Monday, September 23, 2019

Technology Starbucks and Customer Relevance


When Kevin Johnson Starbucks CEO arrived from Microsoft the world was on notice that Starbucks was about to integrate technology and coffee at the intersection of the consumer in a big way.  Well, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodsevice Solutions® they are doing just that.
In one giant step Starbucks, is fast evolving the digital experience for customers in China by launching voice ordering and delivery capabilities within Alibaba’s smart speaker, Tmall Genie.  With that giant partnership step and technology leap customers can now order their favorite Starbucks beverages and food simply by using their voice for delivery within 30 minutes. Leveraging Alibaba’s on-demand food delivery platform, Ele.me, the voice ordering capabilities for Starbucks further extend the customer experience within Starbucks digital ecosystem. Partnerships matter in 2019 according to Johnson and technology drives customer relevance everywhere.
As regular readers of this blog know, the launch of the new service marks the one-year anniversary of Starbucks and Alibaba’s strategic partnership which advances the New Retail infrastructure and digital power in China — one of the fastest-growing markets in the world for coffee consumption.
Why is this so important because it builds on several significant collaborations between the two companies that enable a seamless Starbucks Experience for Chinese customers, such as establishing back-of-house kitchens, Star Kitchens, within Alibaba’s Freshippo supermarkets in China.
Miffy Chen, general manager at Alibaba A.I. Labs  stated “We are thrilled to provide our cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technology through Tmall Genie to serve Starbucks digitally-savvy customers in China,” says which leads the development of Tmall Genie.”… “Earlier this year, we launched food order and delivery service through Ele.me in response to our users’ needs for on-demand local services. We’re excited to introduce an even more diverse and enriched experience on our platform through Starbucks voice ordering and provide a direct benefit to Chinese consumers within their daily routine.”
Molly Liu, vice president and general manager, Digital Ventures, Starbucks China  stated “The Starbucks feature through Alibaba’s Tmall Genie ushers in a new era of digital customer engagement for Starbucks, leveraging ground-breaking digital technology to create an unprecedented experience that elevates our connection with customers to new heights,”  “We are focused on ensuring that Starbucks voice ordering is truly personal, and we look forward to offering our customers more convenient moments and new opportunities to engage with Starbucks on a single integrated platform as they move throughout the day.”
Let’s cut to the chase if you are a regular reader of this blog you should now know that brands must integrate technology to maintain and grow customer relevance.  How are you planning to do that?
Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or www.twitter.com/grocerant/

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