Starbucks is now testing electronic redemption of free drink coupons as part of MyStarbucksRewards. Beginning on April 23, 2012, Pittsburgh is the test market for digital rewards. Pittsburgh customers can sign up for this. The customer will receive an email when a free drink has been earned, and then simply can go into the store with his or her registered card to redeem the drink.
Just as a reminder, Starbucks mails a postcard for a free drink out to customers, but this has been met with complaints that cards were lost, damaged, mis-delivered, or for one reason or another, never arrived at the card holder’s address. For those who do not know about MyStarbucksRewards, here’s a basic overview: A customer gets a Starbucks card (it can be ANY of the free gift cards), loads money on it, creates a profile at Starbucks.com/card registering the card, and then uses it to pay for purchases.
After five swipes of a card registered to the Starbucks.com/card profile, the card holder is elevated to “green” level where an enormous number of perks kick in, including free soy milk, a free tall beverage with the purchase of a pound of beans (or half pound of Reserve) and more. I have been meaning to write a lengthy blog post just about the “green” level of perks but first I wanted to talk to someone at the Starbucks headquarters about areas of ambiguity that I am still unsure about. I am sad to report that despite more than one attempt, I have had no luck getting a Starbucks card/loyalty partner at the SSC to contact me for this, but I am still working on it.
After 30 uses of a card, a customer is elevated to the “Gold” level of benefits. I should be clear that it is possible to register more than one card to your Starbucks.com/card profile, and it is quite possible to use multiple cards, and still receive all your perks. The benefits of MyStarbucksRewards are rewarded per Starbucks.com/card profile and NOT per any specific card. At the “Gold” level of benefits, a customer receives in the mail a shiny gold card with his or her name on it. There is no requirement to actually use that specific gold card. One can keep using his or her favorite card from before. After reaching the “Gold” level of benefits, a customer earns a free drink coupon for every 15 swipes of the card.
The free drink coupons are what is at issue in this blog post – Pittsburgh gets them digitally now!
By the way, please know that the MyStarbucksRewards are actually a little different from place to place, so the discussion above only pertains to the U.S. version of MyStarbucksRewards.
How is this working out? Is there anyone reading this who is within the test group? How do you like the electronic rewards? I would love to hear how this is working out or your thoughts on this.
(Big thank yous to the anonymous individual who randomly emailed me this information. :))
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Interesting development – and something many have asked for. Hopefully you are reminded and given the *option* of redeeming your digital coupon at the register and it not be an automatic deduction.
I like technology as much if not more than the next person. But I also respect it and know that while people occasionally make mistakes, it takes a computer to really mess up (the military has an acronym for situations like this, it is FUBAR 😉 .
I know people have been being annoying on MSI on this ever since MSI was created. My position is be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.
The BIG problem I see is that a card holder has no options in this pilot. If you do not have an email you are out of luck. While this is a minority in total, I bet it is a significant number in the older demographic. There is also a high probability if Starbucks is not careful with the wording and HTML code in the email it will go straight to their SPAM folder.
Now I wonder who on MSI is going to get the light bulb for this.
whole-heartedly agree with CD and DadC…… I see lots of possible problems with this and as we all know, once it’s “paperless” and goes somehow wrong…… tooooo bad.
I, unlike Denise, Dad Cooks and CD, love this idea!
I get numerous CVS Drugstore digital coupons sent to me and it is working out great. One less little piece of paper I have to carry around and dig out of my purse. One less postcard for the mailman to stuff in with the numerous junk mail I get. Once less postcard getting lost in the mail entirely.
However, when CVS sends the reminder email, they give you the option of printing it out or a digital download direct to your card. That option would be great for the, as DadCooks says, the “older demographic”, which, by the way, I am a member of.
@DadCooks – I did get a chuckle at your comment of who gets a light bulb for this! LOL I think this has been an idea for years at MSI!
