Immersive food experiences can trigger emotional and sensory responses, helping consumers associate brands with positive memories.
This approach is key in Asia, where food is increasingly seen not just as sustenance but as a channel for personal and cultural expression.
“Asian consumers are becoming more discerning, health-conscious, and emotionally connected to brands,” said Prakash MG, senior vice president for Taste, Greater Asia, at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF).
“Consumers expect products to be personalised, culturally grounded, and multifunctional. That’s why creating immersive experiences that mirror their daily realities is critical.”
Bringing sensory storytelling to life through immersive experiences
Sensory cues influence emotional responses, shaping consumer food choices across Asia.
This concept is realised through IFF’s Immersive Experience Hub that was launched in Singapore on July 10 – the first of its kind in Asia.
The immersive room recreates real-life consumption settings, allowing brands to test how products look, taste, and feel in context.
“It enables us to take insights beyond the lab and into real-world settings through 360-degree video technology that incorporates scent, taste, sound, and touch,” Prakash said.
It can also be customised according to a brand’s needs.
“For instance, we can create a café environment so customers can experience how products would appear and taste, right down to the sights and sounds,” he added.
“We don’t just create flavours; we understand emotional drivers and turn them into tangible concepts. Imagine co-creating a new beverage with our flavourists, prototyping in real time and testing in a simulated setting to gauge impact and gather immediate feedback. This end-to-end collaborative approach enables faster and more informed decision-making throughout the product development process.”
IFF also leverages AI to identify industry trends and incorporate insights into its design process.
“PANOPTIC, our proprietary trend and foresight capability, is a foundational part of the innovation journey. It identifies the most impactful shifts and dynamics shaping the short, mid, and long-term future of our industry,” Prakash shared.
“Whether that’s the rise of nostalgic indulgence, functional wellness, or sustainability-led choices, we help our customers stay ahead of trends. We complement this with our expertise in human-centric insights, gained through consumer research and panels.”
Essentially, the aim is to help brands design products that go beyond functionality to connect with consumers on a cultural and emotional level.
This requires understanding market nuances in a diverse Asian landscape.
Adapting to Asia’s cultural and sensory diversity
According to Prakash, Asia is incredibly diverse.
“Food preferences are heavily influenced by cultural context, heritage, climate, and even geography. For example, the preferences for a peach flavour differ across countries and regions. Indonesian consumers may prefer a peach profile that is fruity, ripe, and sweet, while Chinese consumers may prefer a peach profile that is sweet and juicy,” he said.
These preferences call for tailored flavour formulations, blending technical precision with cultural understanding.
This is where setting up the Singapore Immersive Experience Hub can better enable IFF to work with greater precision and relevance to meet the needs of the region.
“The hub completes our ecosystem of capabilities by bringing consumer insights, science, creativity and now digital immersion under one roof,” Prakash said.
He added that Singapore is a strategic base, uniquely positioned to tap into the multicultural landscape of Asia – a region of “tremendous opportunities”.
“Asia is fast becoming the world’s growth engine. By 2030, it’s projected to contribute 60% of global economic growth. We see tremendous opportunities in the region, not just in terms of market size, but also in its cultural and sensory diversity,” said Pakash.
“Our focus is on creating future-ready solutions that are grounded in deep consumer insights and aligned with forward-looking trends shaping the food and beverage landscape. Whether through new collaborations or enhanced digital tools, our goal is to stay ahead of what’s next and help our customers win in the marketplace.”
