Mobile pay is becoming one of the top trends in customer experience, and the latest brand to jump into the fray is QSR leader KFC, owned by Yum! Brands. The chain will accept the three market giants in the mobile wallet space: Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay.
“Ease of use and functionality were our first priorities,” said Chris Caldwell, KFC U.S. chief information officer. “When we factored in consumer concerns about security and privacy, we identified Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay as the best options for our guests.”
As customers long for a faster, frictionless payment process, mobile wallet has gained steam as a way for brands and consumers to enjoy a more efficient transaction. While shoppers were (and still are) somewhat apprehensive about the security of the platform, these technologies have proven to be a legitimate staple in the modern POS experience.
The mobile payment will be accepted at the now familiar NFC-enabled card readers, as well as in the drive through window, the preferred method of ordering for millions of annual KFC guests. This layer of convenience creates an even more seamless process of buying and receiving food over the course of the guest experience.
The new payment options are just part of the brand’s efforts to improve customer experience and stay true to the famous “Colonel Sanders” recipe. The improved chicken comes with a “Colonel Quality Guarantee,” which represents KFC’s recommitment to the original recipe around which the brand has been built.
The plan also included 100,000 hours of employee retraining, ensuring that frontline team members understand the expectations held by consumers in terms of service time, food quality, and overall experience. The chain is also going the extra mile in modernizing its locations, with a $250 million renovation project for 70% of KFC’s U.S. locations, now in progress and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.