Starbucks Should Take Cue from Deli
The New York Times on Sunday reported that Starbucks is introducing a new loyalty program that will hopefully reignite an emotional connection between the customers and the brand.
The program differs in that customers don’t need to wait until they accumulate a certain amount of purchases. The benefits are immediate as soon as they register their cards. They include a free drink with a purchase of beans, free syrup and soy milk (soy milk typically costs 30 cents), free refills, and free WI-FI.
Brad Stevens, vice president of customer relationship management at Starbucks, told the Times that the company is also considering using the card for an elite status to speed up lines (valuable customers will be sent to the front of the line).
Given the typical long lines at the coffee purveyor, that’s probably a good idea. But Starbucks may want to take a cue from a smaller retailer that has solved the long line dilemma at its outlets.
Nino Salvaggio, a specialty grocer in Michigan, recently installed touch-screen kiosks at the front of its stores so customers can order their sliced meats and cheeses when they enter and then pick them up at the deli 10 minutes later. Nino’s President Kirk Taylor said in an article that customers say the kiosks are the best thing the grocer has ever done.
So maybe cracking the code of long lines at Starbucks doesn't involve rekindling the emotional connection, but taking that out of the experience.
What do you think? Would you prefer using kiosks to order your iced grande skinny mocha latte?
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