Starbucks Opens Store with Amazon Go

Starbucks opened a new pickup location Thursday in partnership with Amazon Go, a marketplace that facilitates a contactless, "Just Walk Out Shopping" experience.

The co-branded store, located in New York City, features Starbucks' full menu, a variety of food and beverages in the Amazon Go market, and a lounge with workspaces, expanded tables, power outlets, and USB ports.

Ordering from the Starbucks location is similar to any other pickup spot. Customers place and pay for their order on the app ahead of time; once they arrive, the status of their items will be displayed on a digital screen.

To enter the Amazon Go market and lounge area, guests use an in-store code in the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon One (a device that reads unique palm signatures), or a credit card, and then shop in the market. Anything that a customer takes off a shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart. If the item is placed back on the shelf, it will be immediately removed from the cart. When a consumer leaves with their selected products, their card will be automatically charged without any need for a checkout process. The receipt will be accessible in no more than a few hours.

Starbucks

The market offers a curated selection of products from both Starbucks and Amazon Go, including salads, bakery items, snack options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

“Amazon Go and Starbucks share a common vision to provide innovative in-store experiences that are centered on the customer,” Dilip Kumar, Amazon's vice president of physical retail and technology, said in a statement. “Customers have enjoyed the effortless shopping experience enabled by our Just Walk Out technology at Amazon Go where they can simply come in, grab something delicious to eat or drink, and just leave and carry on with their day without having to wait in line to pay.

"We’re excited to now share Amazon Go’s Just Walk Out Shopping experience and curated assortment of fresh-prepared food items and beverages with even more customers at this Starbucks Pickup location in New York City, and can’t wait to hear how customers like it," he continued.

Starbucks and Amazon Go plan to open two more co-branded stores in 2022, with the second unit planned for The New York Times building.

The company said the latest store "aligns with Starbucks trade area transformation strategy, which builds on the strength of Starbucks digital customer relationships and the Starbucks app to meet evolving customer preferences for convenience."

“The new Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go is designed to provide our customers with an experience that delivers convenience and connection in an effortless way,” Katie Young, Starbucks senior vice president of global growth and development, said in a statement. “Our goal with this new store concept is to give our customers the ability to choose which experience is right for them as they go through their day, whether it is utilizing the Starbucks and Amazon apps to purchase food and beverages on the go, or deciding to stay in the lounge for the traditional third place experience Starbucks is known for.”