Domino’s Points for Pies Promotion Is One Big Data Grab | Eater

"A normcore pizza chain often touted as America’s leading food-delivery startup launched a promotion called “Points for Pies” (also referenced as the “Piece of the Pie” rewards program) that asks customers to photograph any pizza and upload it to the app to earn points — the program notes users “could get 10 points for scanning a pizza once per week,” and 60 points can be redeemed for a free medium two-topping pizza. Rolled out during the Super Bowl with a pledge to award at least 100 million points, the initiative is presented as a game but functions as a large-scale data-mining effort: an AI-driven pizza-identification system is designed to recognize pizzas of all kinds (homemade, artisan, novelty items, and even a dog’s squeaky toy), and the resulting photos and metadata will be used to track how users buy, make, and eat pizza and to capture snapshots of competitors. Building on a decade of using order and app data plus third-party sources to map local demographics and outmaneuver rivals, the company intends to apply these insights to improve delivery reliability, optimize staffing and store expansion, influence how its pizzas are made, and keep customers focused on its brand while maintaining low prices — a move that should further strengthen its position in future pizza-market competition." - Greg Morabito