Pizza Hut announced this week the launch of a new mobile app, which replaces the legacy app and, according to a Yum Brands representative, “sets a new standard for seamless pizza ordering.”
While the mobile app, which is two years in the making, does not offer many major changes or new features to customers, the main purpose of the redesign appears to be to clear up clutter and remove friction from the Pizza Hut mobile experience.
“This app isn’t just about ordering—it’s about delivering a seamless, modern experience that truly reflects our brand,” Yum Brands chief digital and technology officer, Joe Park, said in a LinkedIn post announcing the new app. “Every tap and swipe has been designed to make ordering easier and more intuitive. I’m excited about the upcoming features on our product roadmap.”
The new app offers streamlined “fast paths” so that customers that know what they want can easily re-order their favorites, “flexible navigation” to browse the app’s features more easily, a one-page pizza builder, a simplified shopping cart that cuts down the process for checking out, and a modern design with “enhanced digital creative assets.”
A representative for Pizza Hut also hinted that there will be more digital innovations on the horizon, stating that “this is only the beginning of a more modern experience” coming to the Yum Brands company.
Pizza Hut is not the only pizza chain that has pushed an improved mobile experience. Papa Johns CEO Todd Penegor said at the ICR conference in Orlando that the company has just reworked its mobile app, though they “still have some work to do” on that front. At Papa John’s annual investor meeting in December, Penegor said that the company is investing more in its loyalty program so that customers can earn more rewards faster.
Could these new investments spark a tech-centric round of pizza wars among the nation’s top competitors? Last year, Domino’s Pizza — which has the reputation of being the most tech-forward of the big three pizza chains — launched a proprietary operating system, as well as an overhauled website and app.
According to the 2023 Happy Customer Experience, digital guests are overall less satisfied with their experiences than dine-in guests, and restaurant reviews that mention mobile apps usually have poor ratings.
As each pizza chain tries to get the mobile ordering experience right, Pizza Hut’s approach to focus less on “nice to haves” and more on the “must-have” removal of omnichannel friction is in line with closing this satisfaction gap for mobile guests.
