You may not only obtain your coffee faster using the Starbucks Mobile Application, but you can also pay quickly and easily. Shaya IT Director Suad Candır stated that the Starbucks Mobile Application is part of a larger digital transformation that is currently ongoing, “This loyalty program was intended to expand our digital engagement with our guests.” Offering cryptocurrency as a payment method in Starbucks Turkey is not currently in our plans; “However, at Starbucks, we are in a unique position to examine and offer consumers new and unique payment ways on a continuous basis.”
We are pretty familiar with all of the brands inside it. These are the names of the signs we see in practically every retail center we visit, including Victoria’s Secret, The Body Shop, and Bath and Body Works. However, the Shaya Group’s most well-known brand is unquestionably Starbucks. Starbucks, which has been serving customers worldwide since 1971, began operations in Turkey in 2003.
People are always at the center of the business at Starbucks, which provides the distinct flavor of thousands of coffee beans to our homes, offices, and even the streets we walk on every day. And Suad Candır, Starbucks Shaya’s seasoned IT Director, stresses this.
We see less around the world; however, Starbucks, which has been using the traditional cafe model, which we see much more frequently in Turkey, where we can chat over coffee, in its stores in our country for years, blends its store experience with innovative digital products and services during the pandemic period. During this interview, we went over the specifics of several digital transformation projects, ranging from the shift in Shaya’s IT operations as a result of the pandemic to the Starbucks Mobile Application, which is one of the most notable.
Could you briefly describe Shaya’s IT procedures, Mr. Suad? Do you do anything?
In our capacity as Alshaya’s IT team in Turkey, we serve all other divisions within the organization in addition to Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, The Body Shop, Bath & Body Works, Shake Shake, Le Pain Quotidien, and Pinkberry. Together with our coworkers and outside vendors, we oversee the infrastructure, hardware, and software requirements of the more than 600 locations we run.
What has changed in Shaya between the two time periods, before and after the pandemic? Have any innovations occurred at the point of transformation? Where did you gain traction, particularly in digital transformation?
The Covid-19 epidemic, which had a global impact, caught everyone off guard. None of us imagined that such a thing would happen to us one day. With the closing of all of our stores, we, like many other institutions, have adopted a 100% remote working approach, with the exception of individuals who must work at our headquarters. We began working remotely in a relatively short time after performing a load test with all of our users at the same time in March 2020 and determining that we were infrastructure ready. Despite the difficulties, our teams continued with their projects and daily tasks as if they were working from the office.
We were already having video chats with foreign teams on a regular basis because we are a foreign-based company that works with foreign companies. Some of our staff were accustomed to Microsoft Teams and Zoom products in this regard. However, we began to leverage cloud technology more than ever before during this process. We completed the e-commerce projects for our two companies that did not have e-commerce sites in a very short period of time. We have partnered with home delivery firms for our coffee and food and beverage brands. As a result, we discovered several trade prospects when our stores were closed.
During the epidemic, consumption patterns and habits shifted as well. We also analyzed and re-evaluated our business practices. We work hard to raise digital awareness in all of our teams. At every level, we focus the customer experience. At the same time, we are looking into projects that would allow our staff, who are our internal customers, to work safely and pleasantly from wherever.
As Alshaya, we have prioritized cyber security throughout this process. We are strengthening our capabilities in order to facilitate the spread of digital technology. Efficiency was especially important during this time period. We have undertaken efforts to improve our efficiency by better utilizing data. In the coming years, we hope to improve our efficiency by implementing smart stores using IoT and AI.
The epidemic period also revealed certain opportunities. Looking back, I believe we emerged stronger from this crisis.
Shaya has several brands and operates on a global scale. From this vantage point, how would you assess the technological management of the pandemic process in the rest of the world in comparison to Turkey?
Shaya moved fast to change throughout the pandemic. During our discussions with our brands’ international staff, we discovered the following: As Shaya, we have more flexible mobility. We controlled our risks effectively and analyzed our prospects fast. We also discussed some of our projects that were successful with our other brands.
One of the most serious issues throughout the pandemic was the supply chain. What path did you take at the supply chain point in this process, and what did you do in supply chain management?
It is always our objective to deliver products to our clients on schedule and in position, and we are extremely effective in doing so. We make more frequent judgments by regularly examining supply chain procedures and planning, as well as designing various scenarios. We manage our business processes in a fluid manner by responding to the needs of the time and extending our supplier pool.
Do you use statistics, particularly when deciding where to locate your stores? At this time, we’d also like to inquire about data analysis. What are your plans for data analytics?
In establishing our shop sites, we use GIS data to conduct population and possible consumer socioeconomic group analyses of each location. We analyze the site from several perspectives based on the dynamics of the brand in which we aim to invest and make a decision appropriately. The sales analyses of our many stores in the vicinity of that region also influence this decision.
We’re also intrigued by the Starbucks mobile application. Could you also inform us about that? What are the differences between Turkey and the rest of the world? At the same time, it is said that Starbucks is no more just a coffee business, but rather a financial institution. How do you weigh this?
Connecting with people is always at the heart of our work at Starbucks. We characterize our stores as the “third address,” where we may interact and be welcomed with a cup of coffee after coming home from work and home. In the future, there will always be a need for cafes to sit and wait in the conventional manner; however, we will combine this physical retail experience with digital advancements.
We use technology to enhance this bond between people and ensure that Starbucks’ diverse needs are effortlessly met throughout the day, whether a guest is visiting Starbucks drive-thru spots on the weekend, using mobile payment to buy a coffee on the way to school, meeting a friend at our store, or sending a coffee to a friend with Starbucks® Delivers.
The Starbucks Mobile App is part of a larger digital revolution that is already underway, as visitors increasingly want efficient and frictionless shopping experiences. This reward program was created to strengthen our digital engagement with our guests and to provide users with more targeted benefits. Starbucks Mobile Application customers begin earning stars the day they join the loyalty program, and we provide immediate value to our guests. The Starbucks Mobile App enhances the Starbucks experience by making it even easier for loyal guests to swiftly acquire their free beverage and by offering exclusive incentives such as the option to try seasonal beverages for the first time before everyone else.
There are numerous payment choices available in the Starbucks mobile app around the world. One of the most noteworthy of these is probably cryptocurrency payment. We believe that this option does not exist in Turkey; why do we believe this? In what time frame can we expect to see a Starbucks-specific payment option in Turkey?
At the moment, we have no intentions to accept cryptocurrency as a payment mechanism in Starbucks Turkey. Starbucks is in a unique position to constantly examine and offer customers new and unique payment ways due to our leadership role in mobile payments, with over 16 million Starbucks Mobile App users worldwide.
How would you rate the positives and cons of the Turkish market in comparison to the rest of the world? Do you have any ideas at this point?
In general, the world is shifting toward digital-first economic structures. In this context, Turkey is a country with significant technological potential due to its young population. The incorporation of digital wallets into our daily lives, the use of big data to support customer insight, and adaption to new technologies such as these have all become essential. Clearly, with the market trending in this direction, the workforce and competences must be concentrated in the same way. We are very thrilled to reflect the potential that this transition has produced in our business and to match it with the needs of our customers.
