Starbucks scales back discounts

Starbucks ramped up discounts and promotions under its previous CEO in a bid to woo back customers. Now under CEO Brian Niccol it’s scaling back on its discount frenzy as it aims to focus on delivering well crafted beverages on time and personally to customers. To be seen how this will impact sales. Are you still going to Starbucks for your daily coffee fix?

Get ready to resume paying the regular price for your Starbucks fix. The world’s largest coffee chain is dialing back discounts and promotions under new CEO Brian Niccol, the Journal’s Heather Haddon reports.? Quietly cutting back on deals is a strategic shift for Starbucks, which like a slew of restaurant chains, used them to get more customers in the door. Starbucks has long championed itself as a premium brand that did little discounting. Howard Schultz, the former CEO who built Starbucks into a global company, previously said the chain needed to be careful with promotions. Getting promotions right is a hard task for brand marketers. We’ve been told that marketers don’t want to train customers to only make purchases when something is on a discount. What do you think about trying to reset customers’ expectations? Are other dining chains doing a good job of managing their promotions? Let us know. https://lnkd.in/eW-d9d47

Starbucks is pulling back on its frenzy of discounts it had offered for much of the past year.

Nice placement by the Starbucks corporate communications team, using an employee town hall to get across new CEO Brian Niccol’s developing strategy. Internal comms are an incredibly powerful tool for driving media, investor and third party stakeholder communications and shifting overall sentiment. After all, a CEO can tell something to a reporter, and that reporter can take it with a pinch of salt. But once they’ve shared it with thousands of employees, observers have got much less choice about whether they believe it.

IS Starbuck's discount really a motivator? I can see at Fastfood but for me not coffee

In today’s ever changing retail landscape, staying culturally relevant is crucial, especially when delivering physical spaces. I love how Starbucks maintains its core brand tone of voice in China while being sympathetic to the local heritage and architecture. While some may criticise global brands for their ever growing presence, it’s refreshing to see them abandon formulaic designs and instead infuse each space with the unique essence of its surroundings. As I explored in my recent post about Axel Arigato, the future of physical space has relevance at its heart. It’s about being true to the brand while resonating with the local community. And whilst I appreciate the convenience of a Starbucks drive-thru, it’s these beautifully curated spaces that serve up true retail magic when it matters most. ?? IPOS IGNITE #CulturalRelevance #RetailDesign #BrandStrategy #Starbucks #LocalArchitecture #CustomerExperience #CreativeRetail #CommunityEngagement #PhysicalSpaces #BrandConsistency #RetailTrends

Starbucks ??… This is a very interesting story of a weird combination of complaints, easy solutions and odd issues as this expensive purveyor of hot & cold??coffee & tea drinks and weird overated eats. I’m not a coffee drinker but the few times I’ve gone in for a cold tea or special flavored sugary drink, I had to yell to much syrup as the pumping of flavors vigorously had to be stopped. It was like an Ironman contest for the fastest sugared out customer in record time. WOW!!! The overall issues that will make their employees quit and customers leave is simple. Corporate seems to be a blind eye to their many issues and then big salaried CEO’s in a short time not seeming to care ????♂?. Its now obvious their die hard employees at all levels care! I don’t think anyone is listening ?? **As always please feel free to join in the conversation and comment respectfully.

Brian Niccol was paid $117M to JOIN Starbucks as CEO. With an annual salary of $1.6 million, along with cash and stock awards totaling $30.2 million, Niccol could far surpass his pay at Chipotle in year one. At the Mexican fast-casual chain Chipotle last year, he made $1.3 million in salary, with total compensation coming in at $22.5 million. Here’s how he’s planning to lead at Starbucks—and what you can learn from it ↓ ?? Empower Teams to Lead: Niccol doesn’t just hand out tasks—he gives his teams the freedom to lead with purpose, much like he did at Chipotle. ?? Lead by Example: He’s known for getting out of the C-suite and into the heart of the business, ensuring that the company’s values and culture aren’t just words, but lived experiences. ?? Put Stakeholders First: Niccol always considers the bigger picture, focusing on decisions that benefit employees, customers, and the company as a whole—this balance is what drove Chipotle’s success. ?? Build a Culture of Stewardship: Under Niccol, everyone becomes a steward of the brand, taking pride in their role and contributing to a shared vision—a strategy he’s now bringing to Starbucks. Niccol’s leadership isn’t just about numbers—it’s about inspiring a culture where everyone has a stake in the company’s success. So, implement these in your leadership and share this with a fellow leader! #LeadershipLessons #CorporateCulture #Stewardship #BusinessLeadership #EmpoweredTeams #LeadershipStrategy #CEOInsights

I’ve been reflecting on the evolution of Starbucks and what it means for companies to stay true to their original mission. When Howard Schultz founded @Starbucks, it wasn’t just about selling coffee — it was about creating a “third place” between home and work. A space where people could relax, socialize, and enjoy a high-quality cup of coffee. Today, it feels like that original vision has been lost. Starbucks has shifted toward a model that prioritizes convenience and sugary, oversized drinks served in plastic cups. The experience of sitting down in a cozy café, sipping coffee, and connecting with others has been replaced by the efficiency of pick-up orders and drive-thrus. It’s no wonder store employees are unionizing — they’re on the front lines of a company that has moved away from fostering connection to focusing on transactions. I understand that Starbucks is now a public company with shareholders to please. Their mission statement — “to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time” — is a beautiful sentiment. But does the current focus on grab-and-go drinks really inspire and nurture the human spirit? Can we build community through fleeting, transaction-based interactions? It raises an important question for all leaders: how do we balance growth and convenience with staying true to our core values? If a company’s mission is about connection, experience, and quality, how do we make sure those things don’t get lost in the pursuit of scale and profit? It’s a reminder that as leaders, we must be intentional about aligning our day-to-day decisions with the long-term purpose we set out to achieve. Otherwise, we risk losing what made our brands — and our missions — meaningful in the first place. #mission #carryaflag #startwithwhy #missiondriven #starbucks #howardschultz

Nothing like pulling up to #Starbucks and seeing a barista on the screen taking orders. As a #tech nerd I am totally geeking out. Digital signage has come a long way!! How cool!