In the United Kingdom 20% of Domino’s customers are placing voice-command orders using the virtual voice assistant of Amazon, Alexa, rather than the pizza chain’s own Easy Order option. The Alexa feature was announced by Domino’s three months ago and it added to other digital offerings that the pizza chain already had.
To use the Alexa function customers of the pizza chain must register an online account with Domino’s and this lets them set their favorite order which can then be submitted via platforms such as Google Home, Facebook Messenger, or Amazon’s app or website.
Additional sales channel
In the half-year that ended in June this year, same-store sales at Domino’s fell by 13% compared to last year. Though voice orders are not expected to reverse the decline in sales, they assist in simplifying the ordering process which in turn makes it easier for consumers to make a purchase.
New Echo devices
Amazon recently unveiled new Alexa-powered Echo products and this includes Echo Plus, Echo Spot, Echo Show, Echo Connect and Echo Buttons. Echo Plus has been designed by the online retail giant to serve as a smart home hub capable of easily connecting all the smart devices including setting up and controlling lights and locks. Echo Spot, on the other hand, is designed to serve a variety of purposes according to the senior vice president of Amazon Alexa, Tom Taylor.
“See the weather, watch video news briefings, glance at your alarm clock, check on your kids, and more—we think customers will find lots of places for Echo Spot in their homes,” said Taylor.
With Echo Connect Amazon is aiming to turn the Echo into a speakerphone for use with the home phone line and it works with both voice over internet protocol and landlines. Users can ask the device to make calls from the contact list without having to touch a single button. And when a call is made to the home phone, the identity of the caller will be announced by Alexa. To answer all that owners of the device have to do is ask the Amazon’s voice assistant to begin the conversation.