This latest move to offer extra value follows the introduction of free Wi-Fi and iTunes downloads at the end of 2011, and is one of many reasons that more customers are choosing Starbucks than ever before.
My Starbucks Rewards is a programme built following extensive feedback from customers, who asked for a scheme that rewards loyalty, feels personal, and is easy to understand. Customers paying with a registered Starbucks Card will get a free drink every 15 visits. After 50 visits they move from Green to Gold Level and get extra benefits like free espresso shots, soy, syrups and whipped cream. What makes My Starbucks Rewards different is that no matter what you buy – a coffee, a muffin or your lunch – every purchase gets you one star towards your next free drink. (See factsheet for more detail).
Payment by Starbucks mobile app will be available in more than 600 UK stores from 5th January, initially on an iPhone app (with Android being added later), making it faster and easier to pay and benefitting all customers by making queues move more quickly. Since the launch of mobile payment in the USA in January 2011, there have been 26 million mobile transactions and $110m has been loaded onto Starbucks Cards directly through the mobile app.
Ian Cranna, Vice-President of Marketing for Starbucks UK: “We’ve listened carefully and we know that now, more than ever, customers are looking for extra value. Sometimes that’s as simple as being rewarded for loyalty with a free drink, or it could be using free Wi-Fi or enjoying a free iTunes download. This scheme also allows us to be more personal, rewarding the most frequent customers with extra benefits. We also know that fewer customers want to use cash, so putting My Starbucks Reward on mobiles offers a faster, easier way to pay.”