The Pizza Hut iPhone app has been downloaded over 100,000 times. What does this mean for them? How will it affect their sales? How do I get an app for my restaurant? These are the questions that come to mind.
Well first things first. It's a great looking app. The design team that put it together did an excellent job. It's sexy, fun, and functional.
So what does a great looking app get you? Well, it gets you 100,000 downloads. The ease of adding an app to your iPhone means there is no time or effort barrier. So once the social media crowd starts chirping about this cool new app, everyone wants to check it out. Then they show their friends, and then their friends have to get it, and so on until the idea is "so two weeks ago", then they move on to the next new thing.
However, the effects from taking a quick ride on the social media popularity train can be lasting. First of all you have brand exposure. People that haven't thought about Pizza Hut in years are suddenly showing their friends this fun new app they found. Secondly, the quality of the look and feel says something about the brand message. Perhaps getting someone to "try them again." But they will have to execute well to keep them.
So will any iPhone app work? I don't think so. I'm skeptical about the success of the Burger King app that was released a few months ago. The biggest issue I see there is that I can't see someone ordering fast food from their phone when it's probably faster to go through the drive up window, but I do think that they could see success with something else that isn't about ordering food.
I look forward to seeing the sales numbers for July and August. It will be interesting to compare iPhone orders to overall sales. While I think there will be some bump in the iPhone channel directly, I think the "brand buzz" will elevate all sales.
Comments