Starbucks rolls out curbside pickup service in China

The service will be available in 1,000 stores in the country by next year.

Starbucks has introduced a curbside pickup service in China, in partnership with Amap, a leading provider of digital map content, navigation, and location-based solutions in the market.

By using Amap, customers can key in their destination, click on the Starbucks Curbside icon and place their order at a Starbucks store along the route. A customized backend system will constantly update customers’ arrival times to the store in real-time. 

It also automatically calculates the right times for Starbucks employees to craft the beverages, and deliver them to a designated pick-up point so that customers receive their beverages freshly brewed upon arrival with virtually no time wasted. Meanwhile, customers can also receive real-time voice messages during their journey, updating them on the preparation status of their orders. 

The service has been launched in 100 stores in Beijing, covering most of the city, and is also being piloted in nearly 50 stores in Shanghai.

Starbucks said it plans to roll out the service across 1,000 stores across China over the next year.