Mobile marketing firm 2ergo has developed a free iPhone app for PizzaExpress that enables customers to pay their bill in a restaurant via their iPhone.

The app gives diners who are pressed for time the option to pay the bill in less than a minute at any stage of their meal. It can be used in any of the 370 PizzaExpress restaurants across the UK.

The app forms the hub of a complete solution, which also incorporates mobile websites, voucher redemption, live search and booking facilities, as well as customer interaction and messaging. It has full eCommerce integration with retail partners, including Torex’s solutions for the restaurant. Launched late last week, the app is already in the Top 10 free app downloads.

“We knew there was no point just launching an app for the sake of it, so we waited until we had a system that could genuinely improve our customers’ experience of eating out at PizzaExpress,” says PizzaExpress chief executive, Mark Angela. “We believe today’s version does exactly that and we’re looking forward to developing it in the future.”

2ergo group managing director John Stevens notes that consumers are growing increasingly reliant on smartphones as their primary source for communication and information, adding that the next logical step is that they feel comfortable enough to use their mobile devices for their purchases.

“Forward thinking businesses such as PizzaExpress have identified that this confidence will fuel demand for mobile payment solutions that add to a convenient and effective customer service,” says Stevens. “Once consumers get used to paying via a mobile device, it will quickly become expected, and retailers and leisure operators not considering an integrated mobile strategy could soon be left behind.”