Domino’s Pizza, Technology, and Growth

Technology can be a key ingredient in the growing of almost any business, and many companies are doing just that, even ones that you may not quickly identify as technology related. Technological advances have to all kinds of major growth patterns in all types of fields. Take for instance the pizza chain Domino’s, who has used technology the past few years to basically zoom past their competition. Pizza and technology? No, they are not using computers to make a better, faster pizza. Actually, it is not so much about the pizza itself as it is about the ordering ease of getting the pizza.

While in 2009 the company publically stated they have started using better ingredients, it would appear that that has only been a small part of their terrific growth the past few years. Halah Touryalai at Forbes stated that “it’s not just the improved ingredients in Domino’s pizzas that have boosted the company. They key ingredient for its recent success has been investments in digital and mobile where it aims to make its faster and easier for customers to place and track orders. This is where it’s betting it can win more customers.” So, using technology to boost customer service has really paid off in this case.

Looking back at the figures since 2010, Domino’s shares have risen 750%. That is massive increase when compared to the competition, like Papa John’s whose shares grew only 193% and Pizza Hut with only a 93% growth.

The focus in recent years has been on reaching the customer and making it easy to order quickly on mobile devices. With a web site that offers a pizza progress bar showing you how far along the pizza is (and is fairly accurate I have found in my tests), they also have really pushed in the mobile apps department, now having them to cover pretty much all types of phones. Because of this, CEO Patrick Doyle reports that customer retention and frequency has been on the rise. CFO Michael Lawton stated “Loyalty is not strong, we think – that’s why we are so focused on the digital because we think it’s one of the fronts that will enhance our loyalty.” Well, it definitely seems to be helping.

The mobile apps have been generating 35% of the two billion in global sales for Domino’s each year. And as technology advanced, their continued improvements should help raise those figures even further. Like last month’s addition of the “Pizza Profiles” campaign that remembers a customer’s information, allowing them to reorder in as few as five clicks. In today’s fast paced world, the easier things are the better and more frequent use they tend to receive.

What is next for a company like Domino’s – delivery by unmanned drones? Probably not, but who knows what new technology they and others will employ to get the job done more quickly, easily, and efficiently?

So, while you are actively engaged in your job search, remember that technology touches almost any business, and that you may need to think a bit wider when it comes to considering potential employers. As technology becomes engrained in the way business is done for more and more companies, there will be more and more openings as they expand to meet the needs of the online world they are striving to reach.

Image courtesy of Imagery Majestic at FreeDigitialPhotos.net