Starbucks Also Enters Delivery... Pilot Delivery Service Operating at Two Gangnam Stores

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Starbucks Coffee Korea announced on the 19th that it will open the Starbucks Yeoksam Emart store as a delivery test store on the 27th and will actively review the implementation of delivery services in the future.

The Starbucks Yeoksam Emart store will operate as a delivery-only pilot store, unlike existing Starbucks stores where customers could stay and pick up their orders directly. The approximately 30-pyeong (about 99 square meters) store consists solely of a rider-only entrance, a rider waiting area, and storage spaces for beverage preparation, food, and MD, without any customer seating area.

Baristas at this store will focus exclusively on preparing and packaging ordered products without direct interaction with visiting customers, dedicating themselves to quality control and prompt delivery service.

Orders can only be placed through the Starbucks mobile app, and delivery is available within approximately a 1.5 km radius from the store location. Customers can check delivery availability by entering their delivery address, and if located within the delivery area, they can proceed with ordering and payment. The minimum order amount is 15,000 KRW (with an additional 3,000 KRW delivery fee), and the existing benefits of earning stars through Starbucks card payments remain unchanged.

Delivery is carried out through the delivery startup ‘Barogo.’ Upon receiving a customer’s delivery order, baristas prepare the ordered beverages based on the rider’s estimated arrival time at the store to maintain quality. Products undergo sealing and packaging processes to prevent damage during transit. When the rider picks up and departs, a delivery start notification is sent to the ordering customer.

Starbucks has conducted various tests to maintain quality during the delivery process. Based on these, about 60 beverage items, 40 food items, and 50 MD items that can maintain quality during delivery have been selected and are operated. Additionally, set menus composed based on big data surveys and customer preference research, as well as delivery-optimized exclusive beverages and food, have been developed and introduced.

In mid-December, the ‘Starlit Daechi store’ will be additionally opened as a delivery test store in the same format. Starbucks plans to listen to various forms of customer feedback at these two test stores in the future.

Baek Ji-woong, head of new business, said, “As a beta test operation, we expect to meet the changing needs of customers due to COVID-19 and accumulate various data and experiences related to delivery. We will do our best to provide customers with a differentiated and the best Starbucks experience.”

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