Can Starbucks become the king of local marketing?

What is a common sight at malls and airport locations?

Starbucks Coffee and lots of people with eyes glued to their mobile phones.

There are small, medium and large Starbucks’ stores at these locations. Alongside, are also small mom and pop stores who don't have the financial muscle to build and maintain mobile apps and hence miss out on the digital engagement part of it.

Starbucks' widely used mobile app can be the single window for these mom and pop stores and some other mid-sized businesses to push out offers which can be personalized to the user.
Of course, the user needs to opt-in for non-Starbucks offers. Starbucks, in return can charge a premium for allowing these businesses to push out offers using its mobile app.

Geo-fenced mobile push notifications can be really powerful for these businesses who otherwise struggle to get the attention of these customers glued to their mobile phones and attracted towards branded showrooms.

With mobile payments expected to take-off with the advent of Apple Pay, there is a great deal of opportunity for Starbucks to capture a market which could drive its next generation of growth leveraging its existing assets i.e. 23,000 + stores and a rewarding mobile app.


Note: All thoughts are my own. Please do share your thoughts on this subject.
Photo credits: ohtheplaceswesee.com