The results are in from PMQ’s annual pizza power report and if there’s one thing that’s for certain, it’s that people love pizza. A reported 83% of people order pizza at least once a month, so keeping your pizzeria up to date with the latest trends and topics that are dominating the industry is a necessity if you want to capture that business.

According to PMQ magazine, there are three main trends that people look for when deciding which pizzeria to dine at: freshness, quality ingredients, tech-savvy shops, and a millenial-centric experience. While these trends can change with time, it’s crucial to keep up and implement them into your shop to meet the demands of your customers.

Focus on freshness

Health is at the forefront of consumers’ minds, and people want to know what ingredients factor into the foods they eat. To keep up with this shift, it’s important that your pizzeria provides transparency and visibility with regards to the ingredients you use. Considering 25% of people said they would eat pizza more often if healthier options were available, there’s a huge opportunity for your pizzeria to meet that demand by offering healthier options or catering to different dietary restrictions. To expand your customer base and cater to a wider audience, try adding a gluten-free crust or vegan and vegetarian options.

Get on the tech train

Nearly 66% of Americans are in the habit of ordering their food digitally via a mobile app or website, so offering those capabilities to your customers is essential to growing your business. As an independent pizzeria owner, it’s likely you’ve been in business for decades, passing down the shop from generation to generation. While it’s easy to stick with what you’ve always done because you know that it works, incorporating technology and getting your pizzeria online is crucial to the future success of your business. Customers crave accessibility to you wherever they’re searching for you, and that means offering them the digital capabilities they want.

Meet millennials in the middle

Millennials are the present and future customers of your business, and according to a recent study by Technomic, 40% of the younger generation agrees that pizza is “the best food in the world.” Understanding the experience they look for when dining out is going to unlock a great amount of opportunity for you to grab their business and simultaneously grow your own. Most Millennials grew up on technology, and they rely heavily on it to make their lives more convenient. Making your restaurant available to them online will establish lasting and loyal relationships with your customers, because our data has shown that customers who order online, order twice as frequently than if they’re ordering over the phone.
At Slice, we understand the digital age and our expertise lies specifically in the pizza industry. We make it as easy as possible for your business to be accessible online by customers, wherever they may be searching for you.

To learn more about how we help over 10,000 pizzerias grow their businesses year over year, click here.

— Chloe Riley