Does Starbucks have a big delivery opportunity?
At its investor day on Thursday, Starbucks said that, in a partnership with Uber Eats, the chain will roll out home delivery to nearly one-quarter of company-owned stores in the U.S. by the end of the second quarter.
Starbucks has been exploring delivery for years and tested a program in Seattle in 2015 with Postmates. The renewed push comes as McDonald’s recently partnered on delivery with Uber Eats. Yum Brands, owner of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, has partnered with Grubhub on delivery as well.
Starbucks Delivers program launched three months ago in China with the promise of delivery of hot and cold drinks within 30 minutes or less. Done in partnership with Ele.me, the delivery unit of Alibaba, and its three million registered delivery riders, the program has reached 2,000 stores across 30 cities in China.
Starbucks has further pilots underway in both Tokyo and Miami with Uber Eats.
For the China rollout, Starbucks created spill-proof lids, tamper-proof packaging and containers that support hot and cold items. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson told CNBC that some drinks may be unsuitable for delivery, such as a cappuccino, because of likely foam overspill. Mr. Johnson said, “We were very thoughtful about this.”
The launch comes as Starbucks is facing slowing traffic to its domestic stores.
Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Julie Jargon noted that, although many chains say delivery reaches customers who don’t want to dine out, delivery fees on small orders can irritate consumers. She also said Starbucks may be challenged delivering “quickly and while still hot — something that could be particularly problematic for coffee.”
- Starbucks Outlines Growth Agenda and Announces Expansion of Starbucks Delivers in U.S. and China at 2018 Investor Conference – Starbucks
- Starbucks cuts long-term earnings per share forecast; shares fall – CNBC
- Starbucks to Offer Coffee Delivery Across U.S. as It Seeks to Reach More Customers – Wall Street Journal
- Starbucks partners with Uber Eats, will expand coffee delivery service to nearly 2,000 U.S. stores – Geekwire
- Starbucks delivers – RetailWire
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do consumers want coffee to be delivered to their homes and offices? Will the biggest challenge for Starbucks likely be more about executing delivery or stimulating demand?
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34 Comments on "Does Starbucks have a big delivery opportunity?"
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Chief Executive Officer, The TSi Company
President, The Ian Percy Corporation
You’re a wise man Art! Good advice. Starbucks will soon realize that you can’t fool all the people all of the time!
Owner, Tony O's Supermarket and Catering
I totally agree. Are we that lazy that we can’t pour a cup of coffee?
Food I get, with some exceptions, but unless they are adding to fresh baked goods with the coffees, it won’t attract a huge following. Starbucks for my wife is a treat to chill out in a mall, or on vacation. To have it delivered who knows, but I don’t see this as a huge boost to the bottom line. The coffee is expensive enough, plus the up charge, so we’ll see.
Managing Director, GlobalData
Delivery is a good idea, especially to offices and workplaces. However, delivering drinks quickly and while still hot might be a challenge.
Though the biggest potential problem is coping with the additional orders. Traffic to Starbucks stores might be slowing but wait times are often poor, especially during peak periods. Starbucks has to find a way of managing increased volume without damaging customer service.
President, The Ian Percy Corporation
“We were very thoughtful about this.” Oh come on Starbucks. I’m sorry, but when I can get “Starbucks Coffee” beans at Costco (and IMHO there is better and cheaper coffee) and have a whole fresh hot pot of it at a fraction of the cost in my own home…why on earth would I want someone to drive it to my house at even greater cost, throwing away all the packaging an hour later, and all for one cup? This country has gone mad!
Chief Executive Officer, The TSi Company
I couldn’t agree more…spot on!
Founder, CEO, Black Monk Consulting
Principal, Your Retail Authority, LLC
Absolutely!
Chief Executive Officer, Progress Retail
Is it the normal $2.50 delivery fee? I can tell you there are plenty of folks in my generation (in cities) that order Uber Eats or Grubhub from food outlets that are a stone’s throw from their condo or apartment. I’m curious to know the delivery fee (Uber Eats standard $2.50-$3.50?), but I don’t see coffee being any different pending the product arriving in the optimum condition.
President, Rubinson Partners, Inc.
Starbucks must do this to stay relevant to the way that shopping is going. More online buying, more virtual working, less foot traffic to come in off the street. I’m sure this will be more than just delivering coffee and will include food. Morning meetings, Friday morning treats for the office, friends coming over for brunch — I think this is a nice extension of Starbucks “life.”
Principal, Retail Technology Group
Starbucks delivery is a push. It might work for the non-coffee items it sells but I can’t see paying delivery fees as a consumer to get a cup of coffee. Pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken, Chinese? Yes! Coffee? No!
President, Integrated Marketing Solutions
Have you ever been in a business meeting with Starbucks delivered in a box? I have several times and it’s definitely NOT the same experience or anything that tastes like the same coffee. HUGE quality delivery problems. Not to mention cost. The $5 coffee just went to $7 or $8.
