Pizza Hut invests in digital efforts, partners with Visa checkout in an Australian QSR first
The move follows the company’s efforts to grow in the digital and mobile commerce space and is designed to create greater convenience and choice for customers alongside regular credit card payments.
Pizza Hut Australia is the first company in the QSR category to partner with Visa Checkout, offering a new and secure electronic method of payment for online orders.
"We’ve invested in upgrading our digital channels to ensure the customer’s user experience is easy and enjoyable especially with over 40% of our sales coming through online," Fatima Syed, Pizza Hut's Head of Marketing and Innovation told QSR Media.
"We know mobile usage in Australia is only on the increase, particularly when it comes to the pizza segment of the QSR industry and this is a long-term strategy we plan to roll out."
She noted that the pizza chain is anticipating the number of online sales transactions to significantly increase before the end of 2015 as more customers defer to online. "The Visa Checkout partnership is another step forward in offering a greater digital experience to consolidate this growth," Syed pointed out.
Pizza Hut has also simplified the online ordering process for its customers and enhanced the user experience in order to make every online transaction with the chain faster. Customers will be able to create a Visa Checkout account using one or more credit cards and once signed up, customers then don’t need to enter credit card or address details each time they place an order.
According to Greg Storey, Head of Visa Checkout for Visa in Asia Pacific, “quick service restaurants need fast and easy payment options for their customers, especially when they order pizza using their mobile phones. Using Visa Checkout saves time by eliminating the hassle of filling in forms.”
PRODUCT INNOVATION, A KEY TO SUCCESS
Meanwhile, Syed shared to QSR Media that the biggest challenge in the current QSR market is establishments ensuring they're offering customers a high level of value and choice.
"We’re continuously refining our menu to ensure we do just that," she noted.
"We drove our innovation strategy with great success, particularly with our iconic Stuffed Crust innovation, launching Cheeseburger Stuffed Crust and Dorito’s Crunchy Crust Pizza in 2014." Adding, "we'll continue to focus on product innovation, something that really resonates with our customers base. We’re known for our Stuffed Crust innovations and that’s something we’ll continue to build upon whilst also focusing on increasing our online sales mix."
