If you’ve gone to Starbucks in the mornings (or any time of the day really), you know what I mean when I say the lines go out the door. You have to wait at least 10 minutes to order and then another 10-20 minutes to get your cup of coffee (complete with your “name” lovingly written on it). Thankfully, the solution to your morning coffee problems are here.
Starbucks has announced that they will be updating the Starbucks smartphone app to allow users to order ahead of time and pick up their drinks once they arrive at the store. We don’t know when the update will come but it is coming. Starbucks’ Chief Digital Officer Adam Brottman has said that this update will roll out nationwide regardless of how long it might take to perfect.
At the same time, Starbucks is in talks with other companies to allow their customers to pay with the Starbucks app and maybe even extend the Starbucks loyalty program to these potential partners.
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
While there are lots of perks to this new technology, Starbucks may encounter a lot of bumps in the road. For example, what happens if the person who ordered doesn’t show up until half an hour later? The drink would either be lukewarm or melting. I also wonder whose drink the baristas would make first. Is it the businessman in line, the teacher waiting at the drive thru window or the teenager ordering ahead through the application? Thankfully Starbucks knows problems may appear so they’ll be testing the order-ahead at an unknown location.
As long as these potential problems are accounted for, I’m all about this. As someone who uses the app to pay for my drinks, I would love to be able to order ahead and arrive at Starbucks to find an Oprah Winfrey Chai Latte waiting for me. Plus, if Starbucks extends its loyalty programs to other stores, I won’t have to carry around so many stamp cards. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Well Starbucks, now we wait. Whenever the App Store tells me there’s an update, I’ll wonder if the day of Starbucks order-ahead has finally come.