When the CEO of
a ‘Chain Restaurant’ spent 16 years working at Microsoft you can bet that a digital
transformation is about to take place according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA
based Foodservice Solutions®.
Starbucks continues to push the boundaries in
digital innovation with the launch of its first-of-its-kind virtual Starbucks
store in China. Let’s be clear this is “ground-breaking
digital collaboration with Alibaba Group unlocks new levels of engagement
unseen in the marketplace today with customers” according to the Starbucks
press release. So, just what does that mean?
According to Starbucks “By transcending the
traditional limitations of a single-app, to provide customers a unified
one-stop Starbucks digital experience across the Starbucks app and
customer-facing mobile apps within the Alibaba ecosystem, including Taobao,
Tmall and Alipay. “ Our Grocerant Guru® said it makes Starbucks a GLOBAL DIGITAL
PLAYER. That is very important for the
brand, customer relevance, and product sales according to Johnson. The
partnership creates a platform for new
electricity edifying the customer relationship.
New partnerships can drive sales in foodservice
today as your brand is searching for the new
electricity to help drive the brand forward. So, just what is your brands new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part
driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of
distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”
Johnson
stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the
supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands,
unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging,
autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments,
digital hand-held marketing.
All
retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial
intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that
is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.
Molly Liu, vice-president, Digital Venture,
Starbucks China stated “For 20 years, we listened intently to the aspirational lifestyle
needs of our customers and consistently challenged the status quo to elevate
their mobile Starbucks digital experiences,”
“Leveraging the strengths of our transformative strategic partnership
with Alibaba Group, this new milestone in the Starbucks digital strategy will
significantly fuel our capabilities to provide an even more personalized and
enticing one-touch digital experience for the Chinese consumer, while extending
the accessibility of our digital innovations into the everyday lifestyle rituals
of our customers, regardless of time or place.” Now that said remember this is
the food and beverage business.
Success
does leave clues and no mater how important we think technology is all sales
come are driven by the food and beverage themselves. New technology can not replace the food,
flavor, or the freshness of the food and beverages sold.
Are you looking for a new partnership
to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing
ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can
edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient
meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
or visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
for more information.
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