There is that popular saying that says that everything ends in pizza. However, many examples show that, in fact, it all starts with pizza: a good customer experience, successful business, round partnerships. There is no shortage of stories with these ingredients among the pizzerias on iFood.
Thinking, for example, about market share, the Prime Pizza says to put iFood at the top of its strategy menu. “Our interaction with the platform left the marketing umbrella and entered the operations umbrella”, says the partner and founder of the pizzeria, Gabriel Concon, to explain the importance of the alliance.
According to him, Prime and iFood share a fundamental value: taste for innovation. Gabriel attributes his decision to invest heavily in delivery at the beginning of his business, in 2011, to this DNA.
“We detected the trend abroad, in places like the United Kingdom, and we knew that digitalization would make a strong impact here, sooner or later,” he says.
In this way, it began to temper its trajectory with the conviction that the understanding of best practices to enhance sales through the platform is continuous.
“It’s not just about logging in and selling”, he says. “It is necessary to analyze the trend of each moment to always be in the spotlight. It’s a constant evolution.”
Pizzerias on iFood: long-term warming
This analysis includes the understanding that strategies such as participating in promotions are not just aimed at obtaining immediate results.
“I got into 'promobombs' [promotions with a fixed price stipulated by iFood] selling individual pizzas at prices that didn't cover the costs of the product”, recalls Gabriel. “But on those occasions, I was investing in brand visibility to increase my customer base on the platform.”
The tactic was very successful: it tripled Prime's clientele.
The company's partner also says that iFood even helped in the development of a new brand, aimed at a younger audience and game enthusiasts.
“We created Meta Pizza with an eye on the trend of the metaverse and gamers, who consume more individual pizzas and at different times of the day, not just at dinner”, he characterizes.
Pizza Prime, which was born in São Paulo, operates under the franchise model in 10 Brazilian states, selling a number of rounds that reach 2 and a half million units per year.
Among the most successful are the traditional Portuguese and margherita, as well as the sweet ones – the banoffee one is in the oven to be launched.
“The iFood platform brings us a wealth of information and allows us to test our business”, says Gabriel. “We replicate the actions that work. Thanks to this breadth of possibilities, we are able to fluctuate according to different demands, between classes A, B and C, with price options that reach these different audiences.”
Promoting expansion and strengthening the brand are also on the highlights menu of the partnership. Original Forneria with iFood. The pizzeria opened its doors in 2016 in Rio with a focus on delivery.
Currently, its rounds attract, in addition to those from Rio de Janeiro, customers from cities such as São Paulo, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte, Vila Velha, Juiz de Fora, Brasília, Recife, Curitiba and Blumenau. Forneria Original has a total of 48 franchise stores.
In the view of the house's partner and operational director, Darlene Rocha, the union between her company and iFood is similar to a pizza divided into two specialties.
One of the halves, that which belongs to Forneria Original, is that of the product and its qualities. “My mission is to make it the best it can be,” says Darlene.
On the other side, but going hand in hand, comes logistics and reach strategy. “In this aspect, the expertise belongs to iFood”, he emphasizes.
When talking about the qualities of her pizzas, Darlene talks about the abundant toppings, the careful choice of ingredients, and a dough specially designed so as not to lose its characteristics between leaving the oven and arriving at the customer's home.
“More than a pizza, what I offer is an experience”, he defines. “The photos of our products are not merely illustrative, they correspond exactly to reality.”
And it gives it a flavor of authenticity, from the round ones that feature buffalo mozzarella and German ham, among other delicacies, to the elaborate sweet pizzas, such as chocolate, caramelized banana and dulce de leche cheesecake.
By the way, Original has expanded its range of operations beyond pizzas, opening units offering other delicacies: it already has a hamburger shop, a sweet shop, an açaí shop and an ice cream shop, all offering delivery.
Pizzerias on iFood: explosion in sales
Returning to pizzas, we know that these Brazilian favorites have one day dedicated to them all year round – July 10th.
Because that date was a kind of turning point for Roberto Tezzin, owner of Macis Pizzaria Gourmet. And this is thanks to a promotion on iFood, a Brazilian company in tune with national preferences.
The project's route began, in 2014, on another gastronomic beach, the one for lunch meals, in the region of Campinas, Jundiaí and Paulínia, in the State of São Paulo. In 2016, Roberto decided to try pizza as an alternative to liven up dinner.
On Pizza Day 2017, iFood suggested he run a promotion, selling four flavors at half the usual price.
“This action changed the business from water to wine”, says the partner. “I went from selling an average of 20 pizzas a day to 70.”
This market, which had been eating at the edges, exploded once and for all – in a good way – in its focus of activity. Macis then left lunches aside and began to focus solely on making and selling pizzas.
Today the brand has seven franchise stores. “iFood helps us understand our target audience and also the competition”, highlights Roberto. “I receive guidance from a company consultant, who helps me, for example, to define which promotions to participate in”, he says.
If pizza has come to the center of the entrepreneur's attention, one of the differentiators of his pizzas continues on the edges. The ends are shaped like small volcanoes, filled with ingredients such as cream cheese and even chocolate.
They are a good metaphor for the footprint of these iFood partner pizzerias: their business is always buzzing – and never dormant.
