Starbucks as of late has been linking some big partnerships to its loyalty program. Last week, the coffee giant announced a new deal with Times in which the retailer would make available a selection of top daily news and other articles from the paper on its mobile app for free to the 10 million My Starbucks Rewards members. Starbucks customers will also be able to purchase complete digital and print subscriptions to the Times and receive reward "Stars" in the process.
"We see a future in which the Starbucks retail experience seamlessly extends to the mobile devices our millions of customers carry with them every day," said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, in a statement. "Our relationship with The New York Times is the perfect example of bringing this vision to life. We have proudly sold millions of copies of the paper in Starbucks stores for more than a decade, and are excited to bring this experience to the next level by enabling Starbucks loyal customers to take the best of The New York Times with them wherever they go, whenever they want it."
Times' content will become available on the Starbucks mobile app beginning in the first half of next year. Customers visiting the chain's stores are currently able to gain free access to 15 articles published on the paper's site through the Starbucks Digital Network. The coffee company has said that it also plans to add content from other publishers.
Photo: Starbucks
The goal of the coffee chain is to reward My Starbucks members with points for purchases made inside its stores and elsewhere. The deal with the Times, along with others made with Spotify and Lyft, are examples of Starbucks' intentions.
Back in May, Starbucks and Spotify announced a multi-year deal between the companies. Beginning in the fall in a phased rollout, My Starbucks members will be able to access Spotify via the Starbucks mobile app. There will be a dedicated Starbucks section on Spotify that features playlists from the past 20 years at the coffee chain. Starbucks will promote Spotify's premium service in its stores and the streaming music service's members will be given opportunities to earn Starbucks Stars.
Last week, Starbucks announced a deal with the ride service, Lyft. Drivers for the service will be awarded immediate gold status in the Starbucks program and customers will be able to use the Lyft app to send an extra "thank you" for great service in the form of the chain's eGift to drivers.
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