Domino’s Pizza Inc. is transforming the pizza emoji into real pizza.
The pizza company recently launched a new way to order pizza in the U.S. through its Domino’s Anyware program. A hungry consumer can tweet @Domino’s the pizza emoji or the hashtag #EasyOrder to place an order he has saved in his Domiono’s account.
“This is really just giving customers another option to order,” says Dennis Maloney, vice president, chief digital officer at Domino’s. “If people are very familiar using Twitter and that’s how they like to communicate, we are basically allowing them to order using a platform they are comfortable using.”
To order on the social network, consumers must have an online account with Domino’s. Domino’s has signed up more than 10 million consumers for web accounts in the U.S., Maloney says.
To use the service, a consumer links his Twitter account to his Domino’s profile and follows Domino’s on Twitter. The profile also saves the customer’s default information, including his address; preferred delivery method, such as carry-out or delivery; and a payment choice, such as credit card information or pay in-store.
Customers set up an Easy Order by saving a previous order on the Domino’s site as a default. Then, when the customer tweets @Domino’s a pizza emoji or #EasyOrder, his saved choice is ordered.
Domino’s will send a private message tweet back, asking the consumer to confirm the order. Once he confirms, which he can do with a thumbs-up emoji, the order is placed. If a customer doesn’t confirm the order in 20 minutes, it is not placed. After confirmation, he receives a direct message tweet back with a link where he can track his order so he knows how long it will take.
The process is automated, so the order goes to the saved Domino’s location and looks to the store like any other digital order, Maloney says.
Maloney expects most Twitter orders to come from smartphones. Of Domino’s 400 million pizza orders in the U.S. each year, 50% are digital orders, and 50% of digital orders are through a smartphone, Maloney says.
Maloney says Domino’s is happy with the reception for the new Twitter ordering option, but wouldn’t disclose the number of Twitter orders it has generated.
Compared with typical digital ordering via on the website or in app, tweet ordering won’t get a pizza cooked faster, Maloney says, though it may require less work for the customer.
“It’s definitely shorter. No other platform lets you order with two characters,” he says. “From a speed (for the pizza being ready) standpoint, all (digital orders) are in the same range.”
The Domino’s Anyware ordering options also include ordering from Samsung Smart TVs, Pebble and Android Wear smartwatches, and Ford Sync cars.
It took Domino’s around six months to build the Twitter program, which was handled by the restaurant chains’ in-house engineering staff of 250 people, Maloney says.
Domino’s also recently announced leadership staffing changes. Joe Jordan is now vice president, chief marketing officer; Dennis Maloney vice president, chief digital officer; Julia Oswald, vice president, head of strategy and insights, Domino’s U.S.; and Debbie Sweeney vice president of national field and Team U.S.A. marketing.
Follow mobile business journalist April Dahlquist, associate editor, mobile, at Internet Retailer, at @MobileStrat360A.
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