Dive brief:
- Domino’s Pizza has launched an iOS app on Apple CarPlay that gives consumers the ability to order a meal from their car, according to a press release.
- The app allows consumers to Tap to Order, which sends a saved or recent order, or Call to Order, which allows a hands-free call with a customer service representative.
- Domino’s is touting CarPlay integration as an alternative to waiting on bus lines at other QSR chains and comes as it tries to boost sales after a quarter that disappointed investors.
Diving knowledge:
Domino’s has long billed itself as an “e-commerce company that sells pizza,” and its latest ordering innovation speaks to that mindset. By integrating with Apple CarPlay, the pizza chain can capture a piece of the fast-growing indoor commerce market as more consumers drive connected cars and use their functionality during their commutes.
The pizza chain is introducing CarPlay integration, one of the first QSR brands in the US to do so, according to the release, as a differentiator from its competitors that rely on drive-thru ordering.
“We know how frustrating it can be to wait in a drive-thru line just to place an order. The Domino’s app on CarPlay is a great alternative to that, as customers still have the convenience of staying in their car and can place an order. from wherever they are, without waiting in a long car ride,” Christopher Thomas-Moore, Domino’s senior vice president and chief digital officer, said in the press release.
The Domino’s-CarPlay integration is the latest in a line of innovations around ordering and delivery for the brand, from its oft-imitated Pizza Tracker to its mobile hotspots to an app from ” mental sorting” which was part of a partnership with the hit Netflix. “Stranger Things.”
The release also comes after Domino’s most recent earnings report disappointed investors, with U.S. same-store sales growth of just 0.9% for the fourth quarter and a drop of 0, 8% by fiscal 2022. CEO Russell Weiner described Domino’s as a “work in progress brand.” ” in a press release on the earnings report.
“We experienced significant pressure on our US delivery business in 2022 and focused our efforts on creating solutions,” Weiner said. “More than half of our orders in the US now come through the delivery-to-go channel, and we are #1 in both the delivery and take-out QSR pizza segments. Our brand and company are better positioned than ever to win in the marketplace and create meaningful value for our shareholders.”
