PATENT OWNER
`
`PATENT OWNER
`EXHIBIT 2008
`
`EXHIBIT 2008
`
`
`
`PATENT OWNER
`EXHIBIT 2008
`
`EXHIBIT 2008
`
`
`
`http://nrn.com/quick-service/starbucks-roll-out-innovations-mobile-platform
`
`
`
`Starbucks to roll out innovations in mobile platform
`
`Company says new mobile features could be "holy grail" of throughput
`
`Mar 13, 2014 Lisa Jennings
`
`
`Starbucks mobile moves are part of a larger effort to lead in the use of new technologies.
`Starbucks is poised to unveil innovations within its mobile platform that will include ordering ahead
`and new payment features that the company has called a potential “holy grail” for throughput.
`
`In interviews this week, Howard Schultz, Starbucks chair and chief executive, along with chief digital
`officer Adam Brotman, offered a few hints of what’s coming, though more details are likely to be
`revealed at the Seattle-based company’s shareholder meeting, scheduled for March 19. That day,
`Starbucks plans to update its iPhone app to allow a new shake-to-pay function designed to speed
`the payment process, as well as the ability to tip digitally for the first time.
`
`The ability to order ahead using a smartphone will also be a key addition to Starbucks’ mobile
`offerings, said Wall Street analyst Sharon Zackfia of William Blair & Company LLC, in a report this
`week. After meeting with Starbucks management, Zackfia wrote that the company is planning a
`significant test of mobile ordering soon in an unnamed U.S. market with the goal of rolling out the
`order-ahead feature in 2015.
`
`
`
`
`
`RELATED
`• Starbucks warns of consumer shift to online shopping
`• Starbucks: 2013 best year in company history
`• More restaurant technology news
`
`
`
`The moves are part of a larger effort to build on the company’s strength as a leader in the use of
`new technologies to enhance the customer experience. Schultz said in January that he would step
`away from day-to-day operations to focus more on the company’s investment in “all things digital.”
`
`Management referred to mobile ordering as the potential “holy grail” of throughput, saying one key to
`success will be estimating the customers’ time of arrival, which will be done with help of algorithms,
`to ensure beverages are hot and freshly prepared. Other chains rolling out mobile ordering, like Taco
`Bell, for example, are using GPS locators to recognize when a customer is on the property, giving
`the kitchen the signal to prepare the food.
`
`Zackfia said Starbucks also noted the key challenge of incorporating mobile orders into Starbucks’
`“already-intense” morning operations without slowing down lines.
`
`“We believe the speed and ease of the new schematic could not only yield faster throughput during
`capacity-constrained morning hours but also dramatically increase the number of enrolled Starbucks
`Rewards members,” which now represent more than 25 percent of transactions, she wrote.
`
`The more Rewards members, she noted, the more information Starbucks will have about its
`customers, their preferences and frequency.
`
`Starbucks' app will let customers locate a store, pay their bill and leave a tip.
`
`
`“Starbucks remains in the early innings of mining data to create individualized offers, which began in
`earnest in the fall and is one of the key focuses of the company’s new chief strategy officer,” Matt
`
`
`
`
`
`Ryan, who joined Starbucks in April from The Walt Disney Company, she wrote.
`
`The new-and-improved app, to be launched next week, will be available first for iPhone users, but
`later also for Android customers, said Brotman in a blog column explaining the new options.
`
`The shake-to-pay feature will help customers use their phones to pay more quickly. With the app
`open, the customer will be able to shake their phone from any screen to pull up the barcode of their
`Starbucks card and make a payment, rather than scrolling through various screens to find the
`barcode.
`
`In addition, the new-and-improved app will allow digital tipping for the first time. Guests will be able
`to add a tip of 50 cents, $1 or $2 to their bill — or change their tip amount — within two hours of a
`transaction. Currently guests must pay tips in cash.
`
`Coming soon: Digital receipts and the ability to see customer transaction history to print out or
`digitally file for expense reports.
`
`Starbucks is ahead of the industry in the adoption of mobile payment. Nearly 10 million customers
`are using the mobile pay app and paying for more than 5 million transactions per week using
`smartphones. In an interview with Bloomberg News this week, Brotman said 11 percent of the
`company’s domestic transactions are handled with a mobile device, and he predicts that number will
`double within a year.
`
`And in an interview with Fox Business Network this week, Schultz hinted that mobile payment would
`extend beyond the company’s coffeehouses.
`
`“We believe that there is an opportunity to extend the mobile payments that we experience inside
`Starbucks stores to other places within the marketplace — you’ll have to stay tuned on that,” he said.
`“But we are in a unique position. We have had discussions with the leading tech companies who all
`want access to something that we have been able to do” as the leader in mobile payment.
`
`“The issue is relevancy,” said Schultz. “You’re going to have to integrate your business in a way that
`people are living their lives.”
`
`
`
`
Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.
After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.
Accept $ Charge
Still Working On It
This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.
Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.
A few More Minutes ... Still Working
It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.
Thank you for your continued patience.
This document could not be displayed.
We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.
Your account does not support viewing this document.
You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.
Your account does not support viewing this document.
Set your membership
status to view this document.
With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll
get a whole lot more, including:
- Up-to-date information for this case.
- Email alerts whenever there is an update.
- Full text search for other cases.
- Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.
One Moment Please
The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.
Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.
Your document is on its way!
If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.
Sealed Document
We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.
If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.
Access Government Site
