Pizza Delivery And Telematics Merge

Pizza delivery just became much more efficient and easy in Australia and New Zealand.

Domino’s Pizza is going big in these two countries and is planning to hire 3,000 new delivery staff—that includes both cyclists and drivers. This is the company’s single largest recruitment drive ever. With 30 new pizza stores opening in the next few months, it is unlikely this will be Domino’s last big recruitment effort.

Why the sudden expansion?

Domino’s Pizza has invested in telematics for its entire delivery fleet, a service that will go live in July for Australia, and in August for New Zealand. It has already been rolled out in test markets and customers love it.

The service will principally work to keep delivery staff safe and efficient. GPS tracking will ensure that the staffers do not get lost and that dispatch runs as smoothly as possible; delivery routes will be fast and efficient, and if something has to change mid-run (say, an order is cancelled) the plan can easily adapt. In the event that a driver gets into an accident or becomes the victim of a crime, GPS tracking will speed emergency personnel to the site.

But what really gets customers excited is not just the fast and efficient delivery—it’s the opportunity to use the tracking system to find out exactly where their pizza is at every moment of its journey. Customers in the test markets are so excited, in fact, that Domino’s is opening new stores and hiring new staff just to meet the anticipated demand.

The trackers will work on both delivery cars and the bicycle push carts. By using bicycle delivery, Domino’s is standing up for cleaner air and lower greenhouse gas emissions. That is a pretty good deal—cleaner air and freshly delivered pizza.

So what does all this mean for Americans?

Australia and New Zealand seem to be setting the new standard for fast pizza deliver. But beyond that, it is a good representation of the potential of this technology. What works Down Under can equally work in the United States. Customers appreciate the reliability and sense of control of being able to track delivery vehicles themselves. And drivers benefit from the added security of knowing that their supervisors can see where they are, communicate instantly through two-way messaging, and help if necessary.