Photo: iStock Feb. 16, 2021 Among the many brands vying for tops spots on the QSR playing field, we often hear of initiatives to expand, improve or tweak a brand's digital customer experience, but Church's Chicken is meeting us at the other end with a report on how the digital improvements made by the Atlanta-based company were paying off. The 1,500-unit chain began improving online capabilities in 2019, which have led to a: 540% increase in 2020 year-over-year order-ahead sales. 77% increase in 2020 year-over-year third-party delivery sales. 16% web digital conversion rate since 2019. "The digital success we are seeing now is because of plans and initiatives first put in place in 2019," Church's VP Alan Magee said in a company release. "The industry has been shifting to a digital-first approach over time and the pandemic has only accelerated this consumer behavior," Alan Magee, Church's vice president of Digital Marketing & Technology, said in the release. "Church's digital transformation allowed us to pivot quickly in response to COVID-19 and we even ended the year with six months of consecutive positive sales as a result. Our investment in building both integrated and consumer focused digital platforms continues to allow us to thrive as a brand"