Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), the global leaders in quick service restaurant companies, announced its partnership with the Ant Group in the Asia Pacific Region to leverage digital tools as the company accelerates the digital transformation of its restaurant operations.
RBI is the owner of TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, and POPEYES® brands. The activation is set to take place across eight selected markets in Asia Pacific, and 1,500 restaurants across all three RBI brands.
The strategic engagement aims to complement RBI’s continuous efforts to support local franchisee operations and expansion in the APAC market. On top of that, this will enable a more convenient and seamless omni-channel experience for local diners and to uplift the restaurants’ operational efficiency.
Under this collaboration, the Ant Group will work with RBI’s APAC franchisees in the implementation of a range of innovative digital solutions.
First among these digital solutions is a mini program Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, which Ant Group will develop for each of RBI’s brands. Through this 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, and more.
Furthermore, 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.
The second digital solution to be implemented is Alipay+, a suite of global cross-border mobile payments and marketing solutions.
The collaboration will see RBI leveraging 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.
To help RBI’s restaurants to reach more diners in their respective localities, 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, etc.
According to Angel Zhao, President of Ant Group’s International Business Group, “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.”
“We look forward to assisting RBI in its overall digital transformation journey as it reinvents how diners connect with RBI brands both online and offline to create superior customer experiences,” Zhao continued.
Ekrem Ozer, President of APAC, Restaurant Brands International, is looking forward to their monumental collaboration within the region.
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch this groundbreaking partnership with Ant Group, which further supports our mission to make ordering and dining as easy as possible for our guests and leveraging payments to provide a more convenient and personalized experience. Franchisees across Asia will soon be able to benefit from the advantages of digitization across operations and the mini programs’ integration into other digital platforms,” Ozer said.