I would assume there has got to be a way to still get a postcard if you really wanted it. ?? I am confident this could work. I guess my real question is can you ‘bank’ the rewards or do you hve to use them when it pops up? (which is your question too).
The problem with the current system is that so many rewards are lost in the mail, mis-delivered, damaged in the mail, or returned due to inadequate address or a change of address.
Last Thursday, I went out with two friends, and one picked me up, and she said to me, “Look at what came in my mail today” as I stepped into her car. She had the birthday reward coupon for someone else- Completely mis-delivered and off by a couple of blocks, and she growls, “Melody, I have the worst postman ever!” And, the card looked like it had been through a beating! That’s the problem right there. I am sure she wrote “return to sender” or something like that, but one random guy in the Queen Anne neighborhood definitely is not getting a timely birthday reward coupon.
As an aside, one disadvantage to an e-award is that it might “feel” like a more minimal reward than if it is an actual card. There is some odd psychology out there, I’ve heard, that if you don’t have something physical to hold, you might feel like you’re getting less – which is weird, but I’d hate to see customers now feeling like they’re not rewarded because of this change.
Awesome! no more worrying about not having it arrive, or forgetting it!
I surely hope the testing is successful because I certainly have been the victim of “lost” reward postcards. Okay, okay, maybe victim is a harsh term here. 🙂 However, I am excited to hear Starbucks is moving forward with this MSI request.
Why am I the only person that refuses to register a card, and take advantage of the rewards? I would hate to see with all the money I have spent, what I am missing out on. Anyway….. If I were to be in any of the rest of your shoes, I can see the positives and the negatives of doing this. Of course, I have the worst luck in the world, so either way, always the skeptic that I am, of anything working in my favor.
ps: Any opinion of The Disney thing?
Yippie it is about time. I use my iPhone for all my sbux purchases I hope ey add integration into the app too so you can simply use your free drink from the app whenever you want to
@Uniqueblog – and anyone else – I just realized there is an official Starbucks page on this already:
http://www.starbucks.com/digitalrewards
It says you can pay with your app!
A few observations. 1-) I thrive on electronic “shortcuts” 2-) I would only welcome the electronic sweet 15 IF I can choose when I want to use it.
The reason for #2? I generally only use my free drink coupon after I’ve already earned at least 10 stars, being over half way to another sweet 15 is encouraging to see on my app. Then I use my snail mail card with double delight!!
Melody – according to the Starbucks website – http://www.starbucks.com/digitalrewards – this is a pilot that will launch nationally later this year. And there is no option for paper postcards – once your account goes digital you cannot go back.
@Chgo — regarding the Disney “alliance”: IMHO, Mickey Mouse and will only create more posts on MSI wanting to turn Starbucks into a “Kiddie Land”.
@Everybody — if you look at the digital rewards link Melody provided, towards the bottom are some FAQs. The real biggie is the expirations, 7-days for birthday and 30-days for sweet 15. No more Partners being able to “just say yes” to an expired card, the “reward” will automatically disappear into the ether.
I love it! It is a WIN for the customer and I can redeem my FREE drinks faster instead of waiting for them to be mailed per the postcard. I already use the app and I will love having the redemption option once this goes national.
As for the naysayers… I think you might be in the minority and you can’t please everyone sadly.
@Dadcooks Im on my Kindle, sorry so sloppy. I wrote this blog article long before the official digital award link went live. Great point, and now we know what the new “slippage ” is!
I’m so excited that Starbucks has figured out how to do this. I feel like my postcards have gotten stuck in the mail for a long period of time. I think these digital rewards will be a good way to have everything in one place (iPhone app)
I wish I still lived in Pittsburgh (it wouldn’t be 100 degrees, for one thing) but I am a fan of this! Am excited, though I feel that Starbucks will send out less and less freebie promo cards once this catches on (like the free oatmeal etc…) Email doesn’t seem like a good method because they could be too easily redeemed multiple times, I bet.