President, b2b Solutions, LLC
Customer may want Starbucks to deliver their coffee, but unless they have found a way to keep it hot the customer will not be happy with what they receive. No cup on the market today will keep coffee hot for 30 minutes. To keep coffee drinkably hot you would need to have it in a thermos type of container such as a Contigo or other brand.
I have not seen, nor am I ever likely to see, the container referenced in the article but having been in the c-store industry as a retailer and now as a consultant I can tell you people are very particular about the hand and mouth feel of their coffee cups. I see the announcement as a way to for Starbucks to say “hey we deliver too,” but I don’t see it having any significant impact on their sales.
Founder | CEO, Female Brain Ai & Prefeye - Preference Science Technologies Inc.
A cup of Starbucks delivered at home? At the office? Out of occasional desperation, possibly. It seems wasteful for both humans and the environment. Not to mention constant Starbucks price increases.
Professor, International Business, Guizhou University of Finance & Economics and University of Sanya, China.
I’m sitting at Starbucks right now. After reading the discussion topic, I am thinking why would anyone want Starbucks delivery? I am a really big coffee drinker (maybe a dozen or more cups a day). I am a really big Starbucks fan and I like their coffee. But, delivery?
As several of my colleagues pointed out, If I want coffee at home I can make excellent coffee. Get it immediately. And have it at a much lower cost.
I go to Starbucks to be in the store. To sit, relax, and spend time on RetailWire. I watch others come in and get their coffee on their way to work or to get out of the office for an afternoon break.
The Starbucks mantra “Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome” doesn’t include delivery nor is it the thought Howard Schultz started the company with.
As for looking at becoming more than the ubiquitous McDonald’s or DD, check this out.
Retail Transformation Thought Leader, Advisor, & Strategist
Having been to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle, I am looking forward to checking out the NY edition. Yes, this may well be the ultimate expression of a coffee lifestyle! Where else will you get a $12 cold brew aged in whiskey barrels! (Yes it really does have a unique flavor for those who haven’t tried it!). The concept is brilliant, but I have to say if every Starbucks were turned into one of these, it would lose its appeal. The uniqueness creates a sense of intrigue from the rarity of the location and the experience that results is much more memorable that way.
Professor, International Business, Guizhou University of Finance & Economics and University of Sanya, China.
I walked by the Roastery in Chelsea the other afternoon and there was a line waiting to get in.
EVP Thought Leadership, Marketing, WD Partners
Oh, save us from more caffeine! This is SO going to work. Starbucks will proliferate even more than they have now. But on the dark side (can’t help it), is anyone else waiting for the “caffeine is bad for you” hammer to drop?
My doctor told me that one cup (actual cup) of coffee a day is not bad for anyone. Two cups; depends on the person’s chemistry. And three cups (just short of a Venti) a day is too much for anyone and not healthy. Given that, I know people who drink at least two huge coffees a day in one form or another. Lots of them, actually. The term “everything in moderation” doesn’t really apply to Americans, does it? Look out below. Question: Is caffeine in the 2020s what cigarettes were in the 1950s?
Anyway, just throwing that out there to see how many “thumbs downs” I’ll get. 🙂
Professor, International Business, Guizhou University of Finance & Economics and University of Sanya, China.
After two Ventis at Starbucks, I go home and take a nap.
Retail Transformation Thought Leader, Advisor, & Strategist
Gene, sign us both up for the “coffee has no effect on me” club! Although you have me beat on the coffee cup count per day!
EVP Thought Leadership, Marketing, WD Partners
You guys are addicts! Your tolerance is so high it has no effect on you — I once saw someone ask Andrew Weil if he drank coffee. His reply was, “I don’t do hard drugs.”
Retail Futurist + CEO @ MeSpoke
I’m on the fence — I still enjoy the physical Starbucks experience. Why not focus on bringing me and my associates back in?
The affiliate (driver) opportunity could be a stepping stone for Starbucks — gaining last mile touch-points is valuable.
Apple Pay + Apple Watch = innovation which gets us closer to never going into our pockets or pocketbook.
I think the Starbucks and Uber Eats deal is a chess move which pays off much farther down the board.
CEO, The Customer Service Rainmaker, Rainmaker Solutions
Starbucks is to coffee what Amazon is to everything else you could possibly want. One difference is Amazon delivers tomorrow and Starbucks has to figure out how to deliver in minutes. When I first read this I thought it was not something needed or possible. But then I thought about this being about Starbucks and its cult following. The determiner to success with this program is not going to be what Starbucks does to get the coffee delivered timely and inexpensively; but how the customer responds to it. Someone is going to have to pay for the delivery costs. I doubt it will be Starbucks. China has many delivery people that ride bicycles. That is not going to happen here.