Dunkin’ Donuts recently announced plans to test mobile ordering later this year to expand its brand’s ongoing efforts to expand its menu by encouraging customers to try new items without having to wait in line.
Dunkin’ Donuts launched its DD Perks Rewards loyalty program on Jan. 27.
Scott Hudler, Dunkin’ Brands’ Vice President of Global Consumer Engagement, participated in a compelling Q&A with Loyalty360 to discuss the announcement.
What prompted Dunkin’ Donuts to test mobile ordering and was customer feedback a factor?
We plan to test mobile ordering in the fourth quarter of this year, with an anticipated app update to support mobile ordering in 2015. We see benefits for both our guests and for our restaurants with mobile ordering. For our guests, there is a big benefit in skipping the line and improving order accuracy and speed. For our restaurants, we can improve throughput, and anything we can do to improve throughput we’re excited about.
Did any insights from the DD Perks loyalty program lead to the testing of mobile ordering?
Mobile ordering is something we’ve been looking into for some time, and we plan to test mobile ordering in the fourth quarter of 2014. We see it as a great additional layer to the Dunkin’ Mobile App and DD Perks Rewards loyalty program, which have been very well received by our guests.
Since Dunkin’ Donuts launched its mobile app two years ago, it seems like this is an area the company could pursue to establish more personalized relationships with customers. What mobile opportunities exist for Dunkin’ Donuts to pursue to enhance the customer experience and increase loyalty?
We feel we’ve made great strides in improving our guest experience through the Dunkin’ Mobile App and DD Perks Rewards loyalty program. With our Dunkin’ Mobile App, we’ve given our guests another convenient way to pay for their order, and have also enabled them to easily send mGifts to friends and family, quickly locate a nearby Dunkin' Donuts restaurant, and get geo-targeted local offers. Through our DD Perks Rewards program, our guests can now earn points towards free medium beverages with every Dunkin’ Donuts purchase.
We continue to look for ways to make our mobile offers even more personalized and relevant to our guests. In addition, we feel mobile ordering will be another great feature to add to our mobile app in the future to improve convenience and speed of service at our restaurants.