Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE:YUM), the restaurant group that owns KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger Grill and WingStreet, announced it has acquired Tictuk, an Isreali omnichannel ordering and marketing platform that enables customers to order food on social media and messaging applications. The financial terms have not been disclosed.
The omnichannel app allows users to complete orders with direct brand interaction on social media and chat channels like WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Slack, SMS, QR codes and email. It uses these platforms to collect ordering and advertisement data and offers intelligent feedback to its customers so they can make the best marketing decisions for their store locations. Tictuk has worked with retailers ranging from food ordering to flower deliveries, according to the company’s website.
This is Yum! Brands’ second technology acquisition this month, after buying Kvantum, a marketing company that uses artificial intelligence for marketing performance analytics that allow companies to better understand customer trends.
New marketing strategies like this are being implemented throughout many food and retail companies. Dunkin Donuts recently partnered with social influencers on TikTok to grow their e-commerce purchases as well, taking advantage of the marketing data that sites like TikTok and Facebook extract from their users.
“Tictuk has a proven track record of driving increased conversion, loyalty and sales by making it even easier for customers to order our brands through their preferred social media or conversational channel,” said Clay Johnson, chief digital and technology officer of Yum! Brands in the release. “With Tictuk, we’re able to offer our franchisees around the world an incredibly effective omnichannel ordering system that can be customized to every market’s needs and implemented within just a few days. We’re thrilled to have Tictuk join the growing Yum! technology portfolio, allowing us to offer more frictionless ordering experiences for our customers.”
Yum! Brands already has 900 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell locations across 35 countries using the platform for ordering food on messaging applications. According to Tictuk’s website, Pizza Hut has been able to reach 16% of its market share without any meaningful marketing since using the platform.
In 2020, Yum! Brands focused on its digital ordering abilities, as shutdowns impacted the way customers were interacting with their brands. The work paid off as the company saw a 45% increase in digital sales to $17 billion.
“The right technologies will allow us to better serve customers with the best offer and delicious food in a way that’s most convenient for them,” said Chris Turner, chief financial officer for Yum! Brands. “We’re excited about the opportunity Tictuk presents, as their solution delivers high impact by enabling our brands to achieve a truly omnichannel presence and provide frictionless ordering for customers in just a few clicks.”