Pizza Hut Leads the Industy
All 1471 mainland China Pizza Hut stores officially began using iBeacon technology on September 3rd, partnering with Sensoro to make “smart restaurants”. Customers can receive coupons, WeChat movie tickets prizes, and a whole slew of special offers or discounts soon to be released by interacting with iBeacon technology on their mobile phones.
Pizza Hut emphasizes innovation in its approach to providing not only food products and customer service, but also in how it runs its operations. As a franchise that desires to break the traditional mold of the restaurant businesses, Pizza Hut is leading the industry trend towards using iBeacon technology in digital marketing, and is indicating a change in the landscape of an industry influenced by a high-tech turnover.
From September 3rd to September 23rd, customers in Pizza Hut restaurants just need to open Bluetooth on their mobile devices and bring up the WeChat app's Shake Nearby feature to get a chance at receiving discounts or gifts such as free movie tickets or prizes. Customers can also easily view the menu by interacting with the iBeacon content, possibly indication a gradual change toward paperless menus in an industry where menus are already increasingly being replaced by tablets.
The use of beacon devices in Pizza Hut restaurants is designed to optimize customer service. Pizza Hut commented, “The comprehensive use of iBeacon technology to create smart restaurants is intended to improve the customer experience and improve customer service, while also upgrading brand image to attract more customers."
Why iBeacon Technology?
iBeacon is Apple’s standard protocol for using beacon device hardware to provide localized information to apps. As an iBeacon technology supported hardware, Sensoro Yunzi’s function is primarily to help the traditional retail stores or businesses collect data and engage in digital marketing. Using iBeacon technology makes it easier for stores to collect and analyze customer data, communicate precise and targeted information to customers, expand marketing capabilities, and improve sales conversion rates.
Sensoro is currently the largest global provider of beacon devices, with distribution in 46 countries to almost 6 thousand different retailers.
The Internet + Dining
Sensoro’s most recent major partners, Shuimujintang, Huangtaiji, and Dongfang Jiaoziwang, are upcoming restaurant chains in China that have used iBeacon technology to good effect to their digital marketing plans, reaching ten thousand customer iBeacon interactions each within their first week of use. Beacon devices have allowed restaurant businesses to create the “Internet＋ Dining” in response to Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang's announcement of the “Internet＋” strategy, a call for Chinese enterprises across various industries to incorporate Internet technology in their operations. iBeacon technology allows companies to more precisely and professionally adjust their marketing plans based on the collection, organization, filtering, monitoring, and statistical analysis of customer data.
Pizza Hut belongs to the world’s largest restaurant company, Yum!, Brands, Inc. Yum! operates in more than 110 countries and regions and has over 35,000 restaurants. It owns some of the most recognized restaurant brands in the world, including Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, A&W, and Long John Silver’s, making it a leader in the food industry. Sensoro has signed an agreement with Yum!, stating that after Pizza Hut’s iBeacon marketing campaign, other restaurants are free to employ similar marketing and promotion strategies to transition from the traditional dining industry into the “Internet ＋ Dining”.
