- Starbucks wants to curb chaotic and complex mobile ordering.
- CEO Brian Nicol announced that the company will soon have “common sense” guardrails for app customization.
- Nikkor is aiming to overhaul the chain following a disappointing third-quarter report.
Starbucks will soon start cracking down on excessive customization within its app in an effort to improve mobile ordering and the in-store experience.
CEO Brian Nicol said the coffee chain plans to introduce “common sense guardrails” to app ordering in the coming months as part of an effort to separate the pick-up process from in-store ordering. .
Chipotle’s former chief made the announcement during a “disappointing” third-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Nicol joined Starbucks in September and has been tasked with overhauling the struggling chain.
Nicol said the company’s app now offers “all kinds of customization” of food and drinks, which complicates the ordering process for customers and incentivizes baristas to create drinks that are complex to execute. It is said that it has become.
“I also think there is a pricing architecture tied to the guardrails so that, frankly, no one is surprised by the price of a building that has just been built,” he added.
More than 30% of transactions at Starbucks stores are mobile orders, he said. However, Nicol added that longer-than-expected wait times and crowded cafes have left some customers dissatisfied with their Starbucks experience.
Nicol said the company is also prioritizing new ordering algorithms that allow for precise pick-up times for mobile orders to avoid overcrowding in cafes.