Domino’s Pizza has just launched its official iPad app on the UK App Store. With some swipes pizza lovers can now order their favorite pizza, pay for it and sit down relaxed knowing their pizza will arrive soon. Curious where your pizza is? No worries, you can track it while it’s on its way from the store to your house. The good-looking iPad app is a nice addition to the already existing iPhone and Android apps of the company’s American counterpart. Unfortunately, these apps are only available either in the UK or the US, all other pizza lovers will still have to find other ways to order.

This post originally appeared at 21webmerceblog » Peter Horsten.View original post.

Order wherever you are

iPad users simply need to enter their postcode and the new app will automatically locate the nearest Domino’s store. Users can then scroll through a carousel style menu to select their favorite pizzas, sides, desserts, subs and drinks. You can create your own favorite pizza by choosing the base and pizza size, selecting the pizza sauce and then scattering on a range of tasty toppings just by tapping the screen.

With PayPal available as one of the payment options you can pay via the app in just a few clicks.

“We are delighted to launch our new iPad app, following the great success of our iPhone and Android apps. Sales of iPads are currently growing faster than iPhone and with the introduction of our new ordering app, we are keen to capitalise on this opportunity.” (Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director for Domino’s Pizza)

Besides ordering dinner, you can also use the app to find the nearest Domino’s outlet.

Domino’s new iPad app is now available to download free from the App Store.

Successful social and mobile commerce strategy

Domino’s UK has found success in using tech and social media initiatives. Last year the company said it saw a 29% increase in profits and credited its social media programs, including a Foursquare promotion.

“We have achieved fantastic sales to date through mobile channels – our iPhone app generated £10 million in pizza sales in just eight months – and we expect this trend to continue with our new iPad app and further take-up of our existing apps for iPhone and Android.” (Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director for Domino’s Pizza).

Is Domino’s just following Pizza Hut?

Although limited to the UK market, Domino’s iPad app follows Pizza Hut, which in May was the first major pizza delivery service to launch an iPad app.

In 2009, Pizza Hut released its iPhone app, and the company claims to have been the first player in the pizza segment to do so. Within three months, the app has generated more than $1 million in sales. Since then, rivals Domino’s and Papa John’s have both released iPhone apps. Back in May Pizza Hut claimed to be the first major fast food delivery chain to release an iPad app.

Honestly, Domino’s seemed to have learned a lot from Pizza Hut. Domino’s iPad app looks a lot better and is more intuitive. It seems they really developed it to give the user a fun experience. And this will be increasingly important in this competitive market.

It’s great to see these companies generating decent turnover through mobile commerce. We cannot wait to see these apps being rolled out to other countries and are curious how this fast food market will manage to excel by using social and mobile commerce solutions. What do you think about these initiatives? Do you think you could use a similar approach for your business? Feel free to share your opinion below, or let’s discuss on Twitter: @PetersOpinion.