LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Yum! Brands, Inc. has acquired Tictuk Technologies, a leading Israeli omni-channel ordering and marketing-platform company.
Through this acquisition, Yum! Will be able to offer more ways for consumers around the world to access and order its KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill brands through popular social-media and conversational platforms.
Founded in 2016, Tictuk is a privately held company based in Tel Aviv, Israel that specializes in conversational commerce, which allows users to complete orders and interact with brands through a variety of social media and chat channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, QR codes and email. Tictuk’s online-ordering and marketing platform also leverages a hybrid of chat, web, advertisements and intelligent-marketing technology to engage with consumers. The technology seamlessly integrates with POS and existing payment systems and works for all types of customer engagement, including delivery, curbside pickup and in-restaurant dining.
“As we navigate a consumer landscape reshaped by the events of 2020, we continue to intensify our focus on leveraging our scale and reinforcing our growth model with investments in digital and technologies to enhance the customer and employee experience, strengthen restaurant-unit economics and enable our brands and franchisees to compete and win in a rapidly changing world,” says David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands.
Tictuk Technologies represents Yum! Brands’ second technology investment this month, following a definitive agreement to acquire the AI-based consumer insights and marketing-performance analytics business of Kvantum, Inc. This is part of the company’s continued focus on accelerating its digital-commerce strategy through data, advanced analytics and innovative emerging technologies.
“The right technologies will allow us to better serve customers with the best offer and delicious food in a way that’s most convenient for them,” says Chris Turner, Chief Financial Officer, Yum! Brands. “We’re excited about the opportunity Tictuk presents, as their solution delivers high impact by enabling our brands to achieve a truly omni-channel presence and provide frictionless ordering for customers in just a few clicks.”
The company has successfully deployed Tictuk’s platform in approximately 900 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in 35 countries outside of the U.S. and plans to scale and offer Tictuk’s capabilities to more markets and franchisees globally.
The Tictuk business unit, as part of Yum! Brands, will continue to offer its platform to existing clients.