I am happy they are moving in this direction but from the link you provided Melody I can there are going to be problems as others have pointed out. I suppose no one will ever be satisfied and hopefully testing it out will resolve some issues. Did they pick Pittsburgh because it covers a large test area? I am sort of surprised that they did not pick the NY area for a test.
At first glance, it sounded great! “It’s about time!”. But then looking into all of the fine print, I hope we will have an option to opt out of it. I really like holding on to my free drink postcard for a special/stressful day. I’m normally a grande drinker. And I like to save my freebies for those days that call for a venti or trenta. I know it sounds cheap of me, but when I need a larger than normal “hit”, having it be free usually helps with whatever made me need it large in the first place. Bottom line, I want to be in charge of when I use it.
Completely separate topic: After living in our new city for 2 years and only being able to get SB at Targets, I’m excited to say that we are getting a stand alone store!! Yahoo!!
@Amanda – Congrats on getting a company-operated Starbucks!
As far as I can tell, from the link above in the comments, there is no way to opt out of this. The other thing is that if you have not checked your email, and you don’t know that a free drink is coming, it looks like the free drink will still automatically be free. That is going to cause disappointment if the customer wanted a smoothie, and happened to just getting a tall iced coffee that day!
I’m really hopping that a few people who are IN the test market weigh in, but maybe no one in Pittsburgh reads this blog. LOL. Statistically, most of blog traffic comes from Calif, then Wash, then New York, then Texas. ( By the way, I’m kind of joking a bit – I do have PA readers, and readers all over the world!, just that the largest segment of readers seems to be from the 4 places mentioned)
I see almost nothing but trouble with this ‘digital’ direction..altho I relaize it was likely inevitable. As has been pointed out, I can see the email problem……NOT everyone has email, and also the SPAM issue. I would MUCH rather have a card in my hand, that is redeemed by any Sbux I ever go to…even tho expired maybe……(I haven’t had that issue but I’ve seen it..the partners don’t care if the card is expired..they accept it) So, would this be an automatic deduction if not redeemed within X amnt of time?
PLUS, personally, I want to keep and support the USPS. We all know it’s in bad shape and to me, an “e-card” does not take the place of getting a REAL CARD (any kind of card) in the mail. Not to mention a package.
Having watched so much go paperless…..almost all of healthcare…..ask anyone who works in it. there are some pluses but when there’s trouble (with the systems, etc) you are in real trouble.
I realize someday, hopefully at least after my generation dies out, probably everything will be electronic. I hope not to see it.
and seriously, how many of you woud rather get an e-card for your birthday (as an example) or a real card in the mail? with real handwriting…….(another thing on its way out, handwriting!) ??? I vote for the real card in my hand.
also, just got a new computer (luckily on a 2nd yr warranty so it was covered) but it means I’ve been thru THREE computers in 4 yrs. amazing how much can be electronically messed up!
The whole plan scares me…..
and, @Chgo, did you read on msi (maybe Ideas in Action) about how the new “remodels” are being done? I think it was in a thread that got closed yestereday about “stores are losing their atmosphere” or something. The thread went on forever ….80+comments I think from 2009. anyway, it explains ALOT about the remodels, or lack of…….
I am an SS at a Pittsburgh store. No problems yet and the customers love it.
Some small concerns that you can no longer give a card to your child/friend/etc…
Also, in the interim, you need your card with you if you have a few reward cards saved up that you want to redeem.
Ken am a bit confused as to why you would need your crd with you if you have some reward cards saved up? And can you use the reward for any drink? Any time?
Denise wow you have hit it right on the mark for so many points. I too am one that still sends snail mail birthday cards and I also use my free drink coupon for a larger than normal size as a treat. And I do not like the idea that it will automatically expire. Great points Denise.
