Starbucks Plans To Launch Mobile Payment And Loyalty App In India

Starbucks, the most popular coffee chain in the US is hoping to do the same in India. With the planned launch of its mobile payment and loyalty app in India, Starbucks hopes to achieve great customer experience in all its outlets in the country. The growing coffee chain in the country has opened nearly 80 stores across the country and has plans to open a further 100 more by the year’s end making it one of the leading coffee chains in the country. 

New App Launch

Starbucks’ ‘Mobile order and pay’ app was launched in the US in 2014 and will be part of the Starbucks experience in India soon. The app will allow customers to locate the nearest Starbucks store and pre-order their favourite drinks and short eats before they reach and pay for it through the app. Speaking about the new initiative to Business Standard, Sumitro Ghosh, CEO of Tata Starbucks, said, “We first plan to get this going and then move to a mobile ordering system as exists in the US and some other markets. The mobile ordering platform is part of our long-term plan for India.”

Rewards Galore

Starbucks’ new app will also help consumers with the “My Starbucks Rewards” program with automated deduction from the app directly. “It will let consumers know about menu options and store locations and instead of pulling out their Starbucks (loyalty) physical card, they can generate it on their mobile phones and pay,” Ghosh said. The Starbucks loyalty program encourages customers to purchase products to earn stars which can be used to receive free drinks at Starbucks outlets at a later time. 

Foraying Into The New

Starbucks entered the emerging Indian market in 2012 with a partnership with Tata Global Beverages with first stores being opened in Mumbai and New Delhi. According to Economic Times, the company earned nearly Rs. 171.2 crore last year, a 80 percent hike as compared to previous year. The company has also also forayed into the tea sector with the planned launch of Teavana stores in the country. “We plan to launch Teavana by early 2017, within Starbucks stores. We’re excited about it because that should add a whole new dimension to what we are doing here. Additionally, we will continue to develop local products within Starbucks and will also look at new formats that Starbucks stores can take,” added Ghosh.