Page 67 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 2

details of the customer experience. As it relates to packaging
Starbucks music offerings, he suggests, “We care about the
little things. When we decided to give customers a chance to
bring Starbucks music home by selling compilation CDs, we
packaged the CDs in digi-packs. A digi-pack is where a CD
is wrapped in attractive cardboard rather than in a jewel case
to give the CD a soft feel. We made sure that there was a lot
of artwork and that the offering was beautiful. Digis fit with
Starbucks; the jewel case just didn’t feel like us. The card-
board, the recycled paper—that was Starbucks.”
Details matter, right down to the choice of the materials
that wrap CDs. Not only must the details be right, but the
blending of those details must be carefully crafted to make
sure that every aspect of the experience comes together to cre-
ate the Starbucks identity.
52 The Starbucks brand is more than just an appealing pres-
entation of goods. New products must be offered for sale in
a way that fits with what customers have come to know and
expect from the company. As Timothy explains, “We don’t
want our partners doing suggestive selling of the music, since
that is more likely to annoy customers than please them. We
don’t want to hear, ‘Would you like to get one of our CDs
today with that latte?’ That’s not the third place, that’s not
the coffeehouse, that’s not the Starbucks Experience. Yes, we
have merchandise, but it needs to fit into the environment.
The Dean Martin CD needs to be inviting, but consistent with
the rest of the customer experience, and it’s all the better if
you see it while ‘That’s Amore’ plays overhead.”
Managers have to constantly put themselves in the shoes
of their customers, seeing everything from the other side of
the counter. This perspective has helped make Starbucks the
valued brand it is today. Through leadership’s vigilance,