Big Mac Media ‘and AIs with that please’
With more than 46,000 restaurants worldwide, McDonald’s has one of the largest physical retail networks on the planet. The QSR company now aims to monetise this footprint in new ways, turning digital screens, loyalty data, and customer interactions into a powerful commerce media platform, effectively building a billion-dollar media business
At its recent McDonalds Investor Day 2026, McDonald’s outlined how it is preparing for its next phase of growth with a strategy that combines AI-powered operations, digital customer engagement, and a new commerce media business. Commerce media has become one of the hottest growth areas in retail, and McDonald’s is targeting a significant share of the market, looking to build a media business capable of generating more than USD$1bn in annual revenue.
McDonalds claims ‘the foundation is already in place, with the company able to leverage data from nearly 220 million loyalty members and approximately 70 million daily restaurant visits worldwide: together, these assets create one of the largest consumer engagement platforms in the foodservice industry’.
Initial commerce media trials are underway in around 450 US-based restaurants. Advertising currently appears on drive-through ordering screens, with digital menu boards, self-order kiosks, and the McDonald’s mobile app all logical extensions of this media network, leaving the future McDonald’s restaurant as increasingly digital. In China, the transformation is already well advanced, with approximately 98% of transactions taking place through digital channels.
Beyond customer-facing technology, McDonald’s is also investing heavily in AI-driven operations, recently developing a Customer Engagement Engine and Menu Pricing Engine aimed at improving restaurant performance and increasing revenue. These systems use data and automation to optimise customer interactions and menu management in real time.
One of the most visible AI-powered innovations is Archy, McDonald’s voice ordering system for drive-thru operations. Currently available in English and Spanish in the U.S., the technology reportedly achieves more than 90% order accuracy and is reducing labour requirements by an estimated 50 employee hours per restaurant per week.
For the digital signage industry, McDonald’s evolution offers an important lesson too. As McDonald’s transforms its restaurants into connected digital platforms, digital signage moves from a supporting role to the centre of the business model. Digital screens are no longer simply menu displays or promotional tools: they are becoming strategic infrastructure that supports customer engagement, AI-driven operations, dynamic pricing, loyalty programs, and increasingly, media monetisation. The result is a restaurant network where every screen has the potential to drive sales, improve efficiency, and generate advertising revenue simultaneously.
