Business · Companies · 3 hrs ago
Starbucks explores an app-based fast pass for drive-thru customers
Starbucks is exploring an app-based fast pass that could recognize customers as they arrive at its drive-thrus.
CEO Brian Niccol described a system that could show a customer’s previous order, let them confirm it and make payment easier.
The company has not said how it will identify customers or where it might test the idea.
One possible approach is for the app to detect a phone’s location near a store, or for a Bluetooth device at the order board to detect it.
About half of Starbucks customers use drive-thrus, and the company wants to make those visits faster while keeping baristas involved.
Starbucks also plans to test background AI tools this fiscal year to help baristas enter orders more accurately.
The fast pass is still at an early stage, and Starbucks says it will test and learn before deciding what to expand.
Starbucks is exploring an app-based “fast pass” that could recognize participating customers as they arrive at a drive-thru and make ordering and payment easier.
CEO Brian Niccol described a possible system that would show a customer’s previous order to a barista, but Starbucks has not announced how customers would be identified.
The company says it is early in the work and plans to test, learn and scale what works.
A privacy advocate warned that AI-powered personalization could raise concerns about consumer surveillance and pricing.
Starbucks says roughly half of its customers use the drive-thru.
- Who
- Starbucks, led by CEO Brian Niccol, is exploring the idea for participating customers.
- What
- The company is considering a drive-thru “fast pass” that could recognize customers, show past orders and make payment easier.
- When
- Starbucks says the work is at an early stage. It has not given a test date for the fast pass.
- Where
- At Starbucks drive-thrus; the company has not said where it would test the idea.
- Why
- Starbucks says it wants to make the drive-thru faster, more convenient and more personal while preserving interaction between baristas and customers.
Starbucks
Privacy and pricing critics
Aspect
Starbucks
Starbucks says it is exploring ways to improve the drive-thru experience and make ordering more convenient.
Privacy and pricing critics
Critics warn that AI-based personalization could increase surveillance and raise concerns about how customers are treated.
Aspect
Starbucks
Starbucks has not shared implementation details and says it will test, learn and scale what works.
Privacy and pricing critics
Lindsay Owens said the idea could expose Starbucks to scrutiny and suggested personalized menus could be used to set prices based on what customers might pay.
Niccol said Starbucks was exploring ways to recognize participating customers and personalize drive-thru menus.
Niccol described an app-based approach in which the system could show a customer’s historical or most recent order.
A Starbucks spokesperson told Gizmodo that the company had no further implementation details to share.
Starbucks plans to begin testing background AI models to help baristas enter orders more accurately and efficiently.
- Drive-thru customers
- Roughly half of Starbucks customers use the drive-thru.
- Proposed feature
- Fast pass” is a name Niccol suggested, not a finalized name.
- Customer identification
- Starbucks has not said how customers would be identified or where the idea would be tested.
- Background AI testing
- Starbucks plans to begin testing models in its current fiscal year.
- Privacy criticism
- Lindsay Owens warned that AI-powered pricing could be calibrated to the maximum a customer might pay.
2 sources
What people are saying
When you pull up to the drive-thru, if you’re in our app, it will recognize you
We’re also exploring experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless.
We’re in the early stages of exploring ways to improve the Starbucks drive-through customer experience
Here’s what’s brewing at Starbucks: AI-powered pricing calibrated to the exact maximum the company thinks you’ll pay.