Domino’s is no stranger to shaking up the digital pizza landscape. And the company’s latest program—arriving just in time for Super Bowl LIII—is one it’s calling “revolutionary.”
Starting February 2 (the game between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots is a day later) Domino’s will begin awarding rewards points for all pizza customers eat through its new Points for Pies program. The big catch: This includes competitors’ pizza, not just Domino’s.
“Instead of advertising during Sunday’s game, we decided to invest in a breakthrough program that rewards everyone who loves pizza as much as we do,” said Art D’Elia, Domino’s senior vice president—chief brand officer, in a statement. “We know everyone is asking themselves, ‘Did Domino’s just say they will award points for eating any pizza? Even from a competitor?’”
Customers download Domino’s latest app, sign up for the Piece of the Pie Rewards loyalty program, and then access a newly embedded pizza identification feature that’s capable of scanning pizza. Customers earn 10 points for the scan. Once they hit 60, Domino’s will give guests a free medium two-topping Domino’s pizza. Again, the scanner will recognize pizza from Domino’s peers as well as its own.
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Domino’s said its internal teams developed a pizza identifier capable of scanning each pizza or slice. It then uses artificial intelligence-driven software to identify the image. “This is the first time Domino’s is using AI technology like this,” said Dennis Maloney, Domino’s chief digital officer. “It will be running the pizza identification process and is already smart enough to identify all pizza, even if it is a homemade English muffin pizza, a pizza with a hotdog stuffed crust, or a high-end artisan pizza. It can even identify if it’s a dog’s squeaky pizza toy.”
Additionally, Domino’s CEO, Ritch Allison, will appear in TV commercials to introduce the program. They hit the air February 2. This marks the first time Allison, who took over for industry titan J. Patrick Doyle this past summer, has been featured in a Domino’s ad. The spot will also be the first time a Dominos ad was shot in a restaurant other than Domino’s.
“We knew that filming this commercial in a pizzeria that was clearly not Domino’s would really demonstrate our commitment to awarding points for all pizza,” added Kate Trumbull, Domino’s vice president of advertising. “We chose a place that was special to our CEO when he lived in Atlanta—Antico Pizza, an acclaimed family-owned favorite that puts just as much love into their pizza as we do.”
Check out the new ad below:
Domino’s said it is committed to giving away at least 100 million points toward free pies during the program’s 12-week duration. Members of the Piece of the Pie Rewards platform can earn 10 points through scanning one pizza, per week, and earn up to a maximum of 60 points. Traditional rewards points, earning through pizza purchases at Domino’s, can be combined with Points for Pie credits to earn a free Domino’s pizza.
Also, every day, more Points for Pies credits will become available. Point availability could run out throughout the day.
Technology continues to propel Domino’s to record market-share numbers. More than half of all of its global retail sales in 2017 came from digital channels (primarily online ordering and mobile applications). In the U.S., the company generates more than 60 percent of its sales via digital channels and has produced several innovative ordering platforms, including Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo, Twitter, and text message using a pizza emoji. Domino’s also launched HotSpots in 2018, which feature more than 200,000 non-traditional delivery locations available for users, such as parks, beaches, and local landmarks.
Domino’s had global retail sales of more than $12.2 billion in 2017, with more than $5.9 billion in the U.S. and $6.3 billion internationally. It posted domestic same-store sales growth of 6.3 percent in the third quarter, marking the 30th consecutive quarter of positive comps growth. Internationally, same-store sales lifted 3.3 percent, making it 99 straight quarters of positive gains. Domino’s opened 232 new locations in Q3 compared to 113 in the prior quarter. It has added 920 delivery and takeout hubs over the past year to bring its store count to over 15,300.
