Company Bio

Maker Pizza is a popular Toronto-based pizza place with an incredibly loyal following. The brand was created by Shlomo Buchler (owner) and Matty Matheson over five years ago and has two locations: Cameron Street and Avenue Road. They launched their mobile app on Smooth Commerce’s platform in October of 2019.

Challenge

Maker Pizza was quick to respond to keep their customers and staff safe during COVID-19. Mid-march, they notified customers through their mobile app (iOS and Android), website and social media of the changes to their operations and the protocols they put in place. Since then they have been operating through pick up and delivery only and encourage customers to download their mobile app to place an order. Customers are able to pre-pay for their order through the app and can specify delivery instructions at checkout to minimize interaction at the door.

While ensuring their operations stayed smooth during this uncertain time, their priority was continuing to serve their customers high-quality ingredients while adjusting operations as required to account for social distancing and other safety measures.

“Maker is a rock star in the pizza category with an extremely devoted customer base and our platform allows them to take customer engagement to the next level. As client and customer needs evolve during the pandemic, it’s critical to have a platform that delivers flexibility and Maker Pizza is a great example of a customer leveraging these tools to their fullest,” said Brian Deck, CEO of Smooth Commerce.

Approach

In addition to strict cleaning protocols, Maker Pizza combated the challenges of COVID-19 by tightening up their menu to ensure efficiency in service and operations. They reduced their menu from 17 items to eight favourites: Dr. Pepperoni, Frank’s Best, So Mushroom, Napoli Dynamite, Siena Margherita, Red Base and White Base (make your own), and their chocolate chip cookie. The Smooth Commerce Merchant Portal allowed Maker Pizza to manage these menu changes with ease and had them reflected on their mobile app in real-time so customer orders were limited to the newly available offerings.

With their reduced menu, they were able to streamline their order preparation and supply chain, keep up with order demands, and adhere to their COVID-19 protocols. For limited time periods, Maker Pizza has also been bringing back fan favourites such as Return of the Mac and Tropic Thunder to create additional excitement and engagement. The flexibility of the Merchant Portal allowed Maker Pizza to add and remove these limited time offerings with a couple of “clicks.”

Furthermore, Maker Pizza was able to use the Portal to create a marketing card within the app feed home page that notified customers of the temporarily reduced menu. During this time, it’s evident that keeping customers informed is a high priority for restaurants.

“We’ve found the Merchant Portal to be a very powerful tool, giving us the flexibility to respond to an evolving situation and make any necessary updates quickly. Backed by a diligent customer support team at Smooth, our app played a significant role in our ability to efficiently inform and serve our customers throughout the pandemic,” Shlomo Buchler, owner of Maker Pizza.

Results

• 146% increase in transactions from March to September
• 141% increase in app users who made a purchase from March to September
• 36% of their sales are flowing through their mobile app
• 7% increase in average transaction size from March to September

Takeaway

Smooth Commerce’s easy-to-use Merchant Portal allowed Maker Pizza to quickly make updates to their mobile app menu and marketing feed. This allowed them to adapt to the rapidly changing COVID-19 environment and stay connected to their customers. As circumstances are changing daily, this capability is crucial for restaurants to pivot and make appropriate decisions for their business.

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