Everyone loves pizza, save, perhaps, for communists and nihilists. Okay, that’s not the best joke ever from the PYMNTS Bureau of Stand-Up Comedy, but the point is that the popularity of pizza constitutes a driving force for ongoing retail innovation – and we have proof.
Let’s talk mobile ordering and loyalty programs, for instance – two of the hottest areas of retail at present, as PYMNTS research has confirmed. Let’s take the Washington, D.C.-based fast-casual pizzeria &pizza, which is well-known for its quirks. Its pizzas are oblong ellipses rather than traditional circles, for example. And earlier this year, the chain gave away 30,000 free pies to furloughed government workers during the shutdown earlier this year. It also turned a Georgetown student caught on camera scarfing one of its pies during a Congressional hearing into a marketing campaign in February 2019.
Mobile and Loyalty
The brand aimed to convey that freewheeling attitude through its mobile order-ahead app, a revamped version of which launched in spring. Bringing that attitude to the revamped rewards system was a key priority as well.
“We used to just have a digital punch card,” said Kevin Blesy, head of strategy for &pizza. “You spend X amount of dollars, and that gives you Y dollars off your next purchase. It certainly worked in that it got people excited about coming back more frequently, but we really wanted to democratize our loyalty and rewards program and open it up a bit.”
To accomplish that, &pizza switched to a points-based system, allowing it to gamify the rewards experience.
“There’s something more interesting about that gamified solution of running up your points total as opposed to counting the dollars you spent,” said Blesy. “If you’ve accumulated 300 points that are good toward a free soda, you can use those points for a free soda today. Or, if you want to save those up and hoard them for a pizza party where you’re getting four or five pies, you can do that, too.”
Domino’s Innovations
Domino’s is also blazing new trails in the world of pizza retail, reflecting fresh trends in payments and commerce. Drivers craving pizza while on the road are gaining the ability to order Domino’s right from their car touchscreens, according to reports.
Millions of connected cars with compatible touchscreens will have the Domino’s AnyWare ordering platform loaded in the coming months, according to plans. Domino’s partnered with Xevo for the service, which will be available in some GM and Hyundai models. The touchscreen platform can also find nearby stores and call in orders through the vehicle interface.
Other brands like Starbucks and Dunkin’ have said they will offer similar platforms. According to IHS Markit, by 2024 there will be some 75 million vehicles with display screens, and many of them will be compatible with food ordering platforms.
Domino’s has been pushing into all kinds of new technologies, including ordering from smartwatches, TVs, Alexa and Google Home. It also delivers to non-traditional locations like zoos, beaches and park benches. In addition, the chain recently partnered with addressing company what3words to deliver to places and regions without easily discernible address locations.
“At Domino’s, we want pizza ordering to be simple and always within reach, no matter where a customer happens to be,” Domino’s Director of Digital Experience Chris Roeser said in a release. “This new AnyWare platform will make ordering pizza easy, whether you’re in the car waiting for the kids to finish soccer practice or you’re on your way home from work.”
Eating pizza is basically a requirement in U.S. society. And as you bite into that next slice, think about all the innovation and disruption in retail it has caused.
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