From a purely marketing / cost perspective, this is a potential loss to Starbucks. Lost and unused cards must have more than paid for the costs of printing / mailing cards, or they would have moved to electronic much sooner. I just don’t think that Starbucks, as a company that claims to want to positively contribute to the environment, can continue with the cards. Perception is that it is wasteful, and that’s been the only complaint I’ve had from customers ever about the program (except for the occasional Q. How do I replace a lost card? A. You don’t, you’re out of luck.) I also think that the special offers (free oatmeal, dollar petites, free bagels, etc.) will be able to be loaded onto customers’ cards as well.
Personally, I’ll have to come up with a new solution for my cards, as I tend to give away more than I use. All in all, I’m happy for the improvement, digital couponing is a major trend, and I see this improving the customer experience in the long-run.
it’s about time
@purple1 When you ring the drink with the discount code the register now asks for the account number.
@purple: thanx!
@DadC…..did you know that the infamous “Kiddie Land” (on North & 1st) closed a few yrs ago? actually lots of people went and took pics of the landmark signage-pole.
@Denise – I didn’t see that idea about the remodels on msi. I will have to search it out. For the record, Kiddie Land still exists. It’s called msi.
My family and and ton of my friends live in Pittsburgh still (I lived there for 24 years until I moved to AZ!) I will ask them to weigh in on their opinion. I do agree with Amanda a couple of comments up that said one negative is getting to save her sweet 15 cards for a particularly stressful or morning where I know I need an extra perk from normal grande size whatever I get. (Usually still a grande but with an extra shot of espresso) so it’s nice to be in control of when to use the reward.
However, they could definitely build that into the mobile app to let the customer choose when to redeem their electronic reward. They could put it under the rewards screen or something. I can see that being a challenge for those that don’t have or want to use the mobile app though 🙁
Ken, do you know if the customer will get to choose when to use the new electronic reward?
@denise r — no I was unaware that Kiddie Land had closed, but not surprised. I looked it up and see that it was a petty squabble between the land owners and the park owners. Figures.
@Chgo — yes, I would agree that Kiddie Land lives on as MSI. Fun the first time out, but gets lamer with each visit 😉 .
Did you guys go to Riverview Park? I consider “The Bobs” to have been the best for the day and it took me years of pleading to get to go on the “Pair-O-Chutes”.
@Hayley Sure-the customer requests to redeem the
reward and then the cashier pushes the appropriate button on the register and is prompted for the rewards card to scan. You can save your rewards and control when they are used but the expiration date will be enforced by the system.
YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Thats all I have to say.
@DadCooks – Riverview closed when I was 1, so I never experienced it. As far as the Disney Thing I mentioned….. I agree it may not make for some great discussion on msi, but I think the idea of having Starbucks (even under a different name) at Disney World / Land is a great idea. Parents still need a good cup of coffee. I can only speak for Disney World, but unless somebody hasn’t been there in a long time, it isn’t just about kids anymore. Disney World has grown up big time. As a honeymoon destination, there is plenty to do for adults only. I would agree that the Magic Kingdom is mostly for kids. I think for what you pay to visit Disney for a week, you should be able to get yourself something better than Nescafe Coffee. : )
I saw my SM last night at my local SB and mentioned to him about this test in the Pittsburgh area and he knew nothing about it. This is not the first time that I have shared info with him about new products, tests, etc. and he always says customers are the first to tell me about things. Why doesn’t corporate SB share tests and such with all the regions? Certainly, if this test is going to go national! Has anyone else had this experience where their SM has been clueless about a new program or product? Melody for sure you are providing such a great service.
@chgo: lol and I agree
@DadC…..I clearly remember Riverview…altho I was too small (and scared) to go on the “bobs’ not to mention the parachutes terrified me! I watched my older sister tho…. My mom worked at Brachs (candy) for much of our youth and they had their annual company picnic at Riverview for yrs…..so it was a big deal. We had the whole park all to ourselves for a summer day. Many memories of that!
