While Pizza Hut might not be the first major chain to launch a delivery tracker, the brand is doing something unique in the space. The platform, which allows users to track an order from input to arrival, went active nationwide on Monday. And for the first time in the pizza industry, Pizza Hut said, the service will offer guests the ability to receive text alerts for updates, eliminating the need to reopen the app or website to check on the order.
“The Pizza Hut Delivery Tracker was designed to give our customers the information they need, when they need it, about the status of their order,” says Chris Dargis, chief eCommerce officer, Pizza Hut, in a release. “Keeping it convenient and easy is what consumers tell us matters most when it comes to technology in the pizza category, and we believe our new Delivery Tracker does exactly that. With the added feature of receiving real-time text updates about their order, it’s never been easier to get a great-tasting pizza from Pizza Hut.”
Domino’s has featured a tracker since 2008, and has followed more than 100 million orders, according to a marketing campaign in March. Papa John’s launched its own Papa Track in March and said digital sales exceeded 60 percent in the first quarter of 2017.
The move for Pizza Hut is the latest in what Yum! Brands called a $130 million plan to reenergize the chain’s business as same-store sales declined 7 percent in the U.S. in the first quarter.
The announcement of the tracker comes with a deal: a large two-topping pizza for $7.99 or a specialty pizza for another $3.
Pizza Hut listed six other digital enhancements its added to help streamline the ordering experience.
Enhanced Digital Experience: Pizza Hut recently introduced a new “mobile-first” pizza-builder ordering tool and will soon complete a “design refresh” across all digital ordering channels.
Amazon Alexa: In December, Pizza Hut expanded ordering capabilities to include Alexa Voice Service for Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Fire TV, and Fire tablets.
Social Sign-In: Customers can log in to their Pizza Hut account with Facebook for a quicker ordering experience. Currently, Pizza Hut is the only national pizza company that enables social sign-in via digital ordering platforms.
Chatbot: Last year, Pizza Hut introduced a social ordering platform, or “chatbot,” for conversational ordering via Facebook Messenger and Twitter. The chatbot allows fans to quickly order Pizza Hut on the platforms where they already spend time.
Reorder: Pizza Hut offers one-button reorder functionality, enabling digital customers to repeat their most recent order quickly and seamlessly.
Quick Service & Easy-Pay: To streamline the pizza ordering and delivery experience, Pizza Hut also offers Visible Promise Time, Save Credit Card info, Popular Pizzas, and Visa Checkout fast-pay options.
