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0 pointsandy8001y ago0 comments

As someone who spent many years segmenting customers and generating personalized marketing offers -- McDonald's is awful at this. I was a 2-3x/monthly customer (USA based) for years (even more frequent a decade ago, but I'm talking about since the app), ordering the exact same core items every time (except during breakfast).

When they began "value meals" last summer (which don't include their flagship items) they also removed the best deals from the app, the ones that did include Big Mac, QPC, 10-nuggets. I've placed one non-breakfast order in 6-8 months, whenever they started this.

I'm just one person, but if a customer declines from an expected 15-20 visits over a half-year period to 1, and you don't adjust your offer algorithm (and you're the biggest restaurant company in the world so no lack of resources), something is seriously wrong.

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r00fus1y ago

Whenever this happens to me I keep wondering how much I am of the A/B data test where I'm in the "less important group". Is it possible that their changes engaged (or profited from) the more active (daily/weekly customers) by making your situation worse?

andy800OP1y ago

Perhaps. Let's assume that the value meals is a massive hit and they are collecting far more revenue from customers who like it, than they are losing from people like me.

That's the whole point of data analytics and personalized marketing - even if the value meal works for most people they can still go back to sending me the offers and promotions I responded to previously, in an attempt to reverse my recent decline in spend/visitation. The app makes it possible to send individualized offers. There shouldn't be an entire "B" group where they just say, oh well.

MoreMoore1y ago

They used to have great deals on the app in Germany. I used to go to McDonald's all the time. The deals suck now, and now I only go if I'm really craving a McMuffin Bacon & Egg.

Whatever they're doing also isn't working for me.

packtreefly1y ago

> they also removed the best deals from the app

They've captured the user base with the money that corporate was pumping into the app deals, and are in the process of enshittifying it by transferring the value to themselves instead of the users.

andy800OP1y ago

This can work in a lot of industries - I am skeptical fast food is one of them. Switching costs are low, alternates are plentiful, and collecting information (reviewing deals/prices across companies) is relatively easy.

If McDonald's enshittifies its deals while continuing to raise prices, it's way too easy for loyal customers to go elsewhere. I'm saying this as a huge fan and extremely loyal customer of McDonald's for decades... they are at serious risk of losing people like me. As I stated, I've gone from 15-20 visits to 1 since last June/July, whenever they made the big change.

packtreefly1y ago

We've got similar opinions here. I'm just pointing out that the overall experience here feels familiar, and it wasn't until reading this thread that I really put it together.

I agree with you that I'd be surprised if Enshittification works as well here as it does in tech, but maybe since there's an app involved, they just think they can get away with it. Who knows.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsandy8001y ago0 comments

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r00fus1y ago

andy800OP1y ago

Perhaps. Let's assume that the value meals is a massive hit and they are collecting far more revenue from customers who like it, than they are losing from people like me.

MoreMoore1y ago

They used to have great deals on the app in Germany. I used to go to McDonald's all the time. The deals suck now, and now I only go if I'm really craving a McMuffin Bacon & Egg.

Whatever they're doing also isn't working for me.

packtreefly1y ago

> they also removed the best deals from the app

They've captured the user base with the money that corporate was pumping into the app deals, and are in the process of enshittifying it by transferring the value to themselves instead of the users.

andy800OP1y ago

packtreefly1y ago

We've got similar opinions here. I'm just pointing out that the overall experience here feels familiar, and it wasn't until reading this thread that I really put it together.

I agree with you that I'd be surprised if Enshittification works as well here as it does in tech, but maybe since there's an app involved, they just think they can get away with it. Who knows.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse