Dive Brief:

• Pizza Hut's new delivery system includes a carrying pouch with three layers of insulation and, to show off their effectiveness at trapping heat, the brand is offering a limited-edition "Pizza Parka" made from the same materials, per a press release. Customers who place an order through Pizza Hut's website or official mobile app will be entered for a chance to win the winter-ready apparel through the end of October, which the brand noted is National Pizza Month. 
• The red winter coat features the triple-layer insulation, an "order window" in the sleeve that holds a smartphone for easy mobile ordering and a splash guard to protect the wearer's phone from the elements.
• The material for both the parka and the delivery pouch was the result of Pizza Hut spending two years looking for ways to improve its entire delivery system in order to get pizza to customers in an oven-hot state.

Dive Insight:

Pizza Hut has worked hard this year to ramp up its mobile ordering business and draw interest to a refreshed loyalty program as it looks to stay competitive with other brands that have had an earlier lead in e-commerce like Domino's. As of March, mobile commanded 70% of all Pizza Hut orders and the Pizza Parka is a fun way to show off both the brand's smartphone offerings and also improved delivery system hardware. Those wanting to snag a piece of the seasonal apparel need to use Pizza Hut's website or app, which will continue to drive traffic and downloads on top of engagement to those channels. 

The Pizza Parka isn't the Yum! chain's first foray into limited-edition branded apparel with a strong mobile integration. For the March Madness tournament this year, it introduced limited-edition "Pie-Top" basketball sneakers that included a button that used Bluetooth technology to place mobile orders.

These items, which are often both tech-ready and stylish, fit into a growing trend of brands and fast food companies, in particular, developing merchandise as a way to tap into customer's enthusiasm for their products while gaining some free promotion. Taco Bell, another company under the Yum! banner, recently partnered with fast fashion retailer Forever 21 for a "food fashion" clothing line set to go live today, Oct. 11, in stores and online.