whatsmybrand.com - a new website that's set to revolutionise how consumers eat out and order takeaways
Domino’s Pizza has become the first major foodservice chain to sign up to whatsmybrand.com, a groundbreaking new website that’s poised to become the first-ever A-Z directory of the food and drink on sale through restaurants and takeaways.
whatsmybrand.com, which goes live to the public on 26 January, will host detailed information about meals sold in foodservice outlets to allow increasingly discerning consumers to search online for options that meet their requirements before ordering in a takeaway or booking a table in a restaurant.
The sophisticated new portal, which boasts a state-of-the art intelligent search engine, will allow consumers to search for meals using a wide range of product attributes. Those with special dietary requirements, for example, whether nutritionally or in relation to allergies, will be able to look for products that match their needs at the click of a mouse.
Consumers can search for multiple attributes at once – low-fat and nut-free, for example – making it an unrivalled source of information, and potentially a key factor in a consumer’s decision making process when selecting a restaurant or takeaway.
Domino’s is to use whatsmybrand.com to host detailed information about its famous range of pizzas. Visitors to the site will be able to find out a host of information about each pizza, including its ingredients, its country of origin, serving size per slice, and whether it contains any allergens. Consumers will also be able to click through whatsmybrand.com to Domino’s own site to place an order online.
Domino’s, the highly successful takeaway franchise business, which recently reported sales rise 18% in the third quarter of 2008, is just the first foodservice business to sign up to whatsmybrand.com, with more names set to be unveiled soon.
whatsmybrand.com is completely independent – and carries no advertising – making it a trusted source of information for consumers and a new way for companies to boost sales.
The site will be free for consumers to access and use. They will also be able to register to receive a host of enhancements to the service, such as personalised search settings and the option to create their own lists of favourite meals and products.
Foodservice companies will pay a low subscription charge to list their products on the site – although any that sign up to the service before it goes live on 26 January will be eligible to list their products free of charge for a year.
Businesses that do sign up to the site will enjoy increased sales opportunities as consumers with specific needs discover their products and find out where they are sold. They will also be able to use the site as a cost-effective means to drive additional sales though their own sites. By listing their products, companies will also enhance their reputation for openness, resulting in greater levels of trust.
The service is open to restaurants and takeaways of all sizes. Companies have complete control over the information listed about their products and can list as many of their meals as they like on the site, and as much information about them as they want.
The site also hosts information about packaged food and drink on sale in retail outlets. Several food manufacturers have already joined the service, including big names like Premier Foods, Cadbury, Ryvita, Jordans, S&B Herba Foods, Tate & Lyle and The Chocolate Alchemist.
whatsmybrand.com is the brainchild of Ian Duncan, 44, a former advertising man who emigrated from South Africa to the UK in 2005.
“More and more consumers in the UK want to know what’s inside the meals they buy from foodservice businesses,” says Ian. “whatsmybrand.com will allow them to find out all of this information – and more – at the click of a mouse.
“Huge strides have been made by restaurants and takeaways in terms of improving their products nutritionally and producing them in a more ethical and responsible way. But research shows nearly two thirds of consumers still want more information about the food they buy*. whatsmybrand.com will address this by providing a totally independent and trusted source of information about food and drink.”
* Source: Food Standards Agency, Consumer Attitudes to Food survey, 22 February 2007