Pizza Today - January 2017 - 50

Periklis Anastasakis of Famous Pizza
in Bethel, Connecticut, adds: "Our
POS has it integrated, and it becomes a
bigger percentage of our business each
day. So it is definitely worth it on that
alone - plus the decrease in labor and
mistakes makes it a no-brainer."
Other benefits to note are an increased ordering frequency by offering
another way to order and preventing
telephone hold times. If the online
ordering platform is not integrated into
the point of sale, you run the risk of not
seeing the order come in via email or
fax. There will also be a delay in the order preparation, because now the order
must be entered manually into the POS
by an employee. You also run the risk
of mistakes in order entry or prices not
matching.
If you have not embraced this technology yet, consider these points when
selecting an online ordering provider:

cally changing. If you want to benefit,
you need to differentiate yourself from
thousands of unarmed and technologically un-savvy independent pizzerias.
You can't afford not to offer online
ordering. With advancements in technology and the various venues offered
today, online ordering is cost effective.
Set up fees average $700, and most
ordering platforms then have a monthly
service fee ranging from $35 to $100.
You spend money to make money. Scott
Chapman, owner of two Great Scott's
Pizza locations in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, notes this: "Average online order
is about 10 percent higher than on the
phone. Less coupons used, less mistakes
in order input." Industry wide we see
average orders up 15 percent.
Most POS systems offer an integrated online ordering platform, and for an
additional charge, mobile applications.
Mobile apps are a little more expensive
to set up, but ask yourself when was
the last time you saw a person without
a smart phone? Nearly two-thirds of
Americans are smartphone owners, up
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35 percent over 2011. And for many
these devices are a key entry point
to the online world for research, job
searches, entertainment and purchasing.
Seven percent of Americans are considered "Smartphone-dependent", with
younger adults, a target demographic of
our industry, falling into that category.
Having your online ordering
platform integrated with your POS
system adds additional benefits to
a business. Once the order is placed

online it will immediately import
into the point of sale database, print a
kitchen ticket or display the order on a
screen. It is as if the order was entered
by an in-store employee. This solution increases efficiencies and reduces
labor costs. Steve Hitchcock, owner
of Soda Creek Pizza in Steamboat
Springs, Colorado, adamantly says that
he "would not consider going any other
way. Integration allows you to capture
thousands of e-mail addresses,
which you can communicate with
directly for free going forward."

* POS integration, mobile applications
* Charge per order
* Higher credit card processing rates
* Email list ownership
* PCI compliance
* Multilingual options
* Online sales data
* Facebook integration
* Easy menu editing
I came across an interview I did
several years ago and this quote
really stuck out to me because it is still
spot-on today: "I already had my POS
in place. So once I learned that online
ordering would be integrated with my
POS, it was a no brainer. No faxes, no
re-entering orders, no middle man.
Online ordering sets my store apart
from the competition. In my small
town, only the Big Three offer technology this advanced. So for a small town
operator to be on that playing field is a
huge distinction." n
SCOTT ANTHONY owns Punxsy Pizza
in Punxsutawny, Pennsylvania. He is a
marketing consultant and yearly speaker at
International Pizza Expo.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - January 2017

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