Starbucks mobile ordering debuted in Portland this week, allowing customers to avoid the lines, order, and pay for their beverages ahead of time in what the coffee chain hopes will provide patrons with a better overall experience.
Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay tested the waters Wednesday in Portland, with a national rollout expected sometime at the beginning of 2015. Customers will be able to access the feature through the Starbucks iPhone app and, eventually, the Android platform as well.
"Starbucks has already built one of the most successful mobile commerce and loyalty platforms in the world," Adam Brotman,
Starbucks' chief digital officer, told The Oregonian.
"We already have this huge momentum and success in terms of cards, loyalty, and mobile and it's leveraging that momentum that we've added in this new feature, this new capability — it's actually a natural extension," he continued. "Customers have been asking for it, for the convenience of ordering ahead when they're pinched for time. We believe that it'll improve the experience for our customers and it will improve our business. This is not just a customer experience enhancement but kind of a game-changing business driver."
Tricia Duryee, of Geekwire.com, said she found using the Portland app convenient because it allowed her to skip the ordering line, find a seat, and have her order waiting on her.
"When I ordered, I upgraded the regular latte with four pumps of Sugar Free Vanilla flavoring, I also specified 1 percent milk over whole milk," Duryee wrote. "I hurriedly clicked order before realizing that I was hungry, too. A second order ensured that my tomato and mozzarella panini would be prepared at almost the same time."
Brotman told the Portland Business Journal that there were several reasons why Starbucks picked Portland for its initial market to try out the mobile order system.
"We choose test markets based on a variety of factors, and we believe Portland is an ideal market for this test based on number of store locations, the market's willingness to embrace technology and customer loyalty," he said. "This new experience will initially be offered at approximately 150 Starbucks locations in the Portland area."
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