Dominos: iPhone app review

Dominos launched an iPhone ordering app in the UK this month. It had launched an 'app' last year, but this was actually a smartphone optimised site. 

As Meghan Keane pointed out last week, mobile can be very effective for fast food brands, and both Dominos and rival Pizza Hut have been quick to pick up on the potential of mobiles sites and apps. 

The app works well, and improves on the functions of the mobile site. For a start, it automatically detects your location so you can order from the nearest store, saving time for users:

Once you have selected a store, it's easy to scroll through the various menu options, cover-flow style:

For those needing inspiration for their pizza topping, and perhaps to give the app a jazzy feature that might get it featured on an Apple ad, there is a Pizza Slot Machine, similar to the one used in apps like Urbanspoon: 

The checkout process is often one of the biggest problems with mobile commerce; it has to be made as easy as possible for users to enter their address and payment details, so it needs to be optimised for the small screen.

Dominos has done this, and once users have selected a pizza, the checkout process is as smooth as I have seen on a mobile app.  

Data entry is easy, the app doesn't have too many fields to fill in so it's easy to enter card details. It's even easier if you want to pay by cash on delivery, as this removes much of the effort from the checkout process. 

The Dominos app looks good and works well. A usable app and a smooth mobile checkout process means that this app should be a success with UK customers. 

Pizza Hut believes that mobile will eventually account for 50% of its sales, and I can see why.

Pizza and other fast food is something that people want to order by mobile, since it's often easier to do this than calling up or going online to do it, especially if your address and previous order details are already saved. 

Apps have worked well for Dominos in other markets. In Australia, the company's iPhone app was downloaded 300,000 times, and accounted for $2m in sales over three months, accounting for 29% of total sales in that country.