Domino’s franchise does digital

Continuing with the aggressive growth strategy instigated when the company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange last year, the Domino’s Pizza franchise recently acquired JSA’s digital media services. As a result, customers can now place their order online in more 80 stores across Victoria, Western Australia and some Queensland stores, with the full national rollout due for completion by the end of 2007.

“We have made it easier to order pizza by providing customers with another shop window from which they can conveniently order their pizza at any time or location,” says JSA Director Luke Sherry. “Customers can also choose to be included in a database for discount vouchers, competition and promotions.”

According to the pizza franchise CEO Don Meij, research shows that 65 per cent of frequent pizza consumers use broadband three times per week or more.

“This system has already been welcomed by a high number of our existing and new customers,” he says. “The major advantage of our internet ordering system is that orders bypass the front counter and go straight to the pizza make line, fast tracking the order process.“

Domino’s Pizza’s online ordering system has been custom developed to ‘speak to’ the existing point-of-sale system, PULSE.

“It is a seamless system from the stores’ perspective, as the order immediately appears on the screen for the pizza makers just like any other order” says Sherry. “It also requires only minimal upfront capital for each store because of its ability to integrate with existing systems and processes.”

Meanwhile, another successful Eagle Boys pizza store in Victoria has been opened at the new Docklands dining precinct by former Australian Olympic basketballer, Shane Heal. Heal, who also owns an Eagle Boys store at Southport on the Gold Coast, believes that Docklands is the ideal spot to launch the new Solution Store model.

“Solution Stores are smaller in size than a normal Eagle Boys store,” he says. “They are designed for extremely fast service - they specialise in personal pan-sized Express pizzas, guaranteeing customers a fresh pizza immediately after ordering. This will be great for people who are in a rush to see a game at the Telstra Dome and want to grab a quick and fresh meal on the go, without having to wait in a long queue.”

The first Melbourne Eagle Boys store represents a significant step for the Australian-owned pizza franchise that opened its first store in Albury in 1987 and now has more than 170 stores nationally.

Eagle Boys Managing Director, Mr Tom Potter, believes the Docklands Solution Store will be the first of many Eagle Boys outlets in Melbourne.

“We see Victoria as a great potential growth market,” he says. “We’ve currently got three stores in regional Victoria and there is a huge opportunity throughout Melbourne to open a number of outlets.”