SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 19, 2024) -- The CMO Council and uKnomi, an “in-the-moment-marketing” platform provider, today released a strategic brief advocating a new AI-powered service model for uplifting customer engagement and experience at 200,000 drive-thru locations nationwide.

Some 70% of the $350 billion in U.S. quick service restaurant (QSR) sales comes from the drive-thru channel, which has multiplied as a result of Covid and the nation’s growing appetite for speedy, tasty, convenient and affordable meals away from home.

Using “Real-Time AI Interaction at the Point of Transaction,” the playbook shows how personalization can boost drive-thru revenue by 20% through more relevant suggestive selling per order, repeat visits, increased frequency, and customer advocacy. Mainstream deployment of digital AI in drive-thru lanes is expected to:

• Automate individual customer knowledge gathering at scale


• Leverage personal meal preferences and order history insights


• Prompt added-value, higher-margin menu suggestions


• Acknowledge and reward frequent customer visits better than mobile apps


• Speed up accurate drive-thru service and build consumer brand preference

“Far too many QSRs are hitting the brakes on digital transformation,” notes Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council. “QSRs instead need to shift into high gear and adopt in-the-moment marketing systems to identify customers, accelerate personalized human interaction, improve efficiencies in ordering and suggestive selling, integrate near-frictionless registration to loyalty programs — and boost revenue.”

Further, the strategic report maps ways to personalize and grow drive-thru revenue through a marketing-in-the-moment model. The model consists of five key components working together to get the personalization engine humming:

• Real-time anonymous recognition


• Intuitive, real-time engagement


• Guest intelligence and analytics


• Operational visibility + lift


• MarTech value + ROI

“Consistency, speed and accuracy are paramount to successful drive-thru operations,” says Dan Wheeler, CMO at Uncle Julio’s and former head of global innovation at Dunkin’ Brands. “Future drive-thru wars will be won by those investing in near-field communications, vehicle and voice recognition, CRM-driven menu personalization, and digital payment technologies.”

Marketing-in-the-moment service models, such as the uKnomi visual and digital ID system, measurably improve order fulfillment, transactional volume, operational efficiency, repeat visits and order value. At the same time, they mitigate some of the issues associated with highly trafficked drive-thru restaurant operations.

“AI platforms have the power to revolutionize industries by unlocking insights that were previously hidden, optimize decision-making, and assist people to perform tasks and improve service more effectively,” says Johann van der Westhuizen, Co-Founder and CEO of uKnomi.  “Restaurants don’t only serve food, they provide hospitality, and in the fast-paced world of QSR drive-thru, guest experience is driven by fast, friendly and frictionless service. uKnomi is all about creating better experiences. We leverage the best of technology (AI or otherwise) to bolster those experiences, enabling our clients to surprise and delight their guests.”

For business leaders looking to stay on top of the latest trends and innovations in the ever-changing QSR environments, the CMO Council has created a new Drive-Thru Marketing community that can be found here.

A complimentary copy of the strategic report can be downloaded here: https://www.cmocouncil.org/thought-leadership/reports/real-time-ai-interaction-at-the-point-of-transaction

About uKnomi

uKnomi is an AI-driven, “in-the-moment-marketing” platform enabling chain restaurant operators to digitally transform how they recognize all customers in the drive-thru and empower service staff to deliver more personalized, predictable and rewarding experiences.  By understanding individual customer visit frequency and preferences, restaurant operators can provide a faster, more friendly and efficient service through personalized interactions, recommendations and perks that lead to greater visits, customers and sales. Learn more at www.uknomi.com.

About the CMO Council

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council’s 16,000+ members control more than $1 trillion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include over 65,000 global marketing and sales executives in over 110 countries covering multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The Council’s strategic interest groups include the Customer Experience Board, Digital Marketing Performance Center, Brand Inspiration Center, Marketing Supply Chain Institute, GeoBranding Center, and the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE). To learn more, visit https://www.cmocouncil.org.

Media Contact:
Kevin Sugarman

ksugarman@cmocouncil.org