Papa John's Surpasses $1 Million in Mobile Web Orders
Papa John's International, Inc. surpasses $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.
"We pride ourselves on being the quality pizza leader and for bringing the most convenient high-tech resources to our customers," says 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."
iPhone convenience
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," says 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."
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:
"We pride ourselves on being the quality pizza leader and for bringing the most convenient high-tech resources to our customers," says 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."
iPhone convenience
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," says 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."
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
- Mobile Web ordering that allows consumers the convenience of ordering from smart phones
The Facebook "Fan" page now features more than 170,000 fans.