Online ordering means billions of dollars for the pizza industry each year for decades to come.

I’ve never seen anything like it in my 37 years in the pizza industry. The changes of the last five years include tectonic shifts in the way consumers buy pizza directly as a result of internet commerce that has disproportionately benefited our industry. Steve Jobs not only created the NeXT computer that built the World Wide Web and the software that would lead the internet commerce revolution, but, as described in this month’s cover story, “The NeXT Generation” (page 28), he literally ordered the first pizza from Cyberslice to demonstrate the power of his vision.

Now, in 2019, online ordering has surpassed the telephone as the primary way to order a pizza, and we’d like to acknowledge Steven P. Jobs for his visionary leadership with this special front cover created by Eric Summers, PMQ’s art director. And beginning with this issue, we have prepared a three-part series that we hope will help our industry better understand the incredible opportunity that online ordering represents.

Part 1: How we got here

Part 2: Who are our industry’s digital marketing providers?

Part 3: Best practices and examples of pizza marketing in a digital AND non-digital environment.

Online ordering isn’t just a way to increase sales. It’s a way to protect your profits—by lowering breakeven requirements. When your average ticket can be higher, labor costs lower, mistakes fewer, service faster, pizza hotter, and restaurant reviews better, maybe it’s time to invest in digital. Meanwhile, check out the Think Tank at PMQ.com/tt for peer-to-peer advice if you need it.   

The best news of all is that it is now possible to embrace online ordering and digital marketing even if you’re an old-timer like me. Our industry has found that big money once again exists in pizza, and marketing specialists and companies are springing up to help you stay focused on what you do best.

All the best in pizza success,

Steve Green