Starbucks is a brand dedicated to connecting people

Starbucks is a brand that is committed to connecting people, the so-called "Starbucks experience", rather than just a cup of coffee. When we see mobile internet, social media has become a part of people's lives, we redefine the way we connect people, which makes Starbucks aware of the importance of digital marketing. Digital marketing is as important to the company's continued success as selling coffee. --Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks

Digital marketing to improve the Starbucks experience, so that customers feel "Starbucks on the side." --Mariehansilloway, vice president of Starbucks China

The dilemma for Starbucks: slowing market growth and intensifying competition

Starbucks is currently the world's largest coffee chain, founded in 1971. Public data show that Starbucks ' single store sales fell for the first time in more than 10 years in 2007, and the company's share price fell. By January 2008, Starbucks ' share price had fallen by more than 50% per cent, and, to improve the situation, founder Schultz had been reinstated as CEO of the company. But because of the economic downturn in the US, Schultz's appearance did not reverse, and Starbucks ' May financial statement showed Starbucks ' profit shrank by 28% in the second quarter, risking a fall in profits for the first time since 2000. As of July 2007, Starbucks ' shares had slipped to 1/3 in 2006, back to 2003-year levels.

Between 2008 and 2009, Starbucks ' profit crisis continued to increase. Because of the slump in the US market, the business of Starbucks, the home base, has fallen so sharply that full-year profits fell by 69% in the first quarter of 2009. Starbucks ' turnover rebounded 13.8% in 2010 and reached its all-time high in 40 years, but the US coffee market grew only 8% per cent, so the overall coffee consumption rate slowed.

While the share price is weak, competitors are eyeing it. In early 2013, the British coffee chain brand Costa China operations director Chu Zi Leopard said publicly, "the next 3 years, the company will open 250 new stores in China." For Starbucks, competitors are located in the high-end coffee market in Costa, but also positioned in the cheap McDonald's "Mccafés" near. Thus, for Starbucks, whether in the United States or in China, its development path is not so good, there are twists and obstacles.

"Social media +o2o" marketing model to reverse the situation

In order to get out of the predicament, Starbucks set up "official website + network Community + social media" three closely integrated line operation thinking, in order to better realize o2o,2011 August Starbucks also opened the shopping site (starbucksstore.com). From the O2O point of view, the Starbucks Online (online) part has been highly effective commitment to brand marketing, the triple function of product sales and customer relationship management; Therefore, based on the characteristics of mobile Internet, through the continuous innovation in the field of mobile payment, Starbuck's online and offline has achieved efficient integration.

1. Internet O2O

2000 after the Internet is in the prime, a batch of followers flocked to, to more quickly through the Internet to affect consumers, attract consumers, in addition to their own brand advantages, enterprises need to do is: what to attract consumers and how to better affect consumers. Starbucks in the ongoing exploration, made a number of changes in its O2O fate, and fame, the specific measures mainly include the following aspects.

(1) Online brand promotion through social networking, promoting offline consumption transformation

After 2004, when social networking was growing, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were on the line, so the time was ripe for online branding through social networking. To be able to promote the brand in social networks, Starbucks has established a dedicated social marketing team that is responsible for the operation of the network account. Then Starbucks went to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Google and so on. Interacting with customers on social networks, not only sharing Starbucks-related information, but also sharing content that was of interest to many customers, Foursquare donated 250,000 of billions of dollars to the AIDS pandemic, and supported the U.S. job creation initiative in Google through a Google offer. Promote their brand image through public welfare.

Through these efforts, Starbucks received a good publicity: As of April 17, 2013, Starbucks's YouTube account subscribers reached 17,587, the video was viewed 7.49 million times, and Starbucks Facebook account has received a total of "like" (like) 34.26 million times, and its Instagram account has 1.18 million fans, Twitter account is more than 3.65 million fans, and its Google + account number of fans as high as 1.53 million. Today, Starbucks has grown into one of the most popular food companies in social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Starbucks ' efforts have also gained a lot of recognition: on the one hand, the social Media Marketing awards, on the other hand, in the United States Catering News Network, the United States mainstream of the three major social media and social networks (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are among the biggest catering companies to measure their social ranking, with a 107.09 absolute advantage.

