Starbucks: the retail experience

Goals:

Build observation and reporting skills.

Observe real-world customer interactions.

Analyze above in terms of our ongoing discussions and reading.

Observe that customers buy some combination of product, service and environment.

Identify systematic approaches to customer service.

Form impressions about the effectiveness of above.

Investigate and explain the Kano Model (and Client Centered Design) and how it relates to retail strategy at Starbucks.

Why:

The world is our sales lab. Much can be learned by simple observation and thoughtful contemplation enlightened by the concepts that we are discussing. Even seemingly simple retail exchanges can reveal the complexity of vendor-customer interactions.

Do:