Restaurant Brands International (RBI) — owner of the brands Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes — is leveraging Ant Group’s digital solutions to enable a more convenient and seamless omni-channel experience for local diners and to uplift the restaurants’ operational efficiency the Asia-Pacific region.
This activation will take place across eight selected markets in Asia Pacific, and 1,500 restaurants across all three RBI brands.
Ant Group will work with RBI’s local franchisees to implement a range of digital solutions, including mini program Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution and Alipay+, a suite of global cross-border mobile payments and marketing solutions.
With the mini program SaaS solution, Ant Group will develop mini programs for each of RBI’s brand adapted for each local market. Via the mini program, RBI’s local franchisees will be able to digitally integrate online and offline operations to drive increased efficiency and gain deeper operational insights.
At the same time, diners will have access to expanded services, such as contactless menus and payments, online ordering for pickup or delivery, scan-and-order function in store.
Further, the mini programs will also incorporate each RBI brand’s existing loyalty program and provide additional digital marketing capabilities, such as distribution of digital vouchers.
To help RBI’s local restaurants reach more local diners, the mini programs will be integrated into other local and regional digital platforms, including leading regional F&B tech startup Chope, and e-wallets in Southeast Asia.
The partnership will also see RBI leveraging the Alipay+ solutions to allow more payment options to be accepted in-store, on websites, apps, and via the mini programs.
With the integration of Alipay+ solutions, RBI’s operations will support payment options such as Touch ‘n Go eWallet in Malaysia, True Money wallet in Thailand, GCash in the Philippines, Kakao Pay in South Korea, and many others.
“Franchisees across Asia will soon be able to benefit from the advantages of digitisation across operations and the mini programs’ integration into other digital platforms,” said Ekrem Ozer, president of RBI in APAC.
Angel Zhao, president of Ant Group’s International Business Group, said leveraging digital payments and marketing innovations is critical for industries like food and beverage to provide contactless services, boost operational efficiency, and adapt to the fast-changing market conditions.
