• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, February 27, 2008

Domino's knocked rivals Papa John's and Pizza Hut aside to capture the top spot in comScore's study of online dollars spent on Super Bowl Sunday.

The comScore announcement, which came from the digital world measurement company, said that Domino's increased its share of dollars spent online during the Big Game compared to an average Sunday in October during football season. Domino's increased share from 20% to 31%, while Papa John's and Pizza Hut both saw their relative shares of online orders decline.

On an average Sunday in October 2007, Domino's had a 20% share, Papa John's had 43% and Pizza Hut had 38%. However, during Super Bowl Sunday, Domino's had a 31% share--an 11 percentage-point increase; Papa John's had 35%, down 8 percentage points; and Pizza Hut had 34%, down 4 points.

Domino's declined to comment, saying that it had no details on how the survey had been done. But Carolina Petrini, comScore SVP/marketing solutions, said in a release that "landmark events like Super Bowl Sunday have a way of bringing new customers into the fold and can have a profound impact on shaping a developing market channel like online ordering. It is important for marketers to capitalize on these opportunities to position themselves for future success."

The sharp increase in Domino's dollar share on Super Bowl Sunday came from an increase in number of purchasers and not a higher average transaction size. Domino's experienced a 147% increase in purchasers; Papa John's, 22% and Pizza Hut, 2%.

In fact, average dollars per transaction for Domino's actually declined 7% from its October average, to $22.93. Papa John's remained steady at $22.66, and Pizza Hut increased 29%, to $28.28.

"This type of analysis provides marketers with the insights needed to assess the performance of their campaigns and benchmark against the competition," said Petrini. "Understanding which factors are determining success can help marketers determine the optimal strategy for future efforts."