PizzaExpress

"The PizzaExpress app has been downloaded more than 200,000 times and over £200,000 has been transacted in the first six weeks. "

 

The Challenge

PizzaExpress wanted to tackle a real customer need to pay and leave when they want to, improving the experience of eating out at the restaurant.

The mobile solution needed to be useful, innovative and ground-breaking without taking away from the well-known PizzaExpress customer experience or its customer service.

The Solution

By using the smartphone app developed by 2ergo, PizzaExpress launched a market first - an innovative in-restaurant payment system that makes waiting to pay the bill a thing of the past. The app therefore needed to be able to accept payments at the table. Fully integrating with PayPal, a secure, accessible, instant payment system enables customers to pay their bills automatically via their smartphones. This technology was then linked up with the Torex till system in real time to validate customer payments at each individual restaurant.

The app also allows customers to find and book a restaurant, using LiveBookings for real time bookings, as well as view the menu and keep, track and save receipts, bookings and favourite restaurants. In addition, customers have the option to redeem valid offers codes or vouchers, which automatically amends their bill.

The Results

The ground-breaking app has allowed PizzaExpress to revolutionise retail payment methods and bring online payment to the high street.

Launched in June 2011, the app was downloaded more than 100,000 times in the first week and smashed the 200,000 download target well ahead of the predicted date in September. The app was also rated as the #1 free app in the Lifestyle category and #5 in the Free App category in Apple's App Store in the first week.

In addition, PizzaExpress took £10,000 in payments through the app in the first week, growing to £100,000 in the first month. In addition, PizzaExpress set itself a target of 10,000 bookings through the app in the first month, which it exceeded with more than 15,000 bookings.

The app has also received great user reviews, calling it "a must have for any fan of PizzaExpress" and saying that "the pay your bill function is an unbelievable idea that makes them stand out from all the other high street brands." In addition, a competition to launch the app on PizzaExpress' Facebook page attracted 22,000 new 'Likes'

The media was also excited by the arrival of the app, with the BBC running a feature on the app 14 times on launch day. Editorial coverage was also achieved in the New York Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times 'Planet of the Apps', City AM and it topped Star magazine's 'What's Hot' barometer and Marketing Week's Top 10 Most Read stories.