With the Mobile Retail Summit taking place on Thursday, we’ve been talking to some of our speakers to find out more about how important mobile is to their business. First up, Paul Francis, head of eCommerce at Domino’s.
DM: So Paul, great to have you on the Agenda, what will you be speaking about on Thursday?

PF: I’ll be talking about Domino’s 15-year journey from a bricks and mortar to an online retailer, including the explosion of mobile and some insight into customer behaviour, and how both have shaped our eCommerce and mCommerce strategies. I’ll be explaining what we have learned and we would do differently, and also offering delegates an insight into Domino’s view of the future and innovation.

DM: So how has mobile impacted your business model over the last 5 – 10 years?

PF: It’s been huge! We have become an online retail and logistics company that sells pizza, made, baked and delivered, all within 30 minutes. Our brand is based on convenience, and mobile is the ultimate convenience retail channel.

DM: What are the biggest achievements and learnings that the company has experienced in its mobile journey?

PF: Over 40 per cent of digital sales are through mobile, worth almost £200m per year. That’s a lot of pizza, and illustrates how much people like to use what we offer.

DM: What are the top three mobile retail trends you predict for the coming year?

PF: Number one, better, faster mobile network coverage. Number two, growth in Android as people replace their ageing iPhones. And number three, for serious retailers I expect to see more HTML5 websites, designed for mobile and fewer native apps.

DM: What is the main priority for Domino’s in mobile this year?

PF: We’re working towards friction-free ordering, no matter which channel you choose. We’re also placing greater emphasis on personalised content and optimising value to the customer. Finally, we want to deliver the ultimate in convenience, and the reassurance that we are the pizza delivery experts.

DM: What areas of mobile and digital marketing do you find most confusing?

PF: For the past five years, every infographic I’ve seen, every mobile event I’ve attended, and every article I’ve read has said “Mobile is the future” but nobody has really understood what that means to their business. I read an article the other day that declared the web was dead as people now use their smartphones for everything, including watching TV. Clearly this is rubbish. People now expect a constant stream of relevant content that informs, entertains or provides utility. They don’t care what device it comes from and it doesn’t matter how responsive your amazing new website is, if it doesn’t do one of those things, people will turn their attention to something that does.

DM: Would you agree that retail is leading the way in mobile compared to most other industries? If so, why do you think this is?

PF: It’s not that simple. In the area of utility, yes retailers are leading the way but when it comes to information or entertainment (including social), others have got it nailed. As a company, we work very hard to give people other reasons to talk about the brand. Remember the Amazon and Google delivery drone wars? Well we did it first with the DomiCopter.

DM: Thats a cool way to deliver a pizza Paul. Thanks, look forward to your presentation on Thursday.

PF: Thank you.

Paul Francis is speaking at 10am at the Mobile Retail Summit in London on Thursday, 5 June. More information here.