Starbucks Rolls Out Mobile Order & Pay App in 300 China Stores

Starbucks has begin to roll out the company’s Mobile Order & Pay experience, Starbucks Now, to 300 select stores in Beijing and Shanghai and plans to introduce this feature across China over the next year.

Starbucks Now allows customers to place an order in advance of their visit and pick up their beverage and food at a Starbucks store. The new feature is exclusively available to Starbucks Rewards loyalty program members through the Starbucks China mobile app. This feature is testament to Starbucks commitment to driving meaningful innovation that brings high-quality coffee to customers, while using digital technology to address their needs for convenience and speed.

“Starbucks Now represents a significant opportunity for Starbucks China to drive new innovative customer experiences,” said Belinda Wong, ceo, Starbucks China. “This builds on the latest of several digital initiatives in China, including Starbucks Delivers and locally relevant gifting and e-commerce experiences. We are excited to offer this special Mobile Order & Pay service exclusively to our Starbucks Rewards members to provide convenience and speed to suit their on-the-go lifestyle and seamlessly integrate Starbucks into their daily lives.”

The rollout of Starbucks Now builds on the digital capabilities and infrastructure of the recently introduced Starbucks Delivers program in 2018. Starbucks Now will provide customers in China a unique and convenient way to order, pay and pick up their favorite Starbucks beverage and food item without the wait.

Innovating at the accelerated pace of modern urban life in China, Starbucks Now allows customers to choose a store location based on the GPS functionality of their mobile device to browse, customize a beverage, select a food offering, view order time, and pay — wherever they may be. Following confirmation of the order, baristas handcraft each beverage and have the order ready to hand to the customer when they arrive at the store. The simple convenience of mobile ordering means customers bypass the line.

In addition, Starbucks Rewards members also get Stars using Starbucks Now on all purchases, earning Stars 25% faster than if paying with a Starbucks stored value card, and reap rewards including free beverage and food and personalized offers through the mobile order feature.