Domino’s online activity means I probably need to get out more

22nd February 2012. Posted by Tom Braithwaite. Trackback

Last Friday, I had a rock and roll evening planned. Seeing the back of a busy week, and experiencing the rarity of being home alone, I decided it would be best to stay in, watch the double bill of Coronation Street, catch up on the latest episode of The Office and have a beer. 

That’s right, I know how to party.

And with it being the weekend, I thought I’d treat myself to a takeaway pizza from Domino’s. The pizza chain had recently promoted a great deal and I thought I’d cash in. 

It was only after looking on their website and checking out their Twitter feed that I realised I was too late – the offer was over, I’d have to pay full whack. 

That wasn’t happening. I was out - I decided to eat something else. How dare they ask me to pay full price. The nerve.

It turns out I was at least correct in hunting for Domino’s deals online. Last week, the pizza chain announced strong figures for 2011 with group revenue increasing 11% to £210m in the year to 25th December 2011. These figures were driven by online sales, which increased by 43% to £183.1m and regularly account for half of all Domino’s daily sales.

I can completely see how those online figures have come about. They have been a busy lot over at Domino’s, partnering with television shows like Red or Black, using Twitter promotional codes, creating iPhone, Android and Windows phone apps and this year, they’re looking to build on that activity further.

Domino’s today announced a partnership with Blinkbox. The movie and TV streaming service, in which Tesco owns a majority stake (80%), has introduced Blinkbox Movie Mondays, a campaign to promote themed movie packages that also provides customers with a 40% discount when they spend £25 or more on- or offline at Domino’s Pizza. 

They are also looking to improve its mobile payments systems by exploring the possibility of customers paying for orders directly from their phone bills or by mobile payments connected to a credit account, such as Orange Quick Tap or Barclay’s Pingit.

And whilst this is fantastic for the consumer, with easier payment methods, and more and more retailers promoting online discounts and offers, it begs the question; why bother ever paying full price again? I touched on this at Christmas when high street retailers took the decision to start sales before the 25th December, and could be the result of companies trying to make their online presence stand out in a bid to claim a share of over-crowded market places.

Online deals and promotions will give the consumer more choice and a better deal, especially as more and more brands utilise the combination of social media and mobile devices, but there is a fear that by constantly offering people money off deals, it will devalue products, meaning people will steer clear of paying a premium price. It certainly means that I’ll be the one doing the cooking on Friday night. 

Or perhaps I just need to get out more.

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Voucher listings websites are great. I found one recently for Domino's that gave £10 when you spend £25 or more - meaning I got a bottle of Pepsi (Diet, obviously), a wings combo AND twelve inches of greasy bread for less than the original cost of the pizza on its own. Why would anyone ever pay full price?!

Lucas Owen
23rd February 2012

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