Unveiling a new service aiming right at the high-tech, youthful market, Starbucks has chosen Boston as the first city to test a new wireless charging service that allows customers to charge their phone on the very table where their coffee sits.
“Battery life is an increasing concern for our customers and we know our cafes are used in a number of ways beyond just buying coffee,” said Starbucks spokeswoman Linda Mills. “For some it’s a home office, for others it’s a place to get away by themselves.”
Mills said by observing both how customers use the stores and the evolving technological landscape, Starbucks made the decision to team up with Duracell Power Mat to offer customers an added convenience.
Duracell Power Mats have been built into the tables and countertops of some Starbucks stores.
Customers need a Duracell wireless charging case on their device for the mat to start a charge.
“It’s a two-part system,” said Scott Eisenstein, global vice president of External Relations at Duracell. ”The case works as a receiver and that mat works as a transmitter.”
Starbucks is the first restaurant to offer wireless charging for devices, he said.
“We all know that our battery does not keep up with the functionality of our phone these days,” Eisenstein said. “Our vision is to allow people to charge in those places that they go through their day ordinarily.”
Eisenstein said the devices are considered “smart technology” and energy efficient, as the mat will only charge the device to maximum capacity and then stop.
The Duracell Mat is compatible with iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy S III, but the mat will eventually work for all smartphones, Eisenstein said.
Starbucks began testing in three locations of Boston’s Financial District on Oct. 29, Eisenstein said.
“There’s just a variety of locations that will be rolling out for the next couple of weeks in both Boston and Cambridge area,” Mills said.
Mills said Boston is a hotbed for innovation because there are technology-savvy customers and many college students.
“We just thought the melding of all of that, combined with our retail footprint in Boston, made Boston the perfect market to test this,” Mills said.
Eisenstein said Boston is always an quickly adapting city.
Remi Trudel, a Boston University marketing professor, said Starbucks is offering this service to be consistent with their brand.
“Their brand is about having this coffee house experience, this experience of being at home, being comfortable,” Trudel said. “They encourage you to stay and the experience is just as much a part of the cup of coffee as the coffee was. So, I think this is just adding to the experience.”
Starbucks is known as a hip place and they are looking ahead to what technology will begin to become popular, he said.
“Typically you do test markets in areas that are representative of places that you want to market in the future,” Trudel said. “So, they probably want somewhere that’s pretty tech-savvy. We have a pretty high tech industry here [in Boston]. We’re the second youngest population in North America, so we have younger people.”
But Andreina Campos, the shift supervisor at the Starbucks on Summer Street, said she has not noticed any customers using the device.
Campos said some of the regular customers would most likely be the ones to use the technology, but those who just happen to walk in would not know what it is.
“[The devices seem] very helpful,” Campos said. “I wish they had it for other smartphones, not just iPhones.”
The Financial District is an appropriate place to test market because there are often people who go to Starbucks on their breaks, she said.
Xiao Wu, a Boston resident and Starbucks customer, said he saw the mat and was trying to use it.
“I went to the website and it looks like it requires a certain iPhone case,” he said.
Wu said he would not consider buying the case yet, but the technology might become popular in the future.
Nicholas Gardner, a tourist from North Carolina and Starbucks customer, said he probably would not use the mat.
“I don’t hang out in Starbucks that much,” he said.
But Gardner said the mat would probably branch out to other Starbucks locations.
“You don’t have to plug all your cables up,” Gardner said.
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