(2) through the online community, encourage online feedback, improve offline services

In the 2008, Schultz's return made Starbucks's Internet route smoother and more exciting. Soon after he took office, Schultz pointed to the importance of focusing on user feedback and released my Starbucks idea online community. In this online community, customers can provide their own suggestions and ideas for Starbucks, comments on Starbucks, comment on Starbucks products, to facilitate interaction, so as to help Starbucks listen to the public opinion, better integration into the masses.

Obviously, the online community has succeeded, and the online feedback and offline strategy has been successful, and Starbucks ' internet journey has blossomed again, and many consumers have made suggestions to Starbucks through the site. As of the five anniversary of the founding of my Starbucks idea in March 2013, Starbucks received 150,000 comments and suggestions, 277 of which were implemented by Starbucks, and eventually upgraded the service quality of Starbucks, winning the trust of consumers, In particular, the establishment and promotion of Starbucks in the eyes of young consumers brand Image: Focus on customers, listening to customers, focus on services.

(3) Through the free network, providing internet services, attract offline consumption

Improving customer stickiness is a goal that every enterprise is willing to pursue, and Starbucks is naturally unwilling to do so, creating a unique retail experience-providing customers with a "third space" outside the workplace and home. Starbucks Coffee core customer base between the age of 25 to 40 years old, after long-term market research, Starbucks found that this group of people to spend an average of 18 times a month, of which 90% are Internet users, and more and more customers will bring laptops to drink coffee. In response, Starbucks has offered a forward-looking approach to attracting customers and staying longer-providing wireless internet access.

In 2001, Starbucks and Microsoft began to offer customers Wi-Fi charging network services, which was launched to attract consumers. In 2004, Starbucks launched a wireless hotspot (hot spot) service with the United States ' largest public network, T HotSpot, and installed Wi-Fi at about 3,100 coffee shops in the United States, allowing customers to surf the internet while enjoying the delicious coffee. Since the launch of the service, the average customer has been online 8 times a month in the store.

With the popularity of the network around people, more and more catering enterprises are beginning to provide customers with Internet services, how to better attract customers has become a major problem. Once the news of Starbucks ' free at&t Wireless access, which began in the United States without registration and unlimited time, was launched in July 2010, consumers were boiling again. In the autumn, also with the Yahoo Company in North America announced the launch of a Starbucks digital network, customers in the Starbucks store, through the free Wi-Fi network. Then Starbucks, in partnership with Yahoo and Apple, links Yahoo's many free e-books, news, music and movies, and enjoy the music downloads of Apple's itunes-only digital network free of charge on its digital network's welcome home page. In the 2013, Google also provided fiber-optic ultra-high speed internet access for Starbucks stores in the United States.

Starbucks attracts and retains a large number of customers by providing online online services, giving customers a more enjoyable experience. Some people even describe him as a day: I am not in the office is in Starbucks, not Starbucks is on the way to Starbucks.

2. Mobile Internet O2O, in prime

In 2012, the United States released a smartphone-related data: 2012 smartphone user ratios rose from 38% last year to 50.4%;android and iOS users from 38 million last year to 84 million; the time spent on apps and the internet, up from 73% to 81%. The number of apps users downloaded to their phones rose from 32 last year to 41. All this suggests that the smartphone app era has come and will dominate in the years ahead. How can Starbucks miss the perfect way to get close to customers from the early days, Starbucks has been actively exploring the mobile Internet, and emerging, to this day, Starbuck has through the mobile internet to attract and influence more and more consumers, the specific measures mainly include the following activities.

(1) Mobile app, the first time to deliver Starbucks new news

September 2009 Starbucks officially on the line of its first client mystarbucks, the client's main role is to help users more quickly query to the nearby Starbucks store and Starbucks menu drink information, the client not only to help the first time to understand the relevant information about Starbucks, save users ask Time, It can also help users avoid the embarrassment of not knowing Starbucks. Through the client, Starbucks to a certain extent quickly improve the consumer's new cognitive speed, while expanding the promotional channels, reducing the cost of new product promotion. But because of the simplicity of the initial mobile app, which has only won the attention of consumers for a while, Starbucks has launched another move-mobile payment to improve the situation. This payment is added to the Starbucks mobile app, iphone and Android version of Starbucks app weekly download volume of about 100,000, so far there are more than 1000 active users.

