Key Takeaways:
- Starbucks enters the world of NFTs with Starbucks Odyssey, with immersive ‘journeys’ and ‘journey stamps’.
- More appeal for Gen Z with its digital community. Reinvents engagement, unlike any other brand.
Starbucks steps into the world of Web3, with Starbucks Odyssey, officially announced today, launching a new experience, the first of its kind reward program where members can engage in Starbucks Odyssey ‘journeys’, and be rewarded with a digital collectible ‘journey stamp’ (NFT).
Starbucks has brought out this one-of-a-kind experience for its customers and employees, in partnership with Polygon, and is now, ‘more relevant to Gen Z today, than it has ever been as stated by the interim CEO Howard Schultz.
Starting Sept. 12, customers and employees can join the waitlist for these immersive coffee experiences and have a chance to be among the first to be a part of the digital community, which is set to launch later this year. A discussion on it is also scheduled on Sept. 13, on the Starbucks 2022 Investor Day.
“Starbucks has always served as the Third Place, a place between home and work where you feel the warmth of connection over coffee, community, and belonging. The Starbucks Odyssey experience will extend the Third Place connection to the digital world,” said Brady Brewer, Starbucks executive vice president, and chief marketing officer.
“For the first time we are connecting our Starbucks Rewards loyalty program members not just to Starbucks, but to each other.”
“We are entering the Web3 space differently than any other brand”, stated Brewer. He further added that Starbucks envisages creating a place where the digital community can come together over coffee and partake in the digital, physical and experiential benefits that are “uniquely Starbucks”.
The program is designed to be fun and easily accessible. There will be no need for a Crypto Wallet or cryptocurrency, and the limited-edition stamps (NFTs) will be directly available from the Starbucks Odyssey web app.
Each collectible Odyssey stamp will unlock a different reward and experience based on its rarity, such as limited-edition merchandise, a virtual espresso martini-making class, invitations to exclusive events at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries, and even trips to Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia coffee farm in Costa Rica, the company revealed.
These stamps will feature artwork co-created with Starbucks partners as well as other artists and a portion of the proceeds will be donated towards different causes. The project is being launched on the “proof-of-stake” blockchain technology built by Polygon, in their commitment to sustainability.
