of AI-based tools for improving the quality of interaction with the client, speech analytics, quality control, solving QA problems and claim work is also expected.

Technologies that increase the level of service and usability in the HoReCa segment will appear for sure, says Yulia Petrova. Active penetration of IoT, coupled with the development of AI and Big Data, will allow companies to not only study, but also model consumer behavior with ever-increasing accuracy. The analysis and application of this data will increase customer loyalty, repeat sales and average check, as well as increase warehouse turnover. Also, interesting new products can be expected in the field of robotization of the restaurant and hotel business and automation of delivery processes.

A new trend in the market, according to Vitaly Ovsyannikov from Evotor, ― speech analytics services. Enterprises implement quality-of-service scripts or personalization of orders to better account for customer requests. Another trend is cooperation with aggregators and delivery services.

There are few scenarios for using neural networks and AI for HoReCa on the market, notes Kirill Fedulov from Okdesk. In addition, there are technologies on the market that do not require budgets at all, but bring significant results. For example, a decision (from the category of QA services), which allows you to register an address (indicating the source) complaint on any issue using a QR code. Reviews automatically get to the manager's mobile application and allow you to quickly fix the problem.

In general, experts consider the HoReCa digitalization market promising and growing. Active penetration of SaaS and IoT, coupled with the development of AI and Big Data, will allow companies to not only study, but also model consumer behavior with ever-increasing accuracy. Analyzing and applying this data will increase customer loyalty, repeat sales, and average check. There will be greater opportunities for predictive analytics to assess demand, improve logistics and improve the efficiency of staff and businesses.

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