Intelligent Selling: Where Relevance Replaces Routine

Traditional suggestive-selling in quick-service restaurants (QSRs) tends to be generic and rote — “Would you like fries with that?” is asked regardless of who the guest is or what they’ve ordered. uKnomi argues for a smarter, more adaptive approach called Intelligent Selling, which transforms prompts from repetitive to relevant.

Three Key Dimensions of Intelligent Selling

To tailor suggestions dynamically, the system leverages three simultaneous inputs to shape a more responsive and relevant guest interaction:

Guest-Based Signals
Who is this guest, and what do we know about them?
Use guest history, loyalty data, ordering patterns, or visual cues to infer preferences.

• If a guest typically orders vegetarian items, the system avoids prompting meat-based upsells.

These signals help shift the experience from generic to familiar, without requiring the staff to memorize profiles or preferences.

Contextual Conditions
What’s happening in the world around this transaction?
Factor in time of day, weather, store promotions, inventory, and operational constraints.

• On a hot day: iced drinks or frozen treats take priority.
• Breakfast rush or short staffed: promote quick-to-prepare items to ease throughput.

This dimension ensures the system stays grounded in real-world, real-time dynamics.

Order Journey Awareness
What’s been ordered so far, and what’s missing or expected?
Monitor what’s already in the basket and “what’s missing.”

• If a customer orders an entrée but not a drink: suggest the combo.
• If an item is unavailable: suggest the next best alternative.

This is about reinforcing common patterns and closing gaps, making the order feel complete and aligned with typical guest behavior.

Three Types of Selling Moments

When these dimensions of Intelligence Selling are combined, the system can trigger three kinds of prompts — each suited to different objectives:

Suggestive Selling
Personalized upsells or cross-sells grounded in guest behavior.

• “Would you like to make that a combo?” - delivered when it’s relevant, not reflexive.
• “This coffee goes great with the banana muffin - would you like to add it?”

Suggestive Selling is highly responsive to guest-based signals, creating personalized, timely prompts that feel helpful rather than scripted.

Promotional Selling
Timely offers tied to marketing campaigns or seasonal promos.

• “We’ve got a new frozen lemonade launching today - would you like to try it?”
• “Loyalty members earn double points with the spicy chicken wrap this week."

By matching timing and patterns, promos feel like service, not sales.

Operational Selling
Suggestions shaped by behind-the-scenes dynamics like inventory levels, kitchen strain, or labor conditions.

• “We’re overstocked on cookies - consider offering one as a value add.”

Operational Selling keeps suggestions smart - what’s offered fits the moment and the flow.

Prioritization: Choosing the Right Moment, Not Every Moment

One of the key advantages is deciding when to surface suggestions (or when to hold back). The system evaluates urgency, guest experience, value potential, and operational conditions to surface the single most appropriate prompt… or none at all.

• During peak hours, it may suppress upsells to preserve throughput.
• For high-value guests, personalized offers may take precedence over general promos
• If the guest appears rushed, it may skip suggestions entirely to preserve experience.

This kind of real-time decision-making turns selling from static to seamless.

The Shift: Selling → Serving

At its best, Intelligent Selling doesn’t feel like selling, it feels like service.
It shifts from repetition to responsiveness, from guessing what guests want to knowing when and how to help. It gives staff quiet, real-time support that builds confidence and consistency.

At uKnomi, Intelligent Selling blends seamlessly into the guest journey, guided by data, shaped by context, and designed to enhance rather than interrupt. It’s not just about bigger orders; it’s about better moments for guests, for team members, and for the business.