Think your local pizza joint is too small for online ordering? Think again. Pizza Hut may have over 12,000 locations, but Rascal House Pizza of Cleveland, OH has proven that it only takes 6 stores to get customers enthused about placing orders online.

Large chains like Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and Pizza Pro all enjoy revenue increases of 5-10% from their online ordering systems, but smaller chains are starting to get in on the action. Such is the case with Rascal House Pizza, who has received over 500 online registrations since the launch of their new online order mechanism. In addition to the overwhelming interest in the system, Rascal House reports an average online order size of about $27, with some locations over the $30 mark. This is almost 40% higher than the average call-in order.

Rascal House uses their online system as a tool to cater to its customers needs for speed and convenience. O-Web Technologies, developer of Rascal House's online ordering system, reports that online users are twice as likely to come back as the average phone-in customer. "We are extremely excited and honored to design our online ordering system directly with Rascal House Pizza and are eager to help them manage their online operations as their business grows," says Stan Garber, Senior Sales Manager for O-Web Technologies.

Customers tend to return to the site because of its inherent convenience. Aside from not having to look up a phone number and sit on hold, the site automatically gives each customer the option to quickly repeat previous orders. Retaining order history also allows system operators to customize direct marketing efforts to each shopper. "If a customer ordered a veggie pizza in the past, the system suggests something similar when they come back," explains Niko Frangos, Vice President of Rascal House Pizza. "This isn't just blind marketing to a diverse customer base; we're able to cater toward what they're actually interested in. We're not just interested in sales, but also knowing our customers. These tools make it possible."

Rascal House plans to continue to market the system through in-store promotions and all major mailings, but the online system will also return the favor. Future marketing plans will use system-stored information for special email campaigns that will target specific users' personal food preferences. New revisions of the software will also utilize specialized artificial intelligence technology for smarter upselling of new menu options based on trends in each customer's ordering patterns.

Rascal House's online ordering system is now completely integrated into each franchise and should help owners better manage their increased business as colleges and universities reconvene in the next few weeks.