SORRY TO BE SO OFF TOPIC ON YOUR BLOG MELODY!!!!!!! 🙁
and, I know this is amazing but not everyone has a “smart” phone and an ‘app for that’…..nor do they want one.
and, again, @purple: I have that same experience of giving stores info all the time, old things new things. Many of the regular partners I know tell me they only learn of something ‘new’ from me. I think Sbux still has that very bad communication issue with informing their partners, on many levels.
@Purple1 – Your SM is not taking the time to read what is on his portal. About a week ago there was information to all partners that appeared on the portal about this test. I got an email within hours of that, and this blog post was written about a week ago. Sometimes partners read things on the portal and then anonymously send me things without me even asking. My readership is large enough that that does happen now and then.
Bottom line, Starbucks does NOT have very bad communication, but your SM does NOT take the time to look things up. And by the way,if he is not looking and carefully reading what is on the portal, it is unlikely that the information is trickling down to the store partners, who probably know even less than him. And if he really thinks customers get the info first (wrong!) that’s appalling. He sounds like he has zero motivation to learn about Starbucks – He’s not seeking it out on blogs – either here or on other sites=, and he’s not reading it on the portal. There is already an official Starbucks article on this too:
http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2012/04/24/pittsburgh-says-hello-to-digital-my-starbucks-rewards.aspx
I guarantee you he should have known about this one week ago. Guarantee. He’s not keeping up on the information given to him.
Oh, and since we’re also discussing the Disney thing, it should be noted that Universal Studios has had a Starbucks there for years. As an employee, we are extremely grateful that they are there and they have gotten us through some grueling nights. 🙂
I prefer to have my free drink card in my hand to use whenever I want to use it. I understand that we may be able to tell the baristas when we wish to have it deducted from our card but I still like getting them in the mail. I’m super excited about the Starbucks and Disney union. I love the idea of getting my kind of coffee when I’m visiting Dinseyworld. And I really hope they have their own special merchandise!!
Melody it is interesting to hear that the SM should have known about this test and other programs going on. He is a nice guy and his background is in hospitality so I am not sure why he is often saying customers tell me things first. I have given him your card and told him about this blog. I also wonder in some ways if it is also a regional issue as well. How often do Store Managers in regions get together to share issues, etc.?
Purple1 – I hate to be brutal here, but your local SM sounds very low on motivation. In every comment you write, it sounds like he does all the minimum to keep a healthy store running, but THIS information was there. He could have easily found it. If a store partner easily got it to me, it was there. He just doesn’t sound like he has the spark to do any extra – No extra reading on the portal, no online presence. Heck, lots of SMs would know more if they simply subscribed to the Starbucks press releases through the Starbucksnewsroom and read the official blogs.
Btw, I think many store partners are like this – They do the minimum to keep their store running, and whole and healthy, and do not invest any time into anything else. From their perspective, they have to first worry about what is right in front of them: Their store. But I know that I personally would to know more. Curiosity is a powerful thing!
Melody last comment re this and do not mean to drag this thread too long but for sure I feel that I have more passion and info about SB than some of the partners and the SM. Without doubt. It is a shame for sure and I do not have an answer as to how to change that. Does it go back to training and hiring practices?
Not *every* test goes on the portal – as you point out Melody, there are a ton of test etc. that go on all the time that never make it past that first stage of testing. It does get filtered based on relevancy to different markets etc. So if something isn’t happening even remotely close to you, it may be totally legit that your SM doesn’t know about it (but to Melody’s point, if other store partners can access it and send it to her, the SM can too!)
But something as big as this, that customers comment on all over the place?! You bet they’re going to tell us. And as an SM, I sure as hell know it’s my job to proactively stay informed, and not wait for someone to tell me, or my DM to mention it on a conference call or anything else. That being said, the way information is updated on the portal, it is not always easily apparent that something is new, and I don’t always have time to read through a press release or a news article about something, so it’s quite possible that I will miss something for a day or two.
