PizzaExpress have partnered with Redcentric and Purple to deliver a free, fast and secure guest WiFi network in 470+ restaurants across the UK and Northern Ireland. The new infrastructure, equipped with WiFi analytics, is part of a phase of digital transformation, aimed at enhancing the dining experience.
In January 2017, Purple was expertly installed across 1024 Meraki access points. The new network means diners have access to a secure connection whilst also enabling PizzaExpress to collect key demographic and behavioral data – ultimately transforming the network into a revenue generating tool for the brand.
By collecting and analyzing the customer data, PizzaExpress can begin to tailor the experience to individual diners; increasing loyalty by differentiating the dining experience and driving customer spend through engagement personalized to their interests.
Paul Davie, Head of CRM at PizzaExpress said: “Purple has provided a gateway for us to begin building better customer profiles.”
PizzaExpress have used the Purple platform to support a number of marketing initiatives aimed at driving awareness of the new WiFi network and increasing app downloads.
In a recent successful campaign, PizzaExpress encouraged diners to connect to the WiFi and enter a prize draw with a chance to win a number of gadgets, including one of three iPhoneX’s donated by Purple.
Another campaign involved promotion of the new PizzaExpress app, encouraging customers to download. PizzaExpress offered a free pizza to all guests who downloaded the app and filled out their contact information. The offer was promoted through the Purple WiFi splash pages and has contributed to a spike in app downloads.
Davie said: “We’ve had a lot of success with the app so far, and being able to promote this through Purple has been a great addition.”
Davie continued: “The app has a number of new features including the ability to split the bill with friends and redeem vouchers to use both online and in our restaurants. With the release of our new pay-at-table function and the coming ‘click and collect’ functionality that will allow customers to order and collect their pizzas on the go, we want to encourage as many people as possible to download the app so that they can benefit.”
The pay-at-table function, developed by Flyt, enables customers to pay their bill via the PizzaExpress app. It is estimated that the pay-at-table function will save each customer over three hours a year.
Timothy Love, Senior Marketing Manager at PizzaExpress, said: “We are always looking at ways we can improve our customers’ experiences and our new app will do just that.”
Since the installation of Purple, PizzaExpress have seen over 5 million WiFi sessions, with 38% of this figure reported as new visitors to their restaurants. “This figure has exceeded expectations”, said Davie. From this, PizzaExpress have added a large number of new customer records to their internal CRM.