LONDON – KFC has
launched a pilot mobile phone payment app in England that allows customers to
order and buy food before they arrive at a restaurant, the Daily Mail reports.
The mobile
wallet technology is similar to one already in use at McDonald’s and Starbucks.
The service will begin with ten U.K. locations and could roll out across
England and reach the United States if it successful.
Airtag, which
built the app for the chicken chain, said it hopes the technology will account
for 5% of transactions at the pilot stores in the next year. The app is
available for iPhone users and a companion web app is available for all
connected devices.
Both offer users ordering and payment capabilities, and the iPhone
app allows for mobile check-in when a customer enters a store. Users can pick
up their order any time on the day an order is placed. Upon arrival at the
selected location, the user does a mobile check-in to alert KFC staff that they
are present for their order.
“Our customers lead increasingly busy lives and KFC Fast Track is
focused on helping them order, pay for and collect their food faster than ever
before, delivering a great experience throughout,” said Paul Borrett, IT director of KFC U.K. and Ireland. “We look forward to working closely with
Airtag and adding many more innovative features to KFC Fast Track in the coming
months.”