AUSTIN, TX: McDonald's, the restaurant chain, has reported that consumers using its "Create Your Taste" service, which lets diners customise their burgers in various ways, record a higher than average spend, hinting at the power of personalisation.
Silvia Lagnado, Global Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald's Corp., discussed this subject at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2016 in Austin, Texas.
"Create Your Taste" works by allowing customers to tailor burgers and sandwiches to meet their individual tastes, such as by adding extra ingredients, choosing an artisanal bun or picking toppings like jalapeños, via touchscreen kiosks.
Currently, this option is available in certain restaurants in various global markets, a list that includes Australia, Hong Kong, Kuwait and the US.
"We definitely have evidence that the people who engage in customisation and personalisation with the kiosks spend more, for sure. Not twice as much, but they definitely spend more," Lagnado said. (For more, including further details of this program, read Warc's exclusive report: McDonald's targets millennials with product personalisation.)
"We don't know for sure yet whether the kind of people who want to do it are the people who are going to spend more anyway, or they spend more because they are there and they are having fun, and they get a little carried away and they spend more. It's probably a little bit of both."
Coupled with an uptick in ticket size is a lift in some very important brand metrics for McDonald's among those people who take advantage of the "Create Your Taste" service.
"We have a lot of evidence ... that it really improves perceptions of freshness and of quality. Because you decided what you wanted, and a few minutes later you got it," Lagnado told the SXSW attendees.
"And, by definition, it was prepared fresh, especially for you. And that fact significantly increases your perception of quality."
Silvia Lagnado, Global Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald's Corp., discussed this subject at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2016 in Austin, Texas.
"Create Your Taste" works by allowing customers to tailor burgers and sandwiches to meet their individual tastes, such as by adding extra ingredients, choosing an artisanal bun or picking toppings like jalapeños, via touchscreen kiosks.
Currently, this option is available in certain restaurants in various global markets, a list that includes Australia, Hong Kong, Kuwait and the US.
"We definitely have evidence that the people who engage in customisation and personalisation with the kiosks spend more, for sure. Not twice as much, but they definitely spend more," Lagnado said. (For more, including further details of this program, read Warc's exclusive report: McDonald's targets millennials with product personalisation.)
"We don't know for sure yet whether the kind of people who want to do it are the people who are going to spend more anyway, or they spend more because they are there and they are having fun, and they get a little carried away and they spend more. It's probably a little bit of both."
Coupled with an uptick in ticket size is a lift in some very important brand metrics for McDonald's among those people who take advantage of the "Create Your Taste" service.
"We have a lot of evidence ... that it really improves perceptions of freshness and of quality. Because you decided what you wanted, and a few minutes later you got it," Lagnado told the SXSW attendees.
"And, by definition, it was prepared fresh, especially for you. And that fact significantly increases your perception of quality."
Data sourced from Warc