(2) mobile payment system, leading to convenient payment habits

In the 2011, Starbucks integrated the mobile payment function in its client, the specific method is: the consumer by the Starbucks app in the digital "Starbucks card" recharge, after the Starbucks store cashier through scanning two-dimensional bar code to pay. After the launch of the function, the weekly orders paid through the phone more than 1 million, only six months of time, the number of transactions amounted to 60 million.

After November 2012, Starbucks officially used square services in its stores. In early January 2013, Starbucks sold square swipe cards at more than 7,000 stores in the United States. In order to open the market, Starbucks adopted the promotion method is as long as 10 dollars to buy activation to send the user 10 dollar balance. Through the square wallet, users can directly associate with a credit or debit card account and pay by clicking the payment or scanning a two-dimensional code. The program also has additional features that allow users to search for nearby businesses, browse store and menu information, check transaction history, locate stores, check back-point services, and more.

Through these efforts, Starbucks has taken important steps in the area of mobile payment and has provided a solid guarantee for the integration and more efficient management of its O2O line. By now, the Starbucks mobile payment transaction has grown tremendously, with mobile payment cards generating about $ more than 3 million a week.

(3) Mobile pour, using lbs service to bring coffee to the door

Many people have encountered such a situation: at a certain location, there is no Starbucks, but they are particularly want to drink Starbucks coffee, when people are always anxious but helpless.

In April 2011, the Starbucks website announced the introduction of location-based Services Mobile pour in seven major cities across the United States. The service is designed to meet the needs of those who want to drink, but can not find a Starbucks store in the vicinity of the development. After users download mobile Pour, just identify their location on the phone and place an order to buy Starbucks coffee, and soon the coffee distributor on the scooter will bring a surprise to the user-a cup of fragrant Starbucks coffee. At the same time, in order to ensure delivery speed, Starbucks in the 7 major city stores in the range of two full-time coffee distribution staff.

As soon as the news was launched at the Starbucks website, many Starbucks fans were surprised and said, "I can't believe it, it's April Fool's Day." And when the news spread in China, Starbucks won a lot of affirmation, by netizens praise for the best business applications lbs. At the same time, the launch of mobile pour also caused a lot of people on the LBS service, the vice president of the software, said "the world revolves around their own" is the ultimate pursuit of lbs, service home, chasing service, take out the service of the son's mother to do lbs service will be successful.

(4) Early Bird to improve customer's living habits

There is a word that everyone is not unfamiliar-procrastination, not to do something at the last minute, delaying sleep is more so. Every morning, many people are deeply affected by the double pressure of not getting up and having to get up, the alarm clock is delayed for a moment, and then the last minute. Now a dynamic star Buck early Bird alarm.

Early Bird is a ingenuity app alarm, a new alarm clock that Starbucks added in its Starbucks app in 2012. The alarm clock differs from other alarm clock apps in that it encourages customers to get out of bed with the encouragement of discounted coffee. When the user sets up the alarm clock, just click the cue button to get a star, and if you can walk into any Starbucks store within an hour, you can buy a cup of discounted coffee with your mobile application record, and you'll be late for a break. You can then share your wake-up information with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Do not underestimate the Early bird,early Bird once launched to attract a large number of Starbucks fans, but also won the broad acclaim, to become a Starbucks in a number of ads in the classic, at the same time, many business marketers and institutions to its praise, as a model of success. For Starbucks, it bears the double responsibility of brand promotion and product marketing. It is not passive to ask customers to accept Starbucks coffee, but through humor, playing moving services, to integrate themselves into the user's life, prompting users to wake up in the morning with the Starbucks brand has a connection, through the early bird to make Starbucks more popular, And the Starbucks brand wishes deeply implanted in the hearts of users.

Wen/Li Baoxia