Buckets of improvement: How we revamped KFC’s omnichannel experience

The (love) story behind our collaboration with KFC

Our journey with KFC began in 2017 when we embarked on a project to redesign their e-commerce website for the Polish market. Our efforts increased conversion rates, marking the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. This project also represented a significant milestone for the entire Flying Bisons team.

In 2017, we could not fully unleash our potential and only made minor adjustments to the kiosks and iOS/Android apps, which other companies had developed. Despite these limitations, we did an excellent job, and our efforts paid off. By 2021, KFC decided it was time for a complete digital overhaul. They chose us for this critical project. Due to the dedication and results from our initial work, we were entrusted with a much more significant challenge: a total transformation of KFC’s digital ecosystem, including the kiosk, app, and website.

Setting the standard for online food experiences

Before we began working on this project, it was essential to receive clear and achievable goals from KFC. Simply stating, “Redesign our ecosystem,” is not enough. Without specific objectives for the redesign, we wouldn't be able to initiate the project effectively. Fortunately, we received precise expectations regarding what needed to be accomplished through the redesign of each KFC channel.

What KFC needed to be done?

• KFC channels need to become more coherent: Consistency across all channels is key here. Implementing the same fonts and colour schemes on every platform directly contributes to strong brand consistency and ultimately enhances customer loyalty.
• Improve their usability: It’s all about making things easy to read and use. This would keep users engaged for longer and encourage them to continue shopping.
• Boost conversions: When all elements are refined to be more consistent and user-friendly, conversion rates across all channels will increase significantly.

Answering high expectations

KFC has set an ambitious goal to become the undisputed leader in omnichannel experiences within the food retail industry. This goal presents us with unique challenges. Our task is not only to deliver exceptional results but also to do so across various markets, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Germany – each with its own set of complexities and local requirements.

Redesigning KFC’s entire ecosystem was no small feat. The project's scale was immense, and coordinating across various channels required careful attention to detail and seamless integration. To overcome these obstacles, we had to push the limits of our skills and experience, managing the complexity and vast scale while ensuring that everything stayed on track throughout the process.

Delivering extra crispy experience

Let’s get straight to what we accomplished, how we achieved it, and the benefits our work has brought to KFC. We can confidently say we poured our heart and soul into this project to deliver exceptional results. Did we succeed? Not to brag, but yes, we did. Our collaboration with KFC is ongoing, which speaks for itself. We’re proud of our achievements and how we rose to the occasion. Every single person involved in this project truly dedicated themselves to its success.

Now, let’s get into a more detailed version of our work and explore what exactly we focused on.

Nailing the product list

You may have heard that a product list is one of the most important parts of e-commerce platforms. If you didn’t, well, now you know. As for KFC, the product list is the beating heart of the shopping experience.

We observed that the old version lacked consistency – other companies used unruly colours and fonts while designing it.

How did we enhance it?

• We changed the kiosk layout to vertical to make it more user-friendly and moved the cart to the lower part of the screen to make it easy for everyone to order food.
• On the website, we moved the cart so it only appears when items are added to it, freeing up the space to display more products.
• The mobile app now reflects the kiosk’s and website’s design. However, we moved the navigation down so it’s within the thumb’s reach.

Overall, we have made the product list's design more consistent and enhanced its usability across every brand channel and customer touchpoint. Our changes now help users change categories more easily.

Getting product tiles spot-on

The product tiles are the most crucial component of the user interface on an e-commerce platform. These tiles address the key questions customers often ask themselves: What will I order? What will I receive? What is the offer? How much will it cost?

Before our involvement, KFC’s product tiles varied in appearance and functionality depending on the channel.

How did we enhance it?

• Again, we focused on bringing consistency across all platforms.
• We changed the redirection – now, when users click on a specific tile, they’re directed to a product page where they can personalise the product or menu.

Enhancing the product pages

The old app and kiosk product pages were visually inconsistent, and the website lacked a product page. While customers could add items to their cart, they couldn’t personalise them.

How did we enhance it?

• The inconsistency between product pages across different channels is now gone.
• We implemented radio buttons, allowing users to scroll and view the options.
• We are also testing a similar approach for kiosks to determine if it has a similarly positive effect on the shopping experience.
• The product personalisation experience has also been improved across all channels. It now occurs after an item is added to the cart.

Upsells

We revamped KFC's e-commerce platform, focusing on our customers' goals and aiming to enhance conversion rates, average order values, and customer lifetime values. To implement upsells effectively, we sought a solution that benefits both the customers and the business.

Previously, upsells appeared at various stages of the shopping process across each channel.

How did we enhance it?

• We implemented consistent upselling across all channels. Now, upsell options appear on the product tile during checkout.
• Additionally, we added upsell features to channels that offer menus or boxes, making it easier for users to find better deals for their orders.

Checkout

The checkout process has the most significant impact on the shopping flow. In the old version, we again encountered our old friend – inconsistency across channels. The app version, in particular, looked radically different from the others.

How did we enhance it?

• We once again implemented consistency, this time in the checkout sections. This means that users will be familiar with the buying process regardless of their channel.
• We also improved usability by making things more coherent.
• The mobile site's checkout now shows the delivery address, which the customer can edit if needed. It also displays the estimated delivery time.

Summary

Redesigning an entire ecosystem may seem overwhelming, but it can be a transformative opportunity for any organisation, regardless of its size. Take KFC, for example – their redesign proved to be highly successful. It’s important to note that redesign encompasses more than just aesthetics. It also involves user experience research, benchmarking, visual exploration, UX writing and much more. In essence, every aspect of UX contributes to a remarkable redesign outcome and the project’s business success.

Moreover, the redesign involves improving the usability of every platform within an organisation, reducing cart abandonment, increasing conversion rates, and encouraging users to engage with the platform. So, you see, it’s not all about the visuals.

Are you curious about how to achieve similar results and unlock the full digital potential of your channels? If you need assistance with a specific aspect or want to explore broader strategies, feel free to reach out and schedule a call with one of our consultants. Our team is eager to help you on your journey to digital excellence.