Domino’s Set To Test Digital Dominance On Super Bowl Sunday

Much like the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, Domino’s has worked hard to get to this point. Now, we’ll see if Domino’s has what it takes.

Michigan Live is reporting that Domino’s is expected to deliver the equivalent of 11 million pizza slices and over three million chicken wings during today’s Super Bowl XLIX, pitting AFC champions New England Patriots against the defending Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks. During the peak ordering times of the game, which is typically an hour before the start of the game and halftime, Domino’s expects to process in excess of 1,500 orders per minute.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, in one of Domino’s corporate offices, about 50 to 100 people will be watching high-definition screens to make sure the data flow has no hiccups or issues. This is the Domino’s World Resource Center, which is run by Kelly Garcia, Domino’s vice president of e-commerce and pulse.

“It’s certainly exciting, by all means, it’s a huge day for us.”

Garcia said the Super Bowl, Domino’s biggest selling day of the year, represents an 80 percent increase in sales.

“That creates a series of demand that’s unlike any demand we would normally see on any day,” Garcia said. “You have to plan to make sure that you can handle that load.”

To that end, Domino’s began months ago, having performed a load test on their ordering system, sending over 5,000 orders through the system to test it. Though Domino’s only expect a peak of 1,500 orders a minute, Garcia said they wanted to try to overload it. The system passed with flying colors. This is crucial since nearly half of all Domino’s ordering is now done online.

Forbes is reporting that Domino’s is expecting big production from its two other technological innovations, the pizza tracker and Dom, the Siri-like smartphone app that allows customers to order pizza. Domino’s has also created an ordering app for Pebbles-style smartphones, and appeared the last two years at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show to introduce new technology.

According to Kevin Vasconia, chief technical officer for Domino’s, “We continue to lead the industry in [digital] innovation — both in innovation and in a really strong customer experience.”

Vasconia stated that it is the goal of Domino’s to improve and grow the technological aspect of the business. Vasconia stated that Domino’s CEO J. Patrick Doyle has instructed as much. Doyle told Vasconia the job “is to put our foot down and let’s go. We have a competitive advantage in this area, so let’s not lose that – as long as it’s making a difference with customers.”

[Image courtesy of cnet.com]