Technology
Church's credits 540% year-over-year sales increase to digital upgrades
February 16, 2021
Among the many brands vying for tops spots on the QSR playing field, we often hear of initiatives to expand, improve or tweak a brand's digital customer experience, but Church's Chicken is meeting us at the other end with a report on how the digital improvements made by the Atlanta-based company were paying off. The 1,500-unit chain began improving online capabilities in 2019, which have led to a:
- 540% increase in 2020 year-over-year order-ahead sales.
- 77% increase in 2020 year-over-year third-party delivery sales.
- 16% web digital conversion rate since 2019.
"The digital success we are seeing now is because of plans and initiatives first put in place in 2019," Church's VP Alan Magee said in a company release. "The industry has been shifting to a digital-first approach over time and the pandemic has only accelerated this consumer behavior," Alan Magee, Church's vice president of Digital Marketing & Technology, said in the release. "Church's digital transformation allowed us to pivot quickly in response to COVID-19 and we even ended the year with six months of consecutive positive sales as a result. Our investment in building both integrated and consumer focused digital platforms continues to allow us to thrive as a brand"
At last year's end, Church's said it had completed:
- Churchs.com relaunch focused on mobile optimization.
- Website, channel strategy and location finder rollout, enabling three-click journey from initial impression to action.
- CRM platform relaunch.
As a result of these efforts, nearly 85% of guests engage with the brand on mobile devices now, with 295% growth in digital restaurant engagement and a 27% increase in conversions among mobile users.
The brand also said it improved its mobile app and email platform, while launching a new customer database to create more personalized communication. As a result, Church's measured a 40% increase in active loyalty engagement.
It expanded it social media presence through its social media playbook, focused on community engagement, growing fan engagement 63% between 2019 and 2020. Impressions also grew 146% from 2019.
The company expanded its "Church's to go" involvement, adding google ordering and curbside pickup expansion. It expanded to eight third-party delivery partners. Collectively, those efforts increased off-premise revenue year-over-year by 87%.
"Most importantly, we translated our increased digital position into sales," Magee said. "That is a critical benchmark for us as the digital space becomes more crowded and competitive. We're out to grow our customer base in ways that drive traffic and create loyalty, because it's ultimately the experience of Church's quality food and authentic hospitality that makes people Church's fans for life."