If a customer tells me about something and I don’t know about it, I’ll do what I do when my niece draws me a picture and I have no idea what it is “Tell me about it…” and then I make a mental note to research it later when I have a sec. No harm done – it doesn’t bother me that a customer knows something before me – I know I’m human, and I also know there are a ton of super-curious customers, and a ton of misinformation out there too. Just because a customer seems to know something before me, doesn’t mean it’s even accurate 🙂
@Amanda and Chgo, – I am really looking forward to the Starbucks in Disneyland. Over the years, I’ve been to DL many many times, and I’m working on planning on a trip home to see this new Starbucks store. I might even have my mom with me! LOL
@Purple1 – No, – I am not explaining myself right. Imagine you’re working a job … you first worry about things that are right in front of your face. That’s first. This is pretty much true of any job. If you are a Starbucks store manager, you might be thinking:
* I have to do inventory yet again – it’s almost monthly now.
* I have to write the schedule.
* I have to do my roasting plant order.
* My store hasnt had a quasa visit in 10 months, I need to allot time for a deep cleaning.
* I have partners that want to work on being a coffee master – I need to plan for that.
* The lobby window shades are broken – I need a repairman.
* My evening closer is calling in sick with a broken ankle, I have to find coverage.
* My CV scores are low – How can I coach my partners to have a better experience?
* My asm wants to do practice interviewing for an SM position.
* I have reviews to write.
* My DM is contacting me about a store complaint.
* Oh no, I’ve run out of raspberry syrup – Where can I borrow some from?
The list goes on and on and on …
This is NOT a regional issue. Suddenly, if you’re a SM anywhere, worrying about digital rewards in Pittsburgh seems distant and far, and it is the last of your worries.
It takes some level of extra effort to want to keep up on new things that Starbucks is doing all over the place. If I were a Starbucks SM, I’d probably be doing things to keep abreast of whatever the company is doing – Whether that is opening a zillion stores in China, or testing Peach Tea in Columbus, Ohio. But I can see how it seems overwhelming. And IF the SM is not interested in all the “extras” it just seems more likely that the store partners won’t know about them either – Hence the experience that you and denise have of talking to partners and telling register baristas “new” things.
Also, there is not one single resource to know what Starbucks is doing. I think if you generally want to stay informed about Starbucks (this is true for anyone, not just partners) you
(1) set up google alerts to send you Starbucks news alerts – helpful to see what mainstream news is saying about Starbucks
(2) Subscribe to press releases in the newsroom section of Starbucks.com – I think this is the link but it’s been so long since I’ve done this I am not sure: http://news.starbucks.com/login.cfm?path_info=/user_pref.cfm
(3) Read unofficial blogs such as this one and others
(4) Read the official Starbucks blogs – http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/default.aspx
(5) And if you’re a partner, you read the portal thoroughly.
But as you can see, that is A LOT of extra, and far removed from, “Oh no, I’ve run out of Vanilla Syrup and have to find some asap.”
But when it comes to all these ‘extra’ things that partners might think about – even knowing that Starbucks is opening up in Disneyland, it comes second to what is happening in the store. When the Evolution Fresh store opened in WA, I mentioned it to a number of partners, many of whom had no idea what I talking about. I think if you just subscribe to the official press releases, you cover a lot of ground. And of course, I have bias in favor of reading this site. 😉
When all is said and done, I LOVE Rebecca‘s comment, and think she nailed it. Totally nailed it – She takes such a positive approach, engages the customer, and makes a mental note to research it later. That is the best answer!
Melody thank you for your last response and the links provided. I also liked Rebecca’s comments.
@Melody — your clarifying response to purple1 was excellent.
Too few people have had the opportunity to be mentored, much less “trained” by truly competent and experienced people in their chosen (or not) field. It is so sad to see people who think that all they need to do to be “excellent” in their job is just show up. This short sighted culture has been years in the making; over simplified exasperating causes: wage and hour laws, over regulation, affirmative action (great concept that led to failed execution), rewarding “participation” instead of “winners”.
