McDonald’s Corp. is putting all of its collective fries in one basket as it looks to spur the growth of its international app and newly minted MyMcDonald’s Rewards program, according to a report on Monday (July 26). The company will house its digital, data analytics, marketing, restaurant development and operations components as one joint entity under the Golden Arches umbrella with the appointment of a new leader.
McDonald’s promoted the fast-food chain’s 34-year veteran, Manu Steijaert, to the company’s first-ever chief customer officer, the company announced on its website. The son of a former Belgian McDonald’s owner-operator, Steijaert began working as a crew member at his parents’ restaurants in 1987. From there, in 2001, he began furthering his career at McDonald’s Corporation.
As PYMNTS previously reported, while McDonald’s may be a latecomer to the customer loyalty program concept, the July 8 release of the MyMcDonald’s Rewards program is not without its benefits. PYMNTS data determined that loyalty program users spent almost twice as much on takeout monthly as their non-user counterparts, $200 compared to $104. In addition, 47 percent of all restaurant customers are now using at least one restaurant loyalty program, an increase from 43 percent in September 2020.
McDonald’s began testing its customer loyalty program in late 2020, PYMNTS reported last month. Many of its competitors had already had rewards programs up and running for months or even years. The rewards rollout aligned with McDonald’s focus on expanding upon “the 3Ds” – digital, delivery and drive-thru – to leverage the greater convenience and no-contact ordering that peaked during the height of the pandemic, which the company expects will continue. Even prior to the launch of the rewards program, McDonald’s had more than 20 million active users of its app as of April.
