Starbucks Marketing Analysis
Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty
coffee in the world. The goal of Starbucks is to establish the company as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining the organization’s uncompromising principles. In addition, Starbucks wants to develop its brand beyond being the preferred outlet from which to purchase coffee to becoming the preferred consumer brand.
The coffee company has capitalized on the new found popularity of specialty coffee with its addition of coffee bars globally. Starbucks Common Stock increased from $3.31 per share in 1994 to $10.00 per share by the mid 1990’s. Despite the success of Starbucks, the company is faced with many challenges to continue the growth of its business. The key strategic problem that Starbucks faces is maintaining the quality of their brand while leveraging the brand image and going into different sales and distribution channels.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
1. Is the leader in specialty coffee industry (p7).
2. Its commitment to quality (p7), values (p8), & principles (8).
3. Its policy toward its employees (pgs 8, 17).
4. Its openness to innovation
a. Pepsi-Coal – Frappuccino.
b. Distinct Roasting equipment and process. (longer shelf life; p10)
c. AOL Café.
5. Worldwide resources for coffee beans.
a. 50% from Latin America.
b. 35% from Pacific Rim.
c. 15% from E. Africa.
d. SB trains exporters.
6. Supply Chain Operation (SCO)
7. Page 11:
a. Its coffee.
b. Employees.
c. Merchandising.
d. Ownership philosophy.
e. Real estate approach. (Location, building, & cluster strategies)
f. Image.
8. Extensive training for Starbucks’ “baristas” (employees).
9. Mall kiosk program.
10. Its Brand image.
11. Key specialty sales partners (p14).
12. Diverse distribution channels. Such as:
a. Grocery chains.
b. Dreyers.
c. Pespi-Cola.
d. Kiosks.
e. Airlines.
13. “Encore” mail order program (p16).
14. The vision and leadership of Howard Schultz (pgs 16 – 17).
15. Its Six Guiding Principles.
Weaknesses
1. Rapid growth is taxing SCOs (p11; also see Strengths #7)
2. The challenge of finding good employees (p12; also see Strengths #8)
3. Consisten...
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...t being only for breakfast to it being an anytime beverage.
5. Starbucks is to be not just coffee, but an experience.
6. Retail system is Starbucks’ anchor of its brand-building strategy, this can “catapult” Starbucks beyond its roots (by a report from Merril-Lynch).
7. Grocery store sales are not essential for survival, but are necessary to remain a major player (Orin Smith, p15).
8. Supermarket merchandising will pull customers out of lower priced categories of coffee to the higher priced specialty coffee brands (p13).
9. “Starbucks’ has executed its strategy to near perfection (quote from an investment company, p19).
10. Starbucks expects to have 2,000 retail stores by the year 2000.
My Opinions –
My opinions are embedded in the “Issues Analysis” section of the paper.
Assumptions –
1. Coffee sales in specialty stores will increase from 19% to 54% by 1999 (see Facts #8).
2. Starbucks estimates a growth of 17% by 1999 (p5).
3. Starbucks expects a lower cash investment to open future stores (see Exhibit 4).
4. Starbucks expects to increase its number of stores on the Asian-Pacific Rim from 13 to 100 by 1999 (Ex. 5).
Over the past few decades, Starbucks has become a household name. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks is one of most lucrative coffee chains in the world. As of 2015, the company has chains in 50 countries with more than 22,500 stores in operation (Starbucks Corporation, 2017). The 70 stores located in Australia are focal point stores, which focus/tailor to improving the marketing strategy, customer service, and testing of new products to differentiate the company from the competition. Coffee is their primary business, so obtaining high-quality coffee beans from the nations that produce this product is important. Not only does the company sell hot coffee beverages, but they also offer a variety of cold drinks. The menu consists
The mission of Starbucks can be divided into 6 branches; the mission for its coffee; the mission for its partners; the mission f...
Starbucks is one of the largest coffee franchises in the world. With over 26,000 stores in 64 countries, the company has the right to brag about this. One of the problems which Starbucks is currently being faced with is the brand being watered down by over expansion and a too diverse product mix. With McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts entering into the specialty coffee market, Starbucks needs to alter the path which it is going in order to remain competitive in this industry.
