Dunkin’ Brands Has Plans for More Change

We’ve already seen the kind of impact that mobile has had on Dunkin’ Donuts. The morning destination of choice for thousands of workers has made a lot of hay while the mobile sun shines, but new word from the company suggests that it’s not stopping here. It’s got its eye on a whole new crowd, and plans to bring its incredible mobile success to the rest of its brands.

Some, for example, may not know that Baskin Robbins is a Dunkin’ Brands property. The two stores are often seen sharing storefronts, so it’s theoretically possible to buy a dozen donuts from the same place you buy a gallon of ice cream. This is an opportunity for Dunkin’, and plans are already afoot to bring mobile order ahead and payment options to Baskin Robbins, as well as an improved app.

Plus, drive-thru capabilities are set to be further ramped up such that 75 percent of Dunkin’ outlets have the option, which is kind of amazing in a way that it’s not already at 100 percent.

Those aren’t the only plans, of course; Dunkin’s already noticed that it pretty much rules the morning commute, but after the workers are all ensconced in their jobs, there’s a lot less traffic. Dunkin’s working on that too, working on an updated menu with new choices and new deals.

The problem, of course, is that customers can get by with a couple donuts and coffee in the morning—the combination of sugar, caffeine and carbs is a good one for quick energy that manages to hold on for a while—but by about 11 am or so, the crash starts to kick in and customers need more substantive fare. Dunkin’s illustrated how mobile can be helpful in streamlining a day, but streamlining only goes so far. While it might be able to tease some afternoon traffic into stopping in for another coffee-and-donut fix after lunch to help turn that bigger meal into quick energy again, its impact will likely be limited.

Mobile doesn’t fix everything, and getting Dunkin’ to an afternoon option will likely be tougher than the company expects. Still, with mobile a clear focus of future development, we’ll be running on Dunkin’ for some time, and Dunkin’ will run on mobile too.