Starbucks creates new experience Odyssey experience for loyal members

Starbucks has launched a new NFT offering called “Starbucks Odyssey”. It allows loyal members the ability to earn and buy digital collectible stamps (NFTs). Starbucks says its digital community will enable new ways for Starbucks to engage with its customers and its employees. 

Starbucks Odyssey will be an extension of the Starbucks Rewards program that members can access using their Starbucks Rewards login credentials. Once logged in, members can engage in Starbucks Odyssey ‘journeys,’ a series of activities, such as playing interactive games or taking on fun challenges to deepen their knowledge of coffee and Starbucks. Members will be rewarded for completing journeys with a digital collectable ‘journey stamp’ (NFT).

Members can also purchase ‘limited-edition stamps’ (NFTs) through a built-in marketplace within the Starbucks Odyssey web app experience. Limited-edition stamps will be available for all members to purchase directly with a credit card. No crypto wallet or cryptocurrency will be required.

Each digital collectable stamp will include a point value based on its rarity, and the stamps can be bought or sold among members within the marketplace, with ownership secured on a blockchain. Members can also use these stamps to unlock experiences such as virtual espresso martini-making class, invitations to exclusive events at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries or even trips to Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia coffee farm in Costa Rica.

All stamps will feature iconic Starbucks artwork co-created with Starbucks partners as well as outside artists, giving members and partners access to these treasured assets for the first time. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of limited-edition stamps will be donated to support causes that matter to Starbucks partners and Starbucks Rewards members.

Explaining the new initiatives, Brady Brewer, Starbucks executive vice president and chief marketing officer said that Starbucks Odyssey is one of the ways the brand is “reinventing the Third Place to meet customers wherever they are, in a Starbucks store, on-the-go, or online”. He explained that by integrating into the Starbucks Rewards ecosystem, the brand is entering the Web3 space differently, while deepening its members’ connection to Starbucks.

 “We are creating an accessible, digital Third Place community enabled by Web3 technology where Starbucks Rewards members and our partners can connect through unique experiences and come together around the love for coffee,” said Brewer. Leveraging Web3 technology will allow members to “access experiences and ownership that was not possible before”.

“Starbucks Odyssey will transcend the foundational benefits that our Starbucks Rewards members have come to love, and unlock digital, physical and experiential benefits that are uniquely Starbucks,” said Brewer. “Our vision is to create a place where our digital community can come together over coffee, engage in immersive experiences, and celebrate the heritage and future of Starbucks.”

“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 Brewer. “For the first time we are connecting our Starbucks Rewards loyalty program members not just to Starbucks but to each other.”

Starbucks has a history of taking leading-edge technology, innovating, and making it accessible and approachable for mainstream audiences. According to the company, building Starbucks Odyssey using technology that aligns with Starbucks sustainability aspirations and commitments is a top priority.

Starbucks will utilise a “proof-of-stake” blockchain technology built by Polygon, which uses less energy than first generation “proof-of-work” blockchains.

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