Pizza is built for repeat business. It’s affordable, highly shareable, and one of the most popular guilty-pleasure delivery orders. But standing out from the competition takes more than great toppings and sauce. The most successful pizzerias pair great food with a strong pizza marketing plan that helps them attract, engage, and retain customers on their terms.

If you're looking to increase sales and build long-term loyalty, keep reading for five pizza marketing strategies.

Why pizza marketing is different and why that matters

Pizzerias have a unique edge in the restaurant world:

• High reorder potential: Pizza is comfort food, celebration food, and a staple in many households.

• Easy add-ons: Garlic bread, wings, and sodas are high-margin sides that increase ticket size.

• Group ordering: Families and friends often order pizza together for casual meals and celebrations, boosting average order value.

A strong pizza marketing plan taps into these habits, making it easy for customers to return again and again.

5 pizza marketing tactics that actually work

1. Launch a branded mobile app to make reordering easy

With mobile app customers driving a quarter of first-party digital order volume*, investing in a branded mobile app should be a top priority on your marketing list for your pizzeria. Not only can a mobile app provide a branded experience, keeping customers engaged with the details that make your pizza shop unique, but it can also drive reorders. In fact, customers who order through a branded mobile app are 30% more likely to reorder** than those who order via the web. 

But launching a mobile app for your pizza restaurant requires a lot of time and technical expertise, taking you away from day-to-day pizza shop responsibilities. With the DoorDash Commerce Platform Pro package, DoorDash engineers do the heavy lifting for you using the same technology that powers Marketplace to create a branded, high-converting mobile experience for your brand, including features like:

• One-click reordering

• Saved favorites

• App-only rewards and promos

2. Use loyalty rewards to build regulars

With the average American eating a whopping 288 slices of pizza per year, pizza is one of the most loyalty-friendly foods out there—and with the DoorDash Commerce Platform Pro package, you can implement a cross-channel loyalty program that rewards customers whether they order online, in-store, through your app, or on DoorDash.

That means:

• Customers earn points automatically with each order

• Rewards are redeemable across all channels

• You keep customers engaged with minimal setup

You can customize your loyalty rewards to suit your brand. Offer points for every dollar spent, double points during lunch hours, or free items after a certain number of purchases. The goal is to make it easy and worthwhile for customers to keep choosing your pizzeria.

3. Run automated emails and texts to boost order frequency

With pizza being a go-to option for busy weeknights, football game days, and group meals, staying top of mind is key. One great way to do that is by kicking off a strong email program that takes guest behavior and habits into consideration.

But let's face it— restaurant email marketing can be a full-time job and tricky to accomplish without hiring extra headcount. The DoorDash Commerce Platform Boost and Pro packages include automated email marketing, executing your email marketing strategy behind the scenes, while you focus on day-to-day pizza restaurant operations.

Here’s how it works:

• Winback series targets lapsed customers

• Reorder nudges showcase previous orders and popular menu items

• Loyalty reminders encourage point redemption

These “set it and forget it” campaigns can increase order frequency by 15% on average.*** And because they’re automated, you don’t need a marketing team to keep the communication going.

4. Customize your marketing with high-margin offers

Not all customers are the same, and your marketing doesn’t have to be either. You can build custom email and text campaigns that reach different segments of your audience with promotions that match their preferences.

Using customizable email and text marketing, available on the Pro package, you can segment your sends by order frequency, loyalty status, and more. This functionality enables you to tailor your messaging and offers to specific groups of customers, ensuring your promotions are relevant and timely.

5. Optimize your website to turn traffic into orders

Did you know that 94% of first impressions are design-related? That means a high-quality, mobile-optimized online ordering website should be one of your top priorities as you build out your pizza marketing plan. 

Many pizzerias already have websites, but few are designed for conversions. With the DoorDash Commerce Platform, DoorDash builds and hosts a modern website that reflects your brand’s look and feel and makes it easier for browsers to become customers.

How a San Francisco pizza restaurant drove more orders with DoorDash

Fiorella, a beloved San Francisco Italian eatery, used the DoorDash Commerce Platform to streamline their website and improve checkout, increasing order volume by 12% after switching to Online Ordering.

Bonus tips: Pizza marketing ideas for every season

Want to keep your campaigns as fresh as your ingredients? Here are a few extra tactics that pair well with the DoorDash Commerce Platform:

• Game Day Deals: Promote family bundles or group specials around playoff games and big events.

• Limited-Time Offers: Launch a "Pizza of the Month" or feature seasonal toppings.

• Referral Rewards: Offer a free appetizer to customers who refer a friend

• Email Exclusives: Send email-only discounts to encourage direct orders

• Event Tie-Ins: Run promos around holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day

Grow with the DoorDash Commerce Platform

Whether you’re running a single pizza shop or managing multiple locations, the DoorDash Commerce Platform can help you increase orders, improve customer retention, grow your brand, and execute your pizza marketing strategy.

From branded mobile apps to loyalty rewards and smart website tools, theDoorDash Commerce Platform is built for pizzerias like yours.

*Based on internal DoorDash data from January 2025 to June 2025 for merchants with mobile apps

**Compared to customers using web ordering channels. Based on internal DoorDash data from January 2025 to June 2025
***Based on internal DoorDash data from March 2024 through March 2025

****Based on internal DoorDash data from Jan 2022 through Dec 2023