Starbucks Korea Debuts Voice Ordering through Samsung’s Bixby

Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., a 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee International, Inc. and Shinsegae Group, launched voice recognition ordering in South Korea by integrating with Bixby, Samsung’s intelligent assistant, available on select Samsung Galaxy devices. These features are an extension of Starbucks Siren Order, the company’s mobile order and pay technology, which allows customers in South Korea to order and pay for their purchases before arriving at their store.

With the launch, Starbucks Coffee Korea is the first retailer to leverage Samsung’s Bixby to allow for end-to-end ordering and payment. The debut of voice ordering in South Korea on Samsung devices further extends the customer experience within the Starbucks digital ecosystem.

 “We are pleased to provide our customers with more convenient ways to be rewarded for their purchases,” said S.K. Lee, CEO, Starbucks Coffee Korea. “The launch of voice recognition ordering is a seamless addition to our innovation portfolio, creating a consistent third-place experience across digital and in-store interactions.”

Bixby allows My Starbucks Rewards™ customers in South Korea to place an order and pay through voice recognition “on command.” The feature allows customers to speak just as if they were talking to a barista in-store, including modifying their beverage to meet their personal preference. Bixby users who are not registered on the My Starbucks Rewards™ program will be prompted to first enroll and then continue to place their order.

Starbucks Coffee Korea continues to create emotional connections with customers through a number of key loyalty and digital offerings, including the debut of the Starbucks Card in 2009 and the launch of the My Starbucks Rewards™ program in 2011. In 2015, the Starbucks Korea app was launched on the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, the first market in Asia to introduce the app to a wearable device.

As a mobile industry leader, Samsung first introduced Bixby in South Korea in May of 2017 on their flagship mobile devices.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience please visit us in our stores, online at Starbucks.com and through the Starbucks Newsroom.

About Shinsegae Group

Shinsegae Group is a retail company group with 33 subsidiary companies and has recorded sales of KRW 20 trillion and the total asset amount of KRW 29 trillion in 2015. Shinsegae Group has been leading the new trends in Korean retail with the first department store, the first discount retailer and the first premium outlet in South Korea. Shinsegae Group has two big businesses, Shinsegae department store and E-mart. Shinsegae department store operates 11 stores and E-mart operates 157 stores in South Korea and 10 stores in China, Vietnam and Mongolia, following the first store in 1993 (as of August 2016).