Bubba Pizza's switch to digital ordering takes everyone by surprise
Online orders have actually jumped 50%.
Bubba Pizza revealed its plans to unveil five new stores this year, and another five in 2015.
The brand aims to expand its presence in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia.
Below is a Q&A with Damian Hopper, Business Development Manager of Bubba Pizza.
QSR Media: What's new at Bubba's?
Hopper: Bubba spent a large portion of 2013 developing new branding elements which are sure to make us stand out above our competitors.
Our new concept store in Tarneit opened in December and has had heads turning ever since.
Our branding now has a more fun and energetic theme to it whilst maintaining the key elements.
Also our new online ordering system is being developed and is set to make a huge impact on the online market in 2014.
We have also brought out a new range of premium schnitzels, Gelatis and new Pizzas that have been a big hit.
QSR Media: How would you describe the brand now?
Hopper: Our focus remains the same, to provide quality, freshness, competitive pricing and offer a range above the traditional take away pizza outlets.
QSR Media: Tell us what's unique about your app and what's it doing for your business?
Hopper: A new version of our app, which is being tested at our Tarneit store, is miles ahead of any other app on the market.
The main thing that customers will notice is that it is 100% user friendly. Our customers deserve to have their pizza cooked just the way they want it, which is what our new app will do!
QSR Media: What are your objectives for 2014?
Hopper: We have planned to open up another 5 stores in 2014 and 5 more in 2015.
QSR Media: Online ordering? What's happening in this space? What kind of ROI are you getting?
Hopper: Our online orders increased by 50% in 2013 and we expect the numbers to keep growing.
QSR Media: Bubba's has undergone a transformation to digital, what have been the key learnings from this process?
Hopper: The digital world is changing rapidly and it is important for us to keep up with the latest technologies if we are going to continue to grow. The top 3 things we have learnt during this journey are:
The importance of SEO and making sure you are visible on all digital platforms.
The cost benefits of digital marketing.
The biggest challenge was maintaining pizza customization for our customers.
Pizza people are known to be a bit picky, and we at bubba believe they deserve to be, so allowing them to keep that same luxury from the comfort of their own home was a technical challenge.
We have definitely succeed that challenge with our new online ordering system.
QSR Media: What are your expansion plans?
Hopper: We have stores in Victoria and South Australia and we are now looking to expand into other states such as Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.
Currently, we are actively looking for partnerships to assist in achieving this goal.
