Customer

In Response to Your Comments on My Starbucks Rewards

TerryDavenport — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:09:00 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your comments and feedback on the launch of My Starbucks Rewards - the new improved rewards program for our valued Starbucks Card members. We are very excited about this new program, because it incorporates many of the ideas we've heard from you and from our store Partners and provides even more value and ways to save.

From the day we launched MSI one of the top ideas has been "let me earn FREE beverages" - well, that is now easier than ever and is one of the most anticipated additions to this new program.

Here are some other improvements we've made based on your ideas:

"Lose the $25 annual fee". That is what it cost for annual Gold membership, and while some say they'll miss the 10% discount, more customers overwhelmingly preferred a program with NO FEE. In fact this was the #1 idea in our research and will open up membership to lots more customers.
"Two different programs are confusing". We heard this from both customers and our partners - in fact some of you told us you carry two cards to get the most savings. So the new program will be easier to understand - the more you use your Starbucks Card the more benefits you earn.
"The more I visit, the more I should be recognized and rewarded" We agree! So we created a simple to understand system awarding a "Star" for every time you visit and use your card. These Stars are tracked and earn you rewards and get you to the next level of benefits.
"I am already a member, That should count for something" ...and it does. We really appreciate everyone who joined our program in its first year - with a special thanks to our inaugural Gold members. So current Rewards members get to start in our new Green level, and you special Gold Card members get to start in our new gold level...and will receive a new personalized gold card - it's quite cool!

We know it may take a little bit of time for everyone to get used to the improved program, but ultimately, our hope is that it is easier to understand and use. We wanted to be more inclusive and provide more benefits to more of our customers.

One last reminder - you must register your current card to be moved into our new program (many of you Gold Card members have not yet registered your card). Oh, and make sure we have your mail address, because that is how we'll get you your Reward Certificates like a free birthday beverage and other earned rewards.

Thank you again for all of your suggestions. We are always looking for ways to improve our programs and your input makes a big difference.

3 Holiday Beverages + One More on the Way!

Tara Hinkle — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:28:00 GMT

Hi everyone. My name is Tara, and I’m the product manager on the espresso team leading the Starbucks holiday beverage promotion this year. I’m personally thrilled to announce the return of red cups, holiday sleeves, and our three holiday classic beverages to participating stores in the U.S. on November 3. Better yet, I’m excited to inform you that on November 17, we will launch a new holiday espresso drink that you’re going to love. It’s sweet, creamy, and delicious in all forms (hot, iced, or blended in the form of a Frappuccino® blended beverage). I can’t tell you much more than that right now, but I can assure you that this beverage is going to surprise and delight you this holiday season. In any case, let me get back to the classic treats you already know and love.

Peppermint Mocha: This holiday classic is a favorite for a lot of you. It’s versatile and available hot, iced, and blended. For kids, it’s a great treat as Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Or, for the more indulgent treat, try it with White Chocolate. For the holiday season, we make Peppermint Mocha extra special by topping it with our delicious dark chocolate curls.
Gingerbread Latte: This marks the 10th year of the Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks. We heard your feedback last year and have returned to our classic topping - ground nutmeg. Enjoy this classic and try it without coffee as a Gingerbread Crème.
Eggnog Latte: Believe it or not, Starbucks has been serving Eggnog Latte for 24 years! This is our longest running holiday favorite and we haven’t changed a thing. Enjoy!

I’m looking forward to sharing holiday moments with my friends and family this year. And, there’s no better way to treat them than to share holiday espresso beverages from Starbucks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback on this year’s lineup. What’s your favorite holiday beverage?

Tara

And the winner is …

sbx_aorr — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:47:00 GMT

On September 29, we not only launched Starbucks VIA™ in the U.S. and Canada, we also launched an interactive online experience at StarbucksVIA.com.

If you haven’t checked out StarbucksVIA.com – visit the site today! It’s a great way to see how other people are using Starbucks VIA™ at home, at work, on the go, in far out places, and even in recipes. On top of getting ideas from other customers, you can upload your own Starbucks VIA™ experience through pictures, videos, or stories, and enter one of the contests on the site. One winner, Sheryl, won five iPod Touches for this entry.

Between now and November 10, show us on StarbucksVIA.com how you use Starbucks VIA™ in recipes and you could win:

One (1) one-year Starbucks VIA™ subscription
One (1) $100 Starbucks Card
One (1) $2,500 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card*

*(see here for full contest details)

Enjoy the experience of Starbucks VIA™ no matter where you go and never be without great coffee.

Anali

Introducing My Starbucks Rewards

Stacy Speicher — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:53:00 GMT

I am excited to share the next evolution of our loyalty program. While both Starbucks Card Rewards and Starbucks Gold exceeded our expectations, we are always looking for ways to improve our programs and we received a lot of great feedback on what we could do differently. Launching on December 26, 2009, My Starbucks Rewards will combine many elements of both programs – with no membership fee! – into one simplified program.

