14 DAY TRIAL // Starbucks has recently announced that it will bring a new voice ordering feature that would allow iOS customers and those using Amazon Alexa to place orders in a faster way. The feature is an extension of the already available Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay service.
Starbucks allows customers to place orders and pay for their items before actually arriving to the store, using the Mobile Order & Pay service. The new service would allow select customers to order coffee “on command” with the My Starbucks barista feature for the iOS version of the app.
In addition, Starbucks launched the Reorder Skill feature on Amazon’s Alexa platform, further expanding its user base. Both new features would allow customers to order Starbucks products simply by using their voice. This would make it easier to place orders and pick up the product at the store.
Starbucks’ new voice ordering feature is powered by AI
“Our team is focused on making sure that Starbucks voice ordering within our app is truly personal and equally important was finding the right partner in Amazon to test and learn from this new capability,” said Gerri Martin-Flickinger, chief technology officer for Starbucks.
Starbucks did mention that the new feature for iOS is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), allowing customers to place orders and pay by simply using their voice or typing in a text message. The beta test will be conducted until mid 2017, while the Android version will arrive later this year.
Starbucks seems to be boarding the AI train by integrating this popular technology into its mobile app, as many others do. Voice-first devices have seen quite a rise in popularity over the past year, with Google Home and Amazon Echo being some of the most prolific.
Virtual assistants have started to be integrated into many premium smartphones, including Google’s Pixel, Huawei Mate 9, iPhone 7 and many others. Customers have started to get comfortable with speaking to AI assistants and this technology will surely see many improvements in the years to come.