Yum! Brands Snaps Up Tictuk To Advance Omnichannel Ordering

Yum! Brands — which includes KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, The Habit Burger Grill and more — has acquired Tictuk Technologies to advance end-to-end, omnichannel ordering worldwide. This is Yum’s second tech acquisition and aligns with the company’s digital innovation strategy.

“As we navigate a consumer landscape reshaped by the events of 2020, we continue to intensify our focus on leveraging our scale and reinforcing our growth model with investments in digital and technologies to enhance the customer and employee experience, strengthen restaurant unit economics, and enable our brands and franchisees to compete and win in a rapidly changing world,” said David Gibbs, CEO of Yum! Brands.

Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israeli, the omnichannel ordering and marketing platform will enable Yum! to offer customers more ways to access and order from some of the world's leading brands. Founded in 2016, the startup focuses on conversational commerce, which gives users the ability to interact with brands on social media and make purchases. 

Tictuk offers a hybrid engagement solution with chat, web, advertisements and intelligent marketing technology that easily works with point-of-sale (POS) and existing payment systems. The company offers solutions that help to engage customers no matter how they dine — delivery, curbside pickup or in-restaurant.

“The right technologies will allow us to better serve customers with the best offer and delicious food in a way that’s most convenient for them,” said Chris Turner, CFO of Yum! Brands. 

Yum! Brands stepped up its technology strategy this year, and earlier this month acquired the artificial intelligence (AI) analytics company Kvantum. The deal is anticipated to be finalized by the end of the quarter. On a call with analysts in February, Yum! said it is focusing on digital innovations and is also piloting new POS systems and digital tools.