Yum Brands wants to collect data from a larger number of its customers.
As such, the Louisville, Ky.-based company on Thursday said it is working with Treasure Data to use more customer information to improve diners’ digital experiences and get them to come back more often.
The move is key for the company, which is intent on using more technology to improve the simplicity of its brands. Yum operates four brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit. It is also considering acquisitions of other concepts.
It also hopes Treasure Data can provide a centralized view of its customer data across its concepts, which operate tens of thousands of restaurants around the world. These brands also work with third-party aggregators that take orders on their apps.
The company also hopes to capture more data on customers that are currently “unknown.”
The program “brings unparalleled capabilities to unify, manage and activate customer data across our four brands and third-party platforms,” Cameron Davies, chief data officer for Yum Brands, said in a statement. In so doing, he said, the program will allow the company to gain more insights into customers’ behavior and their ordering preferences.
It also helps Yum take fuller advantage of its size. Yum is one of the largest restaurant companies in the world, with 55,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries.
Customer data is an important frontier in restaurant chains’ battle for technological supremacy. As more sales take place online, finding ways to gather that data and use it to improve customer retention and increase visits is becoming key.
Treasure Data helps companies use all their customer data to improve efficiency and marketing. Its programs use artificial intelligence and machine learning that help companies personalize content to their customers.
Yum has spent recent years acquiring technology companies, such as the AI-based marketing company Dragontail Systems, then integrating their technology in its brands. The company typically prefers keeping technology in-house but said it will periodically work with third-party providers such as Treasure Data.
The company said that the effort “will result in AI-powered predictions that enable the company to engage with customers across its brands’ loyalty programs and personalize campaigns just for them.”
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