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KFC - a finger lickin' good decision... (22)

 

KFC's decision to go for a digital signage system inside as well - eventually - outside of its fast food restaurants in the US (see our story here) is an interesting one.

As well as generating a reasonable payback time - the screens replace the backlit paper/plastic screens we've all gawked at as we ponder what culinary delights to feed the offspring and ourselves when we're on the move - the signage system take-up has been driven by compliance requirements.

According to Scott Koller, executive vice president of sales and marketing with Wireless Ronin, the company that is installing and managing the systems in the phase one and phase two trial stores, many menu signs are sometimes `out of sync' with the point of sale tills in the stores.

Prices are often updated, he says, on the KFC POS system, more frequently than they are on the paper signage system, often because the management haven't had time to update the menus.

Some prices may be higher, some lower, and the meal deals may not be up to date. Either way, says Koller, this means that the stores are not in compliance with government legislation.

The digital signage system being installed at the 35 stores also allows KFC outlets to keep up to date with new legislation that mandates menus to give information on calorie counts and trans-fat contents.

"The regulations state that food outlets must use the same font sizes as the rest of the description and cramming this level of information isn't possible on a conventional paper-based menu - the customers wouldn't be able to see the print," explains Koller.

With a digital signage system - no problem - as the system can rotate between all the goodies on offer, flipping them between screens and in good readable fonts.

The other good news with the KFC signage system is that managers no longer have to teeter on a ladder to change the paper menu boards - Wireless Ronin's network operations centre can handle the content.

This content, of course, can be dynamic and location or time-of-day/day-of-week dependent. You can, says Koller, have a snacker for $1.50 in the day or $1.95 in the evening.

This prevents one from the awful situation of rolling into a KFC at 11:35am (as one does) only to find the finger lickin' good breakfast menu stopped being available five minutes earlier.

It also means that customers can make their choices more quickly and speeds up customer flow at the tills.

Which leads to more profits and faster payback on the cost of the signage systems.

You can really see the logic of installing digital signage in fast food outlets.

Even if the food isn't as health-giving as `Dr' Gillian McKeith would like it to be. But that, as they say  is another story entirely...

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