Starbucks has not been shy about leveraging mobile for business growth. In a crowded field littered with bad apps or brands that have no apps, Starbucks has been a leader in embracing the latest mobile technology to better serve their customers and grow their business along the way.
Not too long ago, we wrote about their pilot program, Mobile Order & Pay. This service, which works from their primary mobile app, allows customers to order and pay for their order via mobile device for pick up in-store. It has been such a success that the company recently launched it nationwide with an imminent international release.
What makes Mobile Order & Pay an app winner?
Convenience
Starbucks found that the app is making the biggest impact at the stores that are the busiest. By giving customers the opportunity to by-pass long lines more orders can be fulfilled.
Fully Integrated
Unlike some other brands, Starbucks integrated Mobile Order & Pay into their existing app so customers did not have to download and learn to use yet another app. This integration also allows users to upload gift cards and other forms of payments using their mobile device.
Properly Supported
Because the largest growth has been felt at the busiest stores, larger revenues have enabled and resulted in Starbucks hiring additional staff at those stores to handle the capacity. This additional staff allows Starbucks to keep up with the increased demand from mobile ordering and actually decrease wait times. Compare this to other retail “innovations” that have been rolled out without the necessary staff, and you can quickly appreciate why staffing is a key success factor.
But Starbucks is not stopping there on the mobile front. They will soon start testing two new technology-based initiatives. The first is “green apron,” an office delivery service, where customers can place their order and have it delivered inside their building by barristas. The second is a street delivery service where a user will again place an order for delivery to their nearby location.
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