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Does Domino's offer a better mobile experience than Starbucks?

December 7, 2016

While Starbucks is usually top of mind when it comes to a best-in-class mobile experience, it came in second place to Domino's this year, according to DMI, which released findings this morning from its first annual ranking of mobility leaders in the QSR industry.

The "Mobile Maturity Model: Quick Service Restaurants" report ranked the industry's top 20 mobility leaders, as follows:

• Domino's
• Starbuck's
• Taco Bell
• Panera Bread
• Papa John's
• Specialty's Cafe & Bakery
• Steak 'n Shake
• Protein Bar
• Chop't
• Dunkin' DonutsS
• Sweetgreen
• Chick-fil-A
• Quiznos
• Jersey Mike's
• Red Robin
• Boston Market
• Jimmy John's
• Moe's Southwest Grill
• Jamba Juice
• Pei Wei Asian Dinner

DMI ranked the quality and sophistication of the mobile offerings from more than 75 restaurants in the United States using its proprietary benchmarking tool, the Mobile Maturity Model, said Jay Sunny Bajaj, DMI founder and CEO. The tool evaluates each QSR brand's mobile capabilities in relation to customers' desired mobile experience.

"Today's consumers are already experiencing how mobile is revolutionizing retail and other service industries, so quick-serves can no longer afford to take a ‘wait and see' approach," he said. "QSRs that are striving to meet the demand for faster, cheaper and more convenient mobile experiences are raising the bar, but more needs to be done."

Some of the report's most interesting findings included:

• Fast casual comes out on top: Fast casual brands own the mobile space, followed by coffee shops, pizza and finally, traditional fast food restaurants. Of the 20 top-scoring brands in the benchmarking study, 70 percent were fast casual restaurants.
• Mobile drives brand loyalty:Mobile has achieved critical mass in QSRs, especially among consumers DMI identified as "Mobile Reliants." This group actively engages with mobile to improve the overall dining experience, rather than just one part of it, like viewing a menu or using a reward card. The Mobile Reliants,represent nearly one-third of all QSR diners. QSRs that are investing in this channel are winning more customers by helping to drive increased brand loyalty and dining frequency
• Customers should be top of mind when designing apps: QSRs must approach mobile from the customers' point of view. Thus, creating well-designed mobile experiences that go beyond apps to include an omni-channel approach (e.g., mobile web, distributed ordering, third-party delivery systems, etc.) is vital in today's marketplace.
• Work is still in progress: Although some QSRs are providing better mobile experiences than others, none are fully satisfying their customers' desires. Continued innovation and attention to improving customer experiences will help secure a brand's position in a customer's life.