Starbucks in the 22nd Century
Starbucks is embracing mobile apps
Starbucks has made it even easier for cravers to grab their morning joe. Their new mobile payment app will allow customers to select their beverage and pay for it before heading to their local Starbucks. Users will be able to jump the line and the rushed, often awkward interaction with the barista and grab their coffee, tea or food. The app appears to essentially be Seamless for Starbucks.
As mobile apps become more ubiquitous, it isn’t very surprising that Starbucks is embracing the trend of app-based ordering. Apps like Seamless and GrubHub have already taught millennials to hate ordering food over the phone, Uber has taught them to hate waiting for a taxi, and now Starbucks’ new app will teach them to hate waiting in lines. Shifting towards a more automated service could potentially reduce crowding during high traffic times. The app is certainly geared towards the more hardcore Starbucks costumer. Their phone application is already used in 14% of sales, with that number expected to increase as more costumers embrace the order-ahead feature.
“But what about freshness? Surely nobody wants old, cold coffee! And why should they have to drink less-then-fresh coffee because the train was late?”
Worry not, dear reader. Starbucks is anticipating drinks having to sit for periods of time due to lapses of punctuality (either because of unforeseen delays or old-fashioned tardiness). To prepare, they’ve set their Seattle-based test kitchen to finding recipes that will remain fresher longer, post-brew.
Another possibility for this app is a roll-out of a costumer loyalty or point-based reward system. Starbucks will be able to collect valuable information about demographics, patterns, geography of users, and much more. For instance, if many users whose credit cards bill to an address on 23rd Street are using the app to buy coffee from a location on 32nd Street, Starbucks could figure out where to build a new location.
Also, Starbucks is going to begin adding charging stations to their shops, a la airports.
