{"id":20154,"date":"2016-11-18T17:34:26","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T22:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/starbucks-a-technology-pionn\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T17:40:48","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T22:40:48","slug":"starbucks-a-technology-pioneer","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/starbucks-a-technology-pioneer\/","title":{"rendered":"Starbucks: A Technology Pioneer"},"content":{"rendered":"
Since 1971, Starbucks has been serving customers high-quality coffee with personalized service offered in an upscale yet inviting store atmosphere. During that time, the company has adjusted to changes in consumer lifestyles and behavior by offering single-serve coffee for home or office use, drive-through windows for convenience, and offering food items to complement its beverages. In the past decade, Starbucks has invested heavily in technology to enhance operations and improve the customer\u2019s experience. Below are three noteworthy examples:<\/p>\n
Mobile Order & Pay and Digital Loyalty Program<\/strong><\/p>\n In December 2014, Starbucks released its Mobile Order & Pay, a smartphone-based application that enabled customers to do two things: (1) submit<\/em> an order in advance via the app, and (2) pay<\/em> using the app when picking up the order at the store.1<\/sup> According to the company\u2019s September 27, 2016 fiscal year-end filing, 25% of all sales were completed using Mobile Pay, up 20% from the previous year.2<\/sup> Despite not being offered in all stores yet, Mobile Order accounted for 6% of fourth quarter sales, up from 5% in the preceding quarter.3<\/sup> Operationally, Mobile Order & Pay is helping Starbucks accomplish the following three things:<\/p>\n Mobile Order & Pay was an evolution of Starbucks\u2019 existing app, initially developed to migrate customers from its card-based loyalty program to a digital version. In addition to being the platform for Mobile Order & Pay, the digital loyalty program has enabled Starbucks to engage more directly with customers, for example, offering birthday rewards or promotional pricing during inclement weather or slower mid-day periods. Starbucks customers also earn loyalty \u201cstars\u201d when using services from technology-drive companies with which Starbucks has partnered, like Lyft and Spotify.4<\/sup><\/p>\n
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