Food retail chain McDonald’s announced it will bring its digital, data analytics, marketing, restaurant development and operations segments into one unit as it focuses on driving growth through its app and MyMcDonald’s Rewards program.
The US-based company rolled out MyMcDonald’s Rewards on July 8 as fast-food chains have raced to launch loyalty programs to boost sales, reach younger consumers and give customers more ways to order.
McDonald’s does not reveal its IT budget or investment in digital transformation. McDonald’s CIO (Chief Information Officer) is Daniel Henry. Daniel Henry manages the Global Technology portfolio and partnerships to drive business growth and transform the McDonald’s experience — for both customers and employees — around the world.
Daniel Henry oversees an organization responsible for the technologies supporting every area of the business, including business infrastructure and platforms, project and vendor management offices, information security, innovation through McD Tech Labs, and restaurant and digital technologies that touch more than 64 million customers per day.
McDonald’s in 2019 revealed they owner / operators are investing more than $10 billion to fuel Experience of the Future restaurant transformations across the U.S.
McDonald’s, as part of its focus on customer experience, has promoted Manu Steijaert to a global chief customer officer position, effective Aug. 1 and reporting to Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski. Steijaert previously ran international operated markets including European countries, Russia and Australia.
Reporting into Manu will be Craig Brabec, VP and Chief Data Analytics Officer; Lucy Brady, SVP and Chief Digital Customer Engagement Officer; Piotr Jucha, SVP, Global Restaurant Development and Restaurant Solutions Group; and Alistair Macrow, SVP and Global Chief Marketing Officer.
Nearly half of all restaurant customers use at least one loyalty program, particularly when ordering fast-food, according to a consumer survey from loyalty program provider Paytronix Systems and PYMNTS.com.
The programs generate valuable data about customers’ food orders and habits, which restaurants use to push specialized deals in the hope of getting people to eat there more often and spend more money on extra items.
McDonald’s has more than 40 million active app users in its biggest six markets and now offers delivery in more than 30,000 restaurants, Reuters reported. The company created the team to remove some internal barriers and silos that ultimately lead to a fragmented customer experience.