Bonfire Night, not the best time for ordering a pizza on the mobile. A good moment though for stress testing the apps of three competitors to see how they cope and if the experience stands up to scrutiny.
I start with Papa Johns, as we liked the last order we placed with them. The app immediately senses I’ve visited before so forces me down the sign-on route. I forgot my password so I try to circumvent the login screen and pick my order. Do like the fact it pushes the discount options and see that I managed to clock up substantial savings. When checking out the app forces me back to the login screen. I am not able to check out without password: mission aborted.
Next attempt: PizzaExpress via Deliveroo. This is a complex one, as responsibility for ordering and delivery rests with Deliveroo, but ability to fulfil with the pizza co. Deliveroo lets me order without friction until everything is checked out and paid for. Then, a few seconds later, the payment gets cancelled with a notice that the order was rejected. Surely lack of capacity with Pizza Express should have been picked up earlier in the ordering process. This leaves me with a sense of deep frustration.
Third attempt: Dominos. They have the superior app in terms of ability to fulfil, but at no point am I prompted to use any of their discount promotions. I run out of time to login to their promotions separately so end up paying the full price for two large pizzas and some sides. All for the ridiculous amount of just under £50!
Goes to show that CX maturity of mobile apps, and suspect many online ordering applications is still fairly low. In summary the following features make all the difference:
How could these pitfalls have been avoided? Surely the apps were piloted or tested in a way that would have identified these CX faux pas? I believe that the only app that understands the Customer Journey aspect of the mobile ordering process is the Deliveroo one. The fact that they were let down by their supplier however suggests that their offering is as strong as their API with their own suppliers allows it to be. If the platform Deliveroo uses (challenged by the likes of Uber these days) becomes the food delivery channel of choice, it will likely put pressure on its suppliers, even market giants like Pizza Express, to become more attuned to the CX aspects of their mobile applications.
I start with Papa Johns, as we liked the last order we placed with them. The app immediately senses I’ve visited before so forces me down the sign-on route. I forgot my password so I try to circumvent the login screen and pick my order. Do like the fact it pushes the discount options and see that I managed to clock up substantial savings. When checking out the app forces me back to the login screen. I am not able to check out without password: mission aborted.
Next attempt: PizzaExpress via Deliveroo. This is a complex one, as responsibility for ordering and delivery rests with Deliveroo, but ability to fulfil with the pizza co. Deliveroo lets me order without friction until everything is checked out and paid for. Then, a few seconds later, the payment gets cancelled with a notice that the order was rejected. Surely lack of capacity with Pizza Express should have been picked up earlier in the ordering process. This leaves me with a sense of deep frustration.
Third attempt: Dominos. They have the superior app in terms of ability to fulfil, but at no point am I prompted to use any of their discount promotions. I run out of time to login to their promotions separately so end up paying the full price for two large pizzas and some sides. All for the ridiculous amount of just under £50!
Goes to show that CX maturity of mobile apps, and suspect many online ordering applications is still fairly low. In summary the following features make all the difference:
- Flexibility of sign-on, meaning a choice of login or ordering outside account- the auto login Deliveroo (and think Dominos as well) provides is the answer I believe as your payments are protected anyway.
- Active prompting of discount codes when checking out is a great CX tool and makes me consider repeat orders.
- Order fulfilment is key - if you create an order online and you get as far as making a payment, rejection should not be an option. Better integration of services between partners should root out these type of dealbreakers.
How could these pitfalls have been avoided? Surely the apps were piloted or tested in a way that would have identified these CX faux pas? I believe that the only app that understands the Customer Journey aspect of the mobile ordering process is the Deliveroo one. The fact that they were let down by their supplier however suggests that their offering is as strong as their API with their own suppliers allows it to be. If the platform Deliveroo uses (challenged by the likes of Uber these days) becomes the food delivery channel of choice, it will likely put pressure on its suppliers, even market giants like Pizza Express, to become more attuned to the CX aspects of their mobile applications.
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