Dive Brief:

• Domino's will expand its GPS delivery tracking technology, Domino's Tracker, nationwide, according to a press release.​ The chain expects a quarter of its stores to have the tech in place by year's end and for a significant portion of stores to have it available in 2020.
• Customers can track their orders using an interactive map found on the order confirmation page. They will receive an estimated delivery time and can opt into text notifications that will let them know when their order is on the way, when it’s two minutes away and when it has arrived.
• The technology also allows managers to view where their delivery experts are on the road, making in-store logistics more manageable. Delivery experts can use optional navigation, one-touch customer callback capabilities and benefit from customers who are better prepared to meet them upon arrival.

Dive Insight:

The addition of Domino's GPS tracking will not only improve the customer experience and make the pizza chain more competitive against third-party delivery providers, it will also help in-store and delivery logistics.

Using GPS to get the fastest route will also improve delivery times and get more orders out the door. GPS technology can also closely track a delivery driver’s performance, such as idling, speeding and engine starts that can be used to improve the driver’s performance, according to myTrackee. Constant monitoring can also allow managers to create better delivery procedures. Kitchen staff also know when best to prepare orders if they know where a driver is and can notify drivers on how to set their route for the next round of orders. 

Improving delivery times has been a main focus for Domino's. It's been using fortressing to grow store counts while also decreasing distance between stores and customers. CEO Ritch Allison told investors in October that within the Lewsiville,Texas area, where the company used fortressing, the average time was about 16.5 minutes and there were no deliveries over 45 minutes.

While it's one of the few chains using fortessing, it's not the only company using GPS tracking. Papa John's added GPS tracking to over 1,000 restaurants nationwide during the summer. Uber Eats also uses real-time GPS tracking of its drivers to allow customers to track their order. Grubhub has been using "Just in Time" delivery that coordinates delivery driver pickups to the moment the order is ready to improve food quality and delivery times. Shake Shack and Dunkin' have been using this technology as part of their partnerships with the third-party provider.

Having this kind of technology adds to Domino's suite of delivery innovations, which have included a five-point tracker that let customers track their orders from prep to delivery, one-click ordering across multiple digital channels and Hotspots. GPS tracking will also allow the company to gather logistical data, which could ultimately be used to create better technologies and allow Domino’s to continue with its competitive edge with technology.