McDelivery – interesting spin on eCommerce

by Karen Coppock
____________

When thinking about eCommerce, the Big Mac normally isn’t top of mind…..but McDonalds actually has a webpage (and phone line) in several international markets where you can order a meal for home delivery. From India to Singapore to Argentina, China and Brazil, McDonalds will deliver a Big Mac - or a Chicken Maharaja Mac in the case of India - to your home or office.

In India, McDonalds is considered a family restaurant, so it would not be outside of the realm of possibility that you order an online meal for the entire family for home delivery. This would also make the 50¢ delivery fee less costly as a percent of the total price of the meal. It also has a special section – and kitchen - for vegetarians given that more than half of the country doesn’t eat meat. McDonalds also caters to the more upscale market, so their online service is in line with their target market.

In Argentina you can download a java application, McEntrega Móvil, and make your selections via your mobile phone, which is much more ubiquitous than computers or even landline phones in Latin America. In Brazil, you can pay via cash, credit card, or “ticket” – which is a bar coded invoice that you scan at your local ATM and pay via your bank account. Brazilians have to pay their phone, cable and other bills via their local banks (ATMs) – they also use this mechanism to pay for their online (eCommerce) purchases - so is a pretty standard payment process.

In countries with horrid traffic and sometimes safety issues, home or office delivery is the ultimate convenience. eCommerce may just be starting in some emerging markets, but in this instance it may be more advanced than what McDonalds offers in the US.