Today, Mastercard announced a partnership with ZIVELO, a leader in
self-service kiosk technology, to enhance the drive-in and drive-through
ordering experience for quick service restaurants (QSRs) with a
first-of-its-kind AI-powered voice assistant and personalized dynamic
menu. Sonic Drive-In will be the first partner to pilot the new
experience at selected Sonic locations in the U.S. this year. The
technology will first be showcased at the National Restaurant
Association Show in Chicago from May 18-21, 2019.
Upon arrival at the QSR’s drive-in or drive-through, consumers will be
prompted to order from an AI-powered voice ordering assistant, which
will integrate with a dynamic menu display. The menu will automatically
update using a proprietary AI solution developed by Mastercard, which
will allow the display to be customized either for a specific customer
or for external factors such as weather, time of day, seasonality and
location.
“We are excited to be partnering with ZIVELO to help QSR merchants
further enhance their ordering experience to provide even more
contextual interactions with their customers and ultimately allow them
to get their food faster,” said Stephane Wyper, senior vice president,
new commerce partnerships, Mastercard. “This builds on Mastercard’s
continued focus on leveraging our payment, loyalty and analytics
capabilities to innovate within the retail space alongside our merchant
and technology partners.”
“We see facets of our brand, our restaurants, and AI technology
converging in a way that makes for a special customer experience. Sonic
is known for a fun environment and a full menu with extensive
customization options that allows guests to personalize every meal,”
said Jon Dorch, vice president of integrated customer engagement. “Voice
AI promises to provide carefree conversational ordering that complements
the overall experience. We anticipate AI integration will also provide
opportunities to streamline repeat orders, personalize suggestions based
on data, and offer rewards that are truly relevant.”
The artificial intelligence engine that powers the voice ordering
experience to provide a dynamic menu was developed through Mastercard
Labs and can be adapted for the needs of each specific merchant partner.
The solution is built on OakOS, ZIVELO’s software operating system for
public computing experiences, and relies on ZIVELO’s expertise within
the self-service display industry, having successfully deployed tens of
thousands of kiosks in restaurants to date. Mastercard also provides
innovation support through an off-the-shelf voice AI solution for
merchants that can be designed, developed and launched without
significant effort, allowing them to quickly deploy the experience
in-market.
“Drive-thru accounts for 70% of QSR transactions, yet the experience has
remained more or less untouched by innovation,” said Healey Cypher, CEO
of ZIVELO. “As customer expectation continues to move towards faster,
personalized, and contextual experiences, we are excited to partner with
Mastercard to bring this transformative solution to market and hopefully
exceed those expectations.”
The voice ordering experience and dynamic menu solution was designed by
Mastercard and ZIVELO to be flexible for each unique quick service
restaurant environment. Additional partners will pilot the technology as
it continues to roll out in 2019.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE:
MA), www.mastercard.com,
is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global
payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions,
merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and
territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce
activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and
managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for
everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews,
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About Sonic
SONIC, founded in 1953, is the largest drive-in restaurant brand in the
United States with more than 3,600 restaurants. SONIC is part of the
Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit SonicDriveIn.com
and InspireBrands.com.
About ZIVELO
ZIVELO’s mission is to revolutionize the way brands use technology to
interact with their consumers on-premise and in the physical world.
Founded in 2008, ZIVELO has rapidly grown to become the leading
self-service technology brand, offering a sleek and sophisticated
product design, intuitive user experience, and cutting-edge modular
hardware solutions. In 2018, ZIVELO acquired Oak Labs, the creators of
OakOS – the world’s first operating system for public computing
experiences. Through the acquisition, ZIVELO now provides brands with an
end-to-end solution for the roll-out of kiosks and digital signage and
is one of the only full-service kiosk providers to offer world-class
hardware, software, services, and financing under one roof. ZIVELO is
headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, with offices in San Francisco and
Seattle. For more information, please visit http://www.ZIVELO.com/.
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