Starbucks Teams up With Alibaba for Smarter Coffee Delivery

Starbucks took another step toward evolving the digital customer experience for customers in China on September 18 by cooperating with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and launching a smart speaker capable of ordering coffee delivery by voice.

With the integration of its menu into Alibaba’s smart speaker Tmall Genie, customers can now order Starbucks beverages and food simply by using their voice for delivery within 30-minutes. The drinks come with splash-proof lids, tamper-proof packaging seals and individual hot and cold delivery containers to ensure orders arrive at the requested temperature.

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The launch of the new service marks the one-year anniversary of Starbucks and Alibaba’s strategic partnership in China – one of the fastest-growing markets in the world for coffee consumption.

“We are thrilled to provide our cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technology through Tmall Genie to serve Starbucks digitally-savvy customers in China,” said Miffy Chen, general manager at Alibaba AI Labs which leads the development of Tmall Genie. “We’re excited to introduce an even more diverse and enriched experience on our platform through Starbucks voice ordering and provide a direct benefit to Chinese consumers within their daily routine.”

Starbucks Rewards members will soon also be able to receive personalized recommendations when using voice commands to place orders that are tailored to previous order preferences and popular items from Starbucks’ seasonal menu for a more personalized experience.

“We are focused on ensuring that Starbucks voice ordering is truly personal, and we look forward to offering our customers more convenient moments and new opportunities to engage with Starbucks on a single integrated platform as they move throughout the day.” said Molly Liu, vice president and general manager, Digital Ventures, Starbucks China.