AFTER starting coffee deliveries in Beijing and Shanghai in September, coffee chain giant Starbucks has expanded the service to 11 more Chinese cities including Shenzhen. Partnering with Ele.me, China’s leading on-demand food delivery platform with 3 million registered delivery riders, Starbucks plans to accelerate and expand the service to more than 2,000 Starbucks stores across 30 cities by the end of 2018. This is slightly over 50 percent of the current Starbucks store footprint in China and the coverage will continue to grow in 2019. For 20 years in China, Starbucks has been known for its “third place” concept, offering customers an option other than home and the workplace to share moments of connection over a cup of coffee. With the seismic shift in consumer behavior towards a mobile and digital lifestyle, Starbucks has started to invest significantly in deepening their digital engagement with its customers. The company struck a strategic partnership with Alibaba Group in August, which allowed China to become the first Starbucks market in history to completely breakdown the physical and virtual limitations dividing the different aspects of consumers’ lives. Both Starbucks and Ele.me collaborated to develop a unique delivery infrastructure, including Ele.me delivery riders and innovative and customized packaging to ensure the best-in-class coffee delivery experience. Working closely with Ele.me, Starbucks will feature specially-designed spill-proof lids for both hot and cold beverages, tamper-proof packaging seals to ensure the right temperature, and uncompromising standards for beverage and food quality. (SD News) |