Pizza lovers rejoice – Pizza Hut recently launched a new iPhone application that will let you order your Friday night takeout directly from your phone. The free application, which launched in mid-July, has already received more than 100,000 downloads on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Pizza Hut, with more than 13,000 outlets in nearly 100 countries worldwide, has found a way to use mobile technology to make ordering pizza easier for its customers. According to Advertising Age, Pizza Hut’s application is the first of its kind in the pizza category.
The new application has earned positive feedback from Web sites including Mobilewhack.com, TechCrunch.com and ReadWriteWeb.com. TechCrunch.com’s review said, “It includes a so-called ëvirtual fridge’ where you’ll find coupons to add to your order and a free game called ëPizza Hut Racer’ that you can play while you kill time waiting for your food to arrive.”
Pizza Hut not only was the first in its category to provide a mobile application, but the company also allows customers to place orders online and through text messaging. They even have a Facebook profile where fans can place orders and hear about the latest pizza updates.
While the Pizza Hut application is currently free, this example illustrates how businesses can leverage mobile applications and social media sites like Facebook to increase revenue and streamline processes for customers. The mobile application market is hot right now and branded mobile applications offer a new way for organizations and groups to directly engage with customers and other key audiences. We anticipate seeing a tidal wave of these types of applications in the coming year; and with the anticipated arrival of Windows Marketplace for Mobile, the mobile app space should continue to be an interesting one.