Starbucks is a coffee company that began in 1971 in Seattle, Washington. They own more than 24,000 retail stores in 70 countries (“Starbucks Company”). They offer an array of products from coffee to handcrafted beverages to fresh food. Starbucks believes in being a responsible company while participating in ethical sourcing and environmental stewardship. The company is an active user with sharing information on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. They are on Twitter with 11.8 million followers and also on Instagram with 12.5 million followers. Starbucks is doing exceptional with their marketing strategies when compared to the followers of other known coffee companies. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts has 57.8K followers on
The company’s founder and CEO, Howard Schultz, has been successful in creating Starbucks into something that we didn’t really know we needed until we had it. He has meticulously crafted a brand for the company that adds a psychological value to its offerings. Thereby, when you buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks, you buy an experience. The somewhat quiet, not-so-rushed atmosphere along with dimmed ambience and friendly staff found at Starbucks’ stores add a feel-good factor to your purchase. As a result, people are willing to pay a premium for coffee at Starbucks even if McDonald’s were running a promotion offering free coffee. The premium prices translate to superior margins for its investors.
Opportunities available to Starbucks include growth of its supplier range, expansion to emerging economies, increased diversification of its product offerings and the growth of its retail operations; which are aimed at growing Starbucks’ profitability and market presence.
Harrison, J. S., Chang, E., Gauthier, C., Joerchel, T., Nevarez, J., & Wang, M. (2005). Exporting a north American concept to asia: Starbucks in china. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 46(2), 275-283. doi: 10.1177/0010880404273893
Question 3: It’s clear that, in general, the company’s growth initiatives were sound in terms of generating the growth expected by Wall Street. But which of Starbucks’ initiatives, in retrospect, were sound decisions for the brand and which were inconsistent with brand
Howard Shultz and the senior management at Starbucks have to decide how to react to the opportunities that are being made available because of their rapid growth. The decision for a strategic growth plan has to be made in the near future. This will prove to be key for Starbucks reaching their long-term goal of becoming the most recognized and respected brand of coffee in the world.
One of the main problems that Starbucks is facing at the present time is the ability to maintain national competitive advantage (Monash South Africa, 2014). Due to their local demand conditions, Starbucks tries to satisfy all customers by trying “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time” (Starbucks Corporation, 2014). Local demand conditons consist of a company trying satisfy needs of their closest customers and expanding their competitive advantage by upgrading their strategic management policies (Monash South Africa, 2014).
Starbucks is a worldwide company, known for is delicious brews of coffee and seasonal varieties of tasty drinks for any occasion. Starbucks opened with two main goals, sharing great coffee with friends and to help make the world a little better. It originated in the historic Pike Place Market of Seattle, Washington in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. The creation of Starbucks’ name came from the seafaring tradition of early coffee traders and the romance evoked from Moby Dick. At the time, this individual shop specialized in the towering quality of coffee over competitors and other brewing services enabling its growth to becoming the largest coffee chain in Washington with numerous locations. In the early 1980s, the current CEO Schultz saw an opportunity for growth in the niche market. After a trip to Italy he brought back the idea of a café style environment of leisure and social meetings to the United States we now see in Starbucks locations today. Schultz ultimately left Starbucks to open his own coffee shop, Il Giornale which turned out to be a tremendous success. Fast forward a year later, Schultz got wind that Starbucks was going to sell all their components of Starbucks including their stores and factories, he immediately acquired the funds to buy Starbucks and linked both operations. Within five years he was able to open more than 125 stores starting in New England, Boston, Chicago, and gradually entered California. He wanted Starbucks to be a franchise system based on the mission of telling the truth and emphasize the quality,
Expansion of Domestic and International retail markets: With the target of 2000 stores by year 2000, Starbucks is on an expansion mode. They are expanding into the international markets and simultaneously they are diversifying in the domestic markets also. Initiatives like Frappuccino and the Doppio cart are part of this.
Starbucks is an international coffee house and it was created in 1971 when they opened the first store in Seattle, Newcastle. Currently, they own 21,000 stores in 65 different countries of the world, and their passion for the great coffee, excellent service and community interaction exceeds cultures and languages (Starbucks, 2014). This company is the number 1 brand coffeehouse chain in the world due to the best roaster, marketer and seller of speciality coffee. Its main slogan: “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time” (Jurevicius, 2013).
According to the Seattle Business Wire (as sited in Starbucks Coffee Company, 2015), the president and CEO of Starbucks, revealed to shareholders a vision for transforming the operation of his company in 2008 which involve the customer experience and reaffirm the company’s growth potential. He revealed that a five initiative strategy that he is directing the company towards will bring the company to a new level of quality (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2015).
Usually that revenue growth is in line with the growth of the economy”. I believe there are thousands of students contributing to Starbucks 's growth today. “As a result, mature companies tend to engage more in inorganic growth to fuel innovation. That means acquiring start-ups or middle-sized companies”. Not all products have been a home run for Starbucks. A lot of their flavored lattes, recipe process, technology endeavors have been part of the declining stage as well. However, Starbucks does have product extension for some items and they tend to return them ever so often due to holiday or