Indian Economy News

Yum! Brands, Amazon's Alexa in tie-up for KFC delivery in India

New Delhi: Yum! Brands-owned fast-food chain KFC on Monday said it had tied up with Alexa devices to push online ordering in India.

“Voice recognition is becoming a game changer today, with millennials rapidly embracing and getting comfortable with this new technology," Moksh Chopra, chief marketing officer, KFC India, said in a statement.

“It will be facilitated by cash on delivery," the company said, depending on the presence of a KFC outlet in the area.

The American burger chain has close to 380 outlets in India.

This makes KFC the first fast-food chain in India to tie up with the Amazon-developed virtual voice assistant device. KFC has tied up with Alexa in other markets such as Canada.

More and more restaurant chains are pushing sales on the internet as mobile-savvy Indians turn to online ordering, in a big shift from placing orders via telephones a decade ago. Brands such as KFC, for instance, draw 14% of their sales from online ordering (via mobile and desktop). For Domino's Pizza, on the other hand, over 60% of its delivery sales are online. The popularity of food ordering apps, too, has helped orders move online. 

As a result, brands are trying to gain share across online ordering platforms as more users shift there. 

However, a tie-up with Amazon's Alexa will give KFC access to a small set of consumers, given that smart speakers is still a premium category in India and penetration is low. However, in a statement, Dilip R.S., country manager for Alexa Skills, Amazon India, said: “As users get accustomed to engaging with Alexa, they look for new ways to embrace voice technology in their daily experiences. The ease of ordering food with just a few voice commands can be very convenient."

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

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