Drive-thru windows can account for more than 50% of Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) daily sales. So it’s no surprise that McDonald’s has been looking at technology solutions to further expand drive-thru volume. The just-announced purchase of voice tech company Apprente enhances McDonald’s efforts to boost voice-ordering efficiency. Watch for more examples of conversational commerce to be used at restaurants, merchants, and in the car.
A Chain Store Age article, excerpted below, reports more on the topic:
The fast-food giant is acquiring a voice-based tech startup and planting a stake in Silicon Valley.
McDonald’s has entered an agreement to purchase Apprente, a Silicon Valley-based conversational voice-based technology startup, for an undisclosed sum. The retailer says it will use Apprente’s solution to enable “faster, simpler and more accurate” drive-thru ordering.
This acquisition follows McDonald’s March 2019 purchase of Israeli startup Dynamic Yield, whose technology will enable the retailer to vary its outdoor menu displays to show food tailored to such factors as time of day, weather, current restaurant traffic and trending menu items.
It will also allow the chain to instantly suggest and display additional items to customers based on their current selections. McDonald’s has also recently developed customer-facing solutions such as its global mobile app, mobile order and pay, indoor and outdoor digital menu boards and self-order kiosks.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group
