Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA), the company that
pioneered ordering pizza online and by text message, has surpassed $1
million in sales by mobile Web since launching the technology in July.
The milestone is the latest in a rapid rise in “alternative ordering”
channels and sales for the chain, which earlier this year eclipsed $1
billion in overall online sales and recently rolled out a Facebook page
that captured more than 175,000 fans in less than a week. In addition,
the brand best known for its “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.” slogan
is adding even more “Better Technology” once again by offering a new
iPhone application to its suite of digital widgets, available on “Cyber
Monday,” Dec. 1.
“We pride ourselves on being the quality pizza leader and for bringing
the most convenient high-tech resources to our customers,” said Jim
Ensign, Papa John's vice president, marketing communications. “This
latest milestone of reaching $1 million in mobile web orders in such a
short time proves that consumers are increasingly using alternative
methods for purchases, and we look forward to growing our technology
capabilities to fit consumers’ evolving purchasing trends.”
To punctuate a year that has seen the brand continue its leadership in
convenience innovation digital enhancements, the new Papa John’s iPhone
application will be tailored to include optimized menus, entry fields
and graphics. Additionally, the restaurant locator will have a link to
Google Maps, so users can both find the address of a restaurant, and
click to a map for directions. Plus, just to make ordering even more
accessible, the iPhone will have a Papa John’s short cut icon connected
directly to the main mobile Web ordering screen.
"Papa John's recognizes that people are using their handheld devices to
make everything they can more convenient, and that includes viewing an
entire menu before ordering their pizza," said Nigel Travis, Papa
John's, president and CEO. "The trend now is to leave the laptop at home
when traveling. Almost everything can be done right from your phone,
including viewing an entire menu and making the selection of what's
right for dinner."
The popularity of Papa John's mobile Web ordering could see another
spike as the country enters holiday shopping season. With many shoppers
out on "Black Friday" and at the computers on "Cyber Monday," the way in
which consumers handle food orders could continue to drive toward these
alternative channels.
Papa John's online sales have grown exponentially since 2001, with
online sales on average growing more than 50% each year and nearly
reaching $400 million in 2007 alone. Today, more than 20% of all Papa
John's sales come online or through text, widget, or smart mobile
device, and the company believes sales via alternative access channels
could one day surpass traditional telephone orders.
Since first offering online ordering in 2001, Papa John’s has
implemented the following upgrades and innovations:
Plan ahead ordering, allowing customers to place orders up to 21 days
in advance
24/7 online ordering, letting customers log on outside of business
hours to place their orders
"Repeat Last Order" function, replicating a customer's most recent
order with just one click
"Favorites Wizard," allowing customers to save their most frequent
menu combinations
SMS/text ordering for U.S. customers who have set up their favorite
orders at papajohns.com
In July, Papa John’s introduced Mobile Web ordering that allows
consumers the convenience of ordering from smart phones
A Facebook “Fan” page added on November 17, which now features more
than 170,000 fans
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc.
(NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza company. For nine
years running, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer
satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the highly regarded
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also ranks
first among pizza companies in the 2008 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty
Engagement Index, was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine
(R&I) with the 2008 Silver Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the
pizza segment, and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For
more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa
John's at www.papajohns.com.