Loyalty Truth

Fast food is becoming even faster. To give customers more payment options and speed them drive-though and counter lines, McDonald’s is testing a mobile order and payment app at 22 locations in the Columbus, Georgia area.

Aimed to improve customer experience, Millennials and other digitally connected consumers should be attracted by the “McD Ordering” app as they will be able to skip lines and speed up their run through the drive-thru. McDonald’s will of course benefit from the customer transaction data collected from mobile app users.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android and can be found in the Google Play store here. McD Ordering requires users to link a credit or debit card to the account to complete payments. The app allows customers to order while on the move with the promise that the order will be ready and available for pick up in-store or curbside. To complete the order pick-up, the customer scans a QR code produced by the app at the point of purchase. Order numbers pop up on screen in the store and are ready to go or, if at the drive-thru window, food is delivered right to the car.

Expectations for McD Ordering are high, with one shift manager at a pilot location saying “We haven’t really advertised it yet, but once we do it’s going to get big”. The reference to getting bigger might include McDonald’s plans to add a mobile loyalty app in the future, “McD App”, to deliver loyalty offers, coupons, and other unique offers. McDonald’s. Some have compared McD Ordering to a similar app from Panera Bread, and it is clear that mobile payment apps are a trending item for the quick-serve restaurant business.

McDonald’s has previously trialed mobile ordering and payments apps outside the US and presently accepts ISIS mobile wallet payments at many US locations. The Georgia pilot however, marks the first McDonald’s-branded mobile payment app tested in the US.