Domino’s UK Foursquare Promotion Helps Increase Profits by 29%

According to Domino’s UK financial earnings report, the company has increased its pre-tax profit by nearly 29%, which equates to roughly $26 million. The UK pizza retailer attributes social media initiatives and its Foursquare promotion for the gains.
In the earnings statement, CEO Chris Moore points to the rise in online orders — which now account for 32.7% of all orders — as proof that their web and social media efforts are paying off.
Moore reports that when it comes to the web, “Our main Facebook () site now has in excess of 36,000 fans … In addition, we have led the way with social media initiatives such as affiliate marketing, our superfans programme and the development of a link up with Foursquare.”
Moore concludes that, “all of these web-based activities offer a dual benefit of driving pizza sales online and building customer loyalty.”
You may recall that the Foursquare promotion rewards mayors of UK stores with free pizza; other patrons who check-in receive a free side dish. The promotion was initially piloted in select locations but later rolled out nationwide after the program proved to successful.
Though we don’t know exactly how prominent Foursquare () factored in to Domino’s UK financial gains, we do think its encouraging that company executives are acknowledging the value of social media in helping improve the bottom line. When coupled with the fact that Starbuck’s used social media to get one million customers to stores in one day, the sales potential of social media is proving to be ever more tangible.
[via Marketing Magazine]

Top 10 Geekiest Marriage Proposals

Will everyone please rise for the bride and geek! Here at Mashable, we enjoy a good wedding, but we also enjoy a good proposal too — especially if the happy couple show their love in the geekiest of ways.
We’ve scoured the Internet () for the finest examples we could find of the geeky marriage proposal; and they involve video games, gadgets and even Google Street View.
Take a look at our collection of super-cool geeks who made that extra effort to incorporate their passion for tech and online life into securing the all-important “yes” from the person they love. Be sure to let us know your favorites in the comments below.

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1. Super Mario

This sweet geek used FuSoYa’s Lunar Magic Super Mario hack to pose a proposal to his girlfriend spelling out “Lisa… will you marry me?” in gold coins. That’s one way to get the princess!

Big Potential for In-Store Mobile Marketing

JUNE 30, 2010

Sophisticated apps can make the store experience better than ever

Mobile shopping from in-store is just beginning to achieve its promise. Most shoppers are not yet accustomed to turning on and logging in to a retailer’s mobile app when they enter one of its stores.
Likewise, retailers are just starting to launch mobile commerce offerings, let alone offer capabilities targeted to in-store shoppers.
“Consumers have already demonstrated that they like to research products online before buying them in a store,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Mobile Shopping from In-Store: A Potential Game-Changer.” “Until now, researching online and buying in a store have been sequential activities that take place hours, days or even weeks apart. But customers who bring their Web-enabled mobile phones with them into a store can do online research at the point of a purchase decision.”
Multichannel Merchant found in February 2010 that nearly four in five multichannel retailers in the US were not yet using any m-commerce features.

HOW TO: Better Serve the Social Media Customer

Maria Ogneva is the Director of Social Media at Attensity, a social media engagement and voice-of-customer platform that helps the social enterprise serve and collaborate with the social customer. You can follow her on Twitter at @themaria or @attensity360, or find her musings on her personal blog and her company’s blog.
When it comes to social media for business, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy. But to ensure results, you must align it with your overall business objectives and avoid falling for “shiny new objects” simply because they are trendy or hyped.
For example, a new business or “first mover” may want to focus on establishing thought leadership, while a more mature business should aim for customer support. In all cases, creating a product that actually solves problems for customers, present and future, should be every business’s top priority — and you should be using social media to help you figure out what that product is.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at how each department can blend traditional and social media to drive business goals and collaborate on a seamless customer experience.