Domino’s is altering pricing for a carryout special after customers voiced frustrations over its limited availability and is rectifying the situation with a mobile-optimized sweepstakes featuring a bevy of branded prizes for consumers who paid higher prices for weekend orders.

The quick service restaurant chain is extending its carryout deal – which enables customers to pick up a large three-topping pizza for $7.99 from Monday through Thursday – to every day, an initiative that surfaced due to individuals paying higher prices for carryout pizza on the weekends. Domino’s is rolling out the Pizza Payback mobile-optimized site to reward those customers and allow them to choose a prize from a variety of options, such as a free three-topping pizza and branded merchandise.

“We heard customers express a certain level of frustration if a great deal is only available some of the time,” said Jenny Fouracre, director of public relations at Domino’s. “We wanted to make it right, not only by extending the deal to every day of the week, but by taking it a step further to offer customers a chance to get a payback of their own.”

Payback time
Domino’s fans can now take advantage of the $7.99 carryout deal every day and have a chance to earn even more rewards through the mobile-optimized Pizza Payback site.

“Consumers now spend more time on smartphones than desktop and tablet combined, making mobile the platform where many brands will make their first impression with consumers,” said Taylor Malmsheimer, research associate at L2. “Domino’s Pizza Payback site is no different—in particular, the site must be mobile-optimized, since many customers will likely access it via mobile after purchasing a pizza and learning about the campaign in-store.

“In an industry reliant on impulse purchasing, Domino’s has been a leader in mobile optimization. Consumers consistently report that the mobile checkout process inhibits conversion on the platform, but Domino’s recently introduced ‘zero-click ordering,’ which streamlines the mobile payment process down to zero clicks within its app by creating an opt-out (rather than opt-in) ordering system.”

Consumers who visit the Pizza Payback site will view an introduction informing them of Domino’s carryout special, which previously enabled individuals to purchase a large, three-topping pizza for $7.99 from Monday to Thursday.

However, this means that customers who carried out pizzas from Friday to Sunday paid more for their orders. Domino’s tells site visitors that this is not right, and that it is extending the $7.99 offer to every day.

To rectify the situation, the chain is offering customers what it refers to as a pizza payback. Site visitors are encouraged to browse the available prizes and enter for a chance to win one.

However, consumers will encounter a twist in the form of fake prizes interspersed with real ones.

For example, an individual may click on an image of a branded pen. The site will then prompt him or her, “A pen? Really? Don’t you want something better?”

Consumers can then click on the affirmative or negative buttons to respond, which will trigger another inquiry from the site.

Eventually, Domino’s will inform the individual that it is not giving away any pens, but he or she should feel free to enter to win a much better prize.

Available rewards include a Domino’s pizza party prize pack, a branded trucker hat and free pizza for a year.

The sweepstakes will run through October.

Garnishing sales with mobile tactics
Domino’s has been upping its status as a mobile leader in the QSR industry by employing a slew of mobile-first tactics to ramp up sales and attract new customers.

Domino’s significantly raised the bar for quick service restaurant chains innovating in mobile with recent advancements that include the launch of a zero-click ordering application and a branded Instagram game that led players to a promotional code (see story).

The brand also furthered its image as a driver in mobile ordering by adding the Apple Watch to the bevy of channels where customers can pay for and order products (see story).

Domino’s may see an uptick in sales as a result of the Pizza Payback site rollout – and perhaps most notably, its dedication to serving consumers with fair prices.

“Since purchase is not necessary, I’m not sure whether the contest will make consumers more likely to order from Domino’s, but the brand’s campaign does incentivize consumers—including those who might not typically order from Domino’s—to share their email address and mailing address with the brand,” Ms. Malmsheimer said.

“This gives Domino’s the opportunity to grow its mailing list and market directly to a new set of consumers.”