McDonald’s China Teams up loyalty program with Ele.me app

McDonald’s customers in China can now earn loyalty points when they order a Big Mac or Filet-o-Fish through Ele.me, Alibaba Group’s on-demand delivery platform.

Ele.me users can activate a McDonald’s membership card with just one click on the app to earn loyalty points for purchases and receive vouchers worth up to RMB 88.5 (US$12.80). The fast-food giant attracted nearly 20,000 new members on its first day of launching the service on May 20, while single-day orders increased about 20 per cent week-on-week, McDonald’s China said.

McDonald’s China is one of the first restaurant chains to pilot the new Ele.me service, one of the app’s latest tools to help the food-and-beverage sector seamlessly connect their online and offline operations.

“McDonald’s is an important strategic partner for us, and we are thrilled to fully integrate their loyalty program with our platform. We look forward to continuing to work together to improve the delivery experience for consumers and provide even more services, benefits and perks,” said Hu Xiaoyu, VP of Ele.me.

There are more than 3100 McDonald’s restaurants in Mainland China, more than 2000 of which also have a virtual presence on Ele.me. McDonald’s China launched its membership program last year, rewarding members for purchases made in-store or via its app and mini-program. It now counts more than 75 million members.

“Integrating our loyalty program with Ele.me helps us provide more customers with a complete set of membership services and benefits, which ultimately enhances the delivery experience,” said Emily Pang, head of brand extension at McDonald’s China.

Also among the first batch of global restaurant chains to bring their membership program to Ele.me are Burger King, Dairy Queen and Papa Johns, all of which reported higher sales in the 30 days that followed their launch. Burger King was the first to opt in last November, and has since attracted 2 million new members, with members contributing to nearly 40 percent of its gross merchandise volume on Ele.me.

Ele.me plans to roll out even more features, such as birthday perks and member-only sales campaigns, to “bring more value to every purchase,” Hu said.