Who wants to waste time standing in line? The answer to that rhetorical question would almost undoubtedly be “nobody.” It’s a bother, a bore, and unequivocally inconvenient. The racing pace of modern life makes standing in line utterly inconvenient, and this presents a wonderful customer engagement opportunity for brands that are able to help people avoid it.
Established forms of mobile technology are starting to make such customer experiences possible, and Starbucks is launching an app that will allow London coffee drinkers to skip the queue and move straight to the head of the line.
The app is called “Mobile Order & Pay” and it allows customers to preorder in advance at over 150 Starbucks locations across London. After successful testing in the United States, where the app apparently exceeded all expectations during a trial phase, London is now only the second location to gain access to this service.
“We Brits are famous for queuing, but in an age of such sophisticated technology ‘why wait?’” said Ian Cranna, VP Marketing & Category of Starbucks EMEA. “With more people leading busier lifestyles than ever, saving minutes can really help, so we are excited to be bringing Mobile Order and Pay to our London customers – the first to have this feature outside of the US.”
Mobile Order & Pay, which has been active across London as of October 1st, allows customers to order straight from the Starbucks menu by selecting the store of their choice. After receiving a confirmation, an approximate pick-up time is sent to the customer directly from a barista.
“We think the easy-to-use feature will meet our customers’ needs for convenience and customization at any time of the day,” Cranna continued.
By all accounts the app has already proved popular with customers.
Feedback suggests that it saves people an average of 15 minutes during daily morning routines, and parents have also reported finding it easier to manage childcare by avoiding lines. And because of the app’s ability to accurately capture orders quickly, customers with disabilities such as speech and hearing-impairments have called Mobile Order & Pay a “game changer.”
Beyond the convenience angle, Mobile Order & Pay also seamlessly links with My Starbucks Rewards, the brand’s tremendously popular loyalty program.