WAWA Pa. WaWa Inc., based here, said use of online and text-message ordering for deli foods is rising and that customers are responding favorably to the new options in an expanding test of the technology by the 568-unit convenience-store chain.
“Each week it is growing,” Bob Riesenbach, WaWa's manager of new initiatives said of the new order channels for the chain's prepared food, which includes hoagies, salads and chicken strips. “Quite a few customers are using the service more than once.”
Riesenbach declined to detail test results, to date, such as the number of orders, mix of online and text-message orders or ticket lift, if any, but noted that the number of text-message orders was higher than what the company had expected.
Howard Stoeckel, WaWa's chief executive, said the test is part of an exploration of ways to “redefine convenience” for customers and position the chain for “the next generation of heavy users.” He said it was too early to tell if the technology would be rolled out by the chain known for having in-store customers place their own deli orders via kiosks.
For several weeks WaWa has tested the online and text-message ordering technology and services of New York-based GoMoBo at six stores in the Pennsylvania cities of Malvern, Media and Philadelphia. The company plans to soon expand the trial to four additional Philadelphia outlets.
Stoeckel said testing online and text ordering is part of an initiative to increase the frequency with which customers buy deli foods and the amount they spend while doing so. The effort also entails a “Dinner Deals” promotion that discounts featured foods, he indicated.
Customers of the C-store chain can order and pay in advance for foods to be picked up at a time they desire by registering personal and payment information online at www.wawa.com/gomobo. At the website, they create a profile that includes their favorite foods and drinks for fast recall and ordering via the Internet or text message with a reference code.
WaWa said it is using the e-mail addresses acquired as part of the GoMoBo registration process in support of opt-in electronic marketing that may later include text-message campaigns.
The online and text-message orders are fielded by GoMoBo and routed across the Internet to standalone personal computers in the deli areas of the participating WaWa stores. Riesenbach said the GoMoBo data would be integrated into the chain’s in-store production systems if a rollout results from the trial.
For providing its service, GoMoBo typically charges a fee of 10 percent of each transaction processed, though the specific terms of its deal with WaWa were not revealed.
