Mobile ordering is a buzz in Portland’s Starbucks market, as the company announced a new app Thursday (Oct. 16) that will enable customers to order and place up from chosen location.
“Mobile ordering will deliver convenience, frequency and speed of service and over time, become the fastest and easiest way for customers to order, pay and pick up their purchases,” according to the company statement.
Starbucks CEO and President Howard Schultz said at a leadership conference in Seattle that its time to move beyond the brick-and-mortar consumer model. The holiday season last year showed a change in consumer behavior that demands a change from merchants, like Starbucks, wanting to keep up with demand.
“Holiday 2013 witnessed a seismic shift in consumer behavior in which many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a decline in foot traffic compared to significant growth in online shopping,” Schultz said. “Customers researched, compared prices, and then bought the brands and items they wanted online, frequently utilizing a mobile device to do so. Since that time, we have been focused on radically redefining the Starbucks retail experience for our partners, customers and stores. As a result of the work we’ve done, Starbucks is poised for a great holiday – our innovation pipeline is strong and we have a number of initiatives ready to launch during the holiday and into calendar 2015 and beyond.”
Mobile commerce will be a new set of standards to launch from as Starbucks will introduce for the first time Mobile Order and pay in stores within the Portland area before the end of the calendar year and is planning the launch of Mobile Order and Pay in 2015 across the United States.
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