Last Friday, I ordered from Domino's. The pizza was fine, but I was pleasantly surprised at the online ordering experience. And there are lessons in it for e-commerce brands.
Keep Customers Informed
The worst feeling after you order online is not knowing what to expect and what's the latest status. Domino's keeps customers in the loop every step of the way.
Before you order, Domino's shows you the current estimated delivery time for your store, so customers can decide if this is acceptable for them before ordering. This transparency helps manage expectations and reduces anxiety.
Domino's famous order tracker keeps customers informed, letting them know the progress of their order from bake to delivery. These real-time updates give customers a sense of control and excitement, building anticipation for their meal.
In the order tracker progress bar, there are also hidden genius marketing messages that hint at the core messaging Domino's wants to convey:
- The "Baked" step indicates that pizzas are freshly baked when ordered, emphasizing the quality and freshness of the product.
- The "Quality Check" step shows that Domino's goes out of its way to ensure customer satisfaction, highlighting its commitment to service.
These subtle messages reinforce Domino's brand values without being overtly promotional.
I was very very sad when I learned the Domino’s pizza tracker is entirely fake (based solely on time since order), but I have to commend whatever engineer suggested doing that instead of spending $200 million building out the infrastructure to support it being real pic.twitter.com/Lq1EjoOIwm
— Austen Allred (@Austen) December 15, 2022
Nudge through Framing
Domino's is also smart in how they frame the ordering process to encourage upsells.
After you've confirmed your pizza selection, Domino's presents additional sides, drinks, and desserts as the next steps in the ordering process.
By positioning these extras as parts of the order, rather than optional add-ons, Domino's nudges customers to consider them more seriously.
It's Easy to be a Return Customer
Domino's makes it extremely easy for customers to reorder.
When you log in, the homepage presents three sections designed to encourage repeat purchases:
- "Easy Order": This section displays your saved favorites, allowing you to quickly reorder your go-to meals with just a click.
- "Recent Orders": Here, you can see your most recent orders, making it simple to reorder something you enjoyed without having to remember the specifics.
- "Previous Items": This section shows individual items from your past orders, allowing you to mix and match your favorites to create a new order.
By putting these personalized recommendations front and center, Domino's reduces the friction to reordering. They're not just relying on customers to remember what they liked; they're actively leveraging past purchase data to drive repeat purchases, to encourage customers to come back again and again.
