The Landscape Changed by COVID-19... Ordering from the Car and Only Picking Up Drinks

Starbucks Sees Continued Growth in Contactless Orders... Drive-Thru Vehicle Orders Surge

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The number of orders placed from vehicles at Starbucks drive-thru stores has significantly increased compared to last year, indicating that the contactless consumption culture is gradually spreading.

Starbucks Coffee Korea announced on the 5th that from January to February this year, the number of orders placed from vehicles without getting out at drive-thru stores increased by 32% compared to the same period last year.

The number of orders through My DT Pass, a system that automatically charges a pre-registered Starbucks card linked to the customer's registered vehicle information without presenting a payment method, also increased by 30% during the first two months of this year compared to the same period last year. Currently, orders through My DT Pass account for about 40% of all vehicle orders at drive-thru locations.

Starbucks drive-thru stores are equipped with seating areas like regular stores and allow customers to order drinks without leaving their vehicles through the drive-thru ordering space. Upon arrival, customers can place orders directly with partners via a video order smart panel or quickly and conveniently order using the mobile app service Siren Order and My DT Pass.

The number of Siren Order orders, Starbucks' representative contactless ordering service, also exceeded 8 million from January to February this year, a 25% increase compared to the same period last year. Siren Order, which surpassed 100 million cumulative orders last year, accounted for about 22% of total orders as of February this year.

A Starbucks representative said, “It is analyzed that interest in contactless services, which minimize contact by using digital services that allow easy mobile ordering or receiving products without staying in the store while moving in a vehicle, is increasing every year,” and added, “Due to recent environmental factors such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the range of users is expected to gradually expand.”

Meanwhile, Starbucks has been continuously integrating various IT services to ensure the safety and convenience of driver customers. In August last year, the company improved digital services according to customer convenience by expanding the Siren Order orderable radius for customers visiting DT zones by vehicle from 2 km to 6 km. Voice ordering services linked with Samsung Electronics' Bixby in April 2018 and SK Telecom's T map in June 2018 are also provided.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.