THE ANNA HAYDEN BLOG

The concept of novelty and Starbucks go hand in hand. One of the major reasons for the success of the Starbucks brand is due to their seasonal specials and all the excitement that revolves around the limited time drinks, merchandise and café items.

Two notable holiday events that occur drive immense traffic to the stores: the Pumpkin Spice Latte return to the menu and the release of the holiday red cups.

In recent events, Starbucks brought on even more attention to their brand with the debut of the infamous Teddy Bear cup. These cups were stocked with limited numbers, which caused a mad dash from consumers across all Starbucks locations on their release date. Further, the chaos resulted in an outstanding amount of attention circulating across social media. Whether intentional or not, the limited supply invoked a sense of exclusivity and high want for the Teddy Bear cup and overall got consumers talking about and more interested in the Starbucks brand.

Innovation is also a key priority for the Starbucks company. Speed and operational efficiency show through in many aspects of the daily operations. Perhaps the biggest use of efficiency innovation is through the implementation of mobile ordering and ahead payment via Starbucks app.

Users can upload funds to their Starbucks mobile app and then use the QR code from their app at the register for quick payment, eliminating the extra time spent hassling with a card reader or dealing with cash. Further, customers can submit their order and payment through the app, which allows them to speed through the drive through or pickup counter and have their coffee in an even shorter time. Recently, Target stores with Starbucks inside have even added an option to have a drink brought out to your car when doing Target order pickups. Clearly, Starbucks excels at innovation when it comes to customer ease and quick service.