On more than one occasion, I have been in line at my local Starbucks and saw one of our wonderful Gold members pull out a Gold card AND a registered Starbucks Card and ask which card would provide the better discount. I don’t blame them at all! Both programs were launched with good intent to provide value to our customers, but we quickly understood we could make the experience easier.

My Starbucks Rewards will have different levels that customers can earn their way into by collecting stars for each time they visit a participating store in the U.S. and pay with their registered Starbucks Card. The great news is that once you move up a level – you continue to get all of the benefits you received in the previous level. Many of these benefits will seem very familiar – free drink on your birthday, free flavored syrups and brewed refills. Others have changed. For example while the program won’t offer the 10% discount, once a customer reaches the Gold Level, they will be able to start earning free drinks based on the number of stars they collect. Since I know many of you are very frequent customers and have asked to be rewarded in a way that acknowledges this, I am hoping this is really good news!

A couple of other changes that were based directly on customer feedback include the ability to use any Card that is registered to your account (except Duetto®). This means if you got a snazzy customized card from your special someone, once registered, you can use that and receive all of the great benefits associated with whatever level you are in. That said, for members who reach the Gold Level, we will be sending them a personalized Starbucks Card – something we have wanted to do for a long time.

Additionally, while we continue to work on ensuring benefits can be redeemed at all stores, I can tell you that with the new program – at a minimum, you will earn a star every time you use your registered Card at a location in the U.S. that accepts the Starbucks Card.

Finally, current Gold members may be wondering what happens to them with this new program. Of course we will honor the full term of all memberships. In fact, as a special thank you to our dear early-joiners, memberships set to expire prior to the end of the year will be extended to January 5, 2010. Upon expiration, Gold Card members will automatically transition into the new Gold Level of MSR. Between now and 12.26.09, registered cardholders will automatically transition into the Green Level.

Well, despite the length of this blog, I’ve probably raised more questions than I’ve answered, which is why we have created a massive FAQ page at Starbucks.com/rewards. I will end by saying we really did try to fix many of the biggest concerns we heard from our customers. I hope you like it – please let us know what you think!

Thanks, Stacy

This blog was inspired by your ideas:

Punch card system
Starbucks Card

New Mini Starbucks Card – Coming Soon

_sbx_stor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:57:00 GMT

We are happy to announce our new Designer Mini Starbucks Card. This limited edition Starbucks Card is a collaboration with fashion designer, Christian Siriano, winner of Project Runway Season 4. The Card’s design is inspired by mod style, contemporary drama and Christian’s love of theatrical fantasy. Available in stores this holiday season, the Christian Siriano Mini Starbucks Card is sure to be a great holiday gift!

Also, remember to register the Card to unlock the benefits of Starbucks Rewards* including balance protection, free select syrups and soy milk, free refills on brewed coffee, up to two consecutive hours of free AT&T Wi-Fi and a free beverage on your birthday!

The Christian Siriano Mini Starbucks Card will be available in participating stores in the U.S. and Canada on November 17.

*In company-operated Starbucks stores.

A Limited Time Offer from the Starbucks Card Team

sbx_jcar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:23:00 GMT

Hello again, this is Jeff Carroll from the Starbucks Card team. I’m writing today to let you know about a pretty cool offer for users of our Starbucks Card Mobile app.

The first time you use your Visa® card to reload your Starbucks Card with $25.00 or more using the Starbucks Card Mobile app, you’ll receive a $5.00 bonus, for a limited time.

If you have not downloaded the Starbucks Card Mobile app from the iTunes app store, you can do so by clicking here. If you already have the Starbucks Card Mobile app on your iPhone or iPod Touch, all you need to do is reload your Card (using a Visa® card as payment). For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Starbucks Card Mobile app, please click here.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

'Tis the season - for Pumpkin Spice!

Karen Cho — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Hi everyone, My name is Karen, and I am a product manager on the Espresso team. There has been a lot of enthusiasm around Pumpkin Spice beverages in our stores as well as right here on My Starbucks Idea so I wanted to write a quick note to celebrate the success of Pumpkin Spice with you. This is the sixth year we’ve brought back Pumpkin Spice and your enthusiasm for this returning favorite has been incredible! Many of you have posted ideas about wanting a skinny version of the Pumpkin Spice latte and this idea is currently "Under Review". Thank you for making Pumpkin Spice lattes and Frappuccino® blended beverages such a special part of your fall days.

For me, this fall has been all about re-connecting with friends, shopping for cozy sweaters and tall boots, and tackling all the house projects that have languished over the summer … all with a warm, creamy, Pumpkin Spice Latte in hand. As your favorite fall-time activities take hold, we hope you continue enjoying our Pumpkin Spice beverages!

What are some of your favorite Pumpkin Spice occasions?

Karen

This blog was inspired by your idea: Skinny Pumpkin Spice latte