I have had to work many disagreeable jobs, but in every case, by giving 110% to a boss/company that treated me like dirt I was “discovered” by someone/company that was a pleasure and enriching to work for. I have to admit though, that I learned something even from the “bad” jobs. In all cases, I also always take my own time to learn about who I am working for and what is going on in related industries. All that “uncompensated time” eventually paid off with promotions, better jobs, and a better attitude and outlook.
This is simply the way the entire program should have been since the start. Competitive programs have always been electronic-only. If the antiquated SBUX register system can tell your card is registered and display that on the receipt, why don’t they have this ability baked in? Every receipt (if you request one) should your stars (if applicable) and your balance of free beverages.
I’ve missed quite a few cards, and I’m always amazed when I get any, since my address using all legal postal abbreviations is too long for the SBUX system to fit it onto one line. Other systems allow me to put my condo unit on the line above the street address (this is correct postal format, though you’ll often see folks do this on the line below the address, which is a big no-no). However, if I do this with SBUX, it converts it into one long line. This looks fine on the computer screen, but my condo unit number is always lopped off on the actual card. Postal workers do not have to distribute anything without a unit number to a multi-unit building, but many good workers will. Other times the cards will simply bounce back to SBUX, which shows no evidence of doing anything with the returned mail (I was once told the volume of returned mail is too high for them to do anything but discard it.)
Aside from the obvious waste of paper cards, the current system bothers me from a loyalty/marketing standpoint. Although the card has your name and address, your card redemption isn’t tracked. The beverage cost is waived by entering a generic discount code, so the company doesn’t know when (or if) you’ve redeeemed your card and what you’ve received. Wouldn’t it make sense that they’d want to track things like: [A] how quickly their very loyal customers redeem the free card (or if they do at all), [B] what beverage the customer chooses, or [C] the cost of the free beverage relative to all of the other purchases (ie, does someone make 15 purchases of something close to $1 and then get a free $6 beverage?). There’s quite a bit else that the company would want to track, such as whether the customer makes another purchase at the time of the redemption (and if so, is that higher than a usual transaction for that customer?).
Here’s to a completely paperless rewards program for all companies!
I agree with what Carl posted. As a comparison, I have been a member of several survey companies for years and online rewards programs. They used to snail mail a check or a gift card to me and it took WEEKS or MONTHS to arrive after processing.
Now a lot of these companies use Paypal so I have the money in my account and the last time I redeemed for a Starbucks gift card I got the code sent to me electronically and I added it online to my Gold Card to redeem it. It was GREAT and no paper was wasted and no lost checks/cards in the mail. DIGITAL is the way to go! I love using my Starbucks phone app and checking my balance, adding money to my card from my bank account and checking my stars count for my free drink.
@Melody—What you said about there being something psychological about having something physical; I definitely get that feeling. I love keeping up with technology—I’m on the Apple bandwagon and I love my Kindle. And yet I still love buying physical CDs, books, etc. It just makes me feel like I’m getting something more tangible for my money!
That being said, I’m not against the idea of paperless rewards. I do love getting that postcard in the mail, but it’s not so great when it gets lost, or when my birthday one is late. I think if they can get any kinks worked out, it could be great—I already love using the Starbucks iPhone app (except for when it crashes…) So hopefully this all works out smoothly in the test market. And if not, hopefully they’ll have a chance to make any changes before rolling it out nationwide. I’d love the possibility of instant gratification for earning my stars. But I must admit, the old-fashioned part of me that still loves getting “snail mail” will miss the postcards. 😉
China has digital rewards since the launch of My Starbucks Rewards Card. They usually have 3 months validity for regular coupons and 1 month validity for birthday coupons. With the numerous cards I have to get a gold card for my collector friends, the coupons sometimes expire without being used. 🙁 I’ve used my card in different cities across Mainland China without any problems.