Until 1996, Pizza in India was synonymous only a bready dough base slathered with some ketchup. Since 1996, there was a proliferation of ‘high-priced branded’ pizzas in the market, with the entry of international pizza chains. Domino’s and Pizza Hut, the two big US fast food chains entered India in 1996. Domino’s entered India in 1996 through a franchise agreement with Vam Bhartia Corp. Pizza Hut entered India in June 1996 with its first outlet in Delhi. Initially, the company operated company- owned outlets. However, keeping in line with its worldwide policy where Pizza Hut was gradually making a shift from company-owned restaurants to franchisee owned restaurants, Pizza Hut made the shift in India too. Both Pizza Hut and Domino’s claimed it had the original recipe as the Italians first wrote it and was trying desperately to create brand loyalty. While Pizza Hut relied on its USP of “dining experience,” Domino’s USP was a 30-minute delivery frame. To penetrate the market, both the players redefined their recipes to suit the Indian tastes. Domino’s went a step ahead by differentiating regions and applying the taste-factor accordingly. Domino’s also made ordering simpler through a single toll-free number through out the country. When Domino’s entered the Indian market, the concept of home delivery was still in its nascent stages. It existed only in some major cities and was restricted to delivery by the friendly neighborhood fast food outlets. Eating out at ‘branded’ restaurants was more prevalent. To penetrate the Indian market, Domino’s introduced an integrated home delivery system from a network of company outlets within 30 minutes of the order being placed. Domino’s also offered compensation: Rs.30/- off the price tag, if there was a delay in delivery. For the first 4 years in India, Domino’s concentrated on its ‘Delivery’ act. For its delivery promise to work, Domino’s followed a 11-minute schedule: one minute for taking down the order, one minute for Pizza-making, six minutes oven-time, and three minutes for packing, sealing and exit. Pizza Hut, on the other hand, laid more emphasis on its “restaurant dining experience.” It positioned itself as a family restaurant and also concentrated on wooing kids. Its delivery service was not time-bound. Analysts felt that Pizza was something that just was not meant to be delivered. If it is not eaten fresh, it turns cold and soggy. However, Domino’s seemed to have overcome this problem through its delivery pack called ‘Domino’s Heatwave.’ Since its entry into India, Domino’s introduced nine new toppings for Pizzas to cater to the local tastes. Different flavors were introduced in different parts of India. Very soon, Pizza Hut followed Domino’s and offered customized Spicy Paneer and Chicken Tikka toppings. Apart from this, it also opened a 100% vegetarian restaurant at Ahmedabad, a one-of-its-kind worldwide. Domino’s sold a 12” Pizza for Rs. 265. The high price was attributed to the high quality of ingredients used. However, with competition increasing from Pizza Hut, Domino’s introduced price cuts, discounts and freebies to attract the customers. In 1998, Domino’s introduced the Pizza Mania scheme where it offered a large pizza for Rs.129/-. The demand was overwhelming and the company sold close to 5000 pizzas in the first week of its launch. During late 1998, both Domino’s and Pizza Hut were trying to lure the customers with discount coupons by issuing such coupons through several schemes. Said an analyst, “Even then, the prices are too high. Globally, fast food chains only succeed when they bring their prices down to the same level as the street food.” However, both Domino’s and Pizza Hut were concentrating more on data base marketing and below-the-line activities and special offers. Domino’s was spending 50% of its total marketing budget on special offers and discounts along with delivered direct mailers and pizza training classes. Domino’s also had a tie-up with Discovery Channel under which the channel advertised its pizzas while Domino’s put the channel’s name on its mailers. Domino’s conducted Pizza making classes for school students. In 1998, it offered a clock to all its customers who had bought Rs. 15,000 worth of pizzas throughout the year. In 1998, Pizza Hut also launched a promotional campaign to attract the customers. It had a ‘Pan In Your Name’ contest where it offered a free pizza to anybody with the word Pan in his/her name – for example, Pankaj or Panandikar. In April 2000, Pizza Hut launched its innovative Pizza Pooch Menu and a Pizza Pooch Birthday Party package exclusively for kids in the 6-10 age group. In March 2000, Domino’s slashed prices of Pizza by 40%. The price of a regular Pizza with three toppings was cut from Rs.225 to Rs.130. In October 2000, Domino’s ran a scheme, where it gave away two pizzas for the price of one, within five days of placing an order. During the same time, Pizza Hut launched a ‘one rupee pan deal’ scheme. Under the scheme, for every pan Pizza purchased, another was given away for Re.1. In November 2000, Pizza Hut introduced a scheme called ‘barah nahin to tera (if not served in 12 minutes, it is yours free)’. The scheme offered a speed lunch in 12 minutes for Rs.89. One second over 12 minutes guaranteed that the customer would get it for free. Domino’s supply chain management enabled it to cut costs. In late 2000, it revamped its entire supply chain operations. This enabled Domino’s to slash prices. For instance, the price for a no-frills cheese pizza was down from Rs.75 to Rs.49. A 10” pizza with at least three toppings was available for Rs.119 as against the earlier price of Rs.225. Domino’s and Pizza Hut initially restricted their ad strategy to banners, hoardings and specific promotions. In August 2000, Domino’s launched the ‘Hungry Kya? (Are You Hungry)’ sequence of advertisements on television. The launch of ‘Hungry Kya?’ campaign coincided with Domino’s tie-up with Mahanagar Telephones Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) for the ‘Hunger Helpline’. The helpline enabled the customers to dial a toll-free number from any place in India. The number automatically hunted out the nearest Domino’s outlet from the place where the call was made and connected the customer for placing the order. The number also helped Domino’s to add the customer’s name, address and phone number to its database. This was followed by Pizza Hut’s first campaign on television in July 2001, which said, ‘Good times start with great pizzas.’ The ad was aired during all the important programs on Star Plus, Sony, Sony Max, Star Movies, HBO, AXN, and MTV. Pizza Hut planned to spend between Rs.70-75 million on the ad campaign in 2001. By March 2000, Domino’s opened 37 outlets all over India. Between April 2000 and February 2001, Domino’s set up 64 more outlets in India. Domino’s had the largest retail network in the fast food segment in India- with 101 outlets across 40 cities. Domino’s had a tie-up with a real estate consultant Richard Ellis to help with locations, conduct feasibility studies, and manage the construction. It was also looking at non-traditional outlets like large corporate offices, railway stations, cinema halls and university campuses. In early 2000, Domino’s had opened an outlet at Infosys, Bangalore, which was very successful. It also had outlets at cinema halls – PVR in Delhi, Rex in Bangalore, and New Empire in Kolkata. By January 2001, Pizza Hut had 19 outlets across India. In a move to expand further, Pizza Hut planned to open an additional five restaurants in Mumbai and 30 restaurants across major cities in India, by 2001 end. In March 2001, Pizza Hut opened its first three-storeyed 125-seater dine-in restaurant at Juhu in Mumbai.

1. Domino’s entered India at a time when Pizza Hut and McDonald’s were already in the market. What was the strategy adopted by Domino’s to make a dent in the Indian market? 2. Though Pizza Hut entered India before Domino’s, it eventually lost its share to Domino’s. How Pizza Hut tried to counter the competition from Domino’s?