McDonald\u2019s recently partnered with a company named Piper to deploy beacons across several test restaurants for four weeks. The beacons automatically allowed users of the restaurant\u2019s Android and iOS apps to receive coupons, alerts and more, if they were in close proximity to a McDonald\u2019s location and accepted the beacons. It\u2019s the sort of mobile alerts that other chains, such as Starbucks, have been using, and it\u2019s working in McDonald\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n
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Piper said on Thursday that, during the four-week trial, more than 18,000 people took advantage of coupons that popped up on their mobile devices as they walked near a McDonald\u2019s location. Ultimately, the company said McDonald\u2019s noted an 8 percent increase in McChicken sales and a 7.5 percent increase in McNuggets, as opposed to the prior month with Piper\u2019s beacons weren\u2019t being used to broadcast deals.<\/p>\n
One McDonald\u2019s franchise owner said that the goal is to continue to deploy the system in other restaurants. It\u2019s also being used to allow passersby to apply for jobs within the restaurant from their mobile devices, and for other customers to send in customer service notes via text message. As mobile payment options continue to increase, and we rely on our smartphones more and more for coupons, food purchases and more, we suspect this type of use-case for becaons will continue to become more popular.<\/p>\n