Domino’s is experimenting with a number of new technologies, including robots. And no, you probably won’t tip them either…
Pizza takeaway giant Domino’s is in the process of exploring a new subscription service, in-voice car ordering and a delivery robot, it has said.
With customers becoming increasingly technological, the firm believes it’s time to implement new digital strategies. It’s currently working on 50 innovations.
85 percent of Domino’s orders are made through digital technologies, but this is expected to reach 95 percent within the next few years, according to the company.
Nicky Claeys, the head of marketing at Domino’s in the Netherlands and Belgium, was speaking at DMWF Amsterdam earlier this week when he revealed the company’s digital plans.
Robotic delivery is one of the services it’s been testing. Just last month, it launched a marketing stunt where a robot was used to deliver pizza, and a trial has been testing robots in New Zealand. Claeys expects this to become a major part of the business in the future.
Speaking at the event, he said: “It won’t replace our couriers, but one of our biggest challenges is having enough couriers and making sure we deliver well at all times. So for short distances or difficult locations we need to be able to rely on a fleet.”
He also sees potential in connected cars, with the firm looking to implement a voice activated ordering system. Domino’s believes there’ll be a day when customers don’t need to make contact with a screen to order.
A subscription service also looks set to be on the cards. This would let people have pizza delivered to them at repeat on a particular day and time of their choosing. It could be that a favourite TV show is on every Friday, and they’d like some goodies to complement it.
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IoT and robots bring risks too
Ian Hughes, an analyst at 451 Research, says IoT is grabbing attention, but early adopters -including companies like Domino’s – need to be aware of the risks.
He says: “IoT is capturing people’s attention in industry and as consumers. In the consumer space IoT devices are reaching the market quickly, but without some of the rigor and maturity that is generally expected of products. Everyone has the potential to be early adopter, with the risks that brings.
“In business the challenges are scaled up and similar to that of the consumer. There are problems of proprietary versus open standards, combined with challenges to security, with an increased attack surface. Cultural issues are raised too. E.g. A smart building may be run by a third-party, but the data and events may fit more with a business’s own IT function.
“IoT fits with the digital transformation that many companies are completing. The key is to incrementally build and enhance IoT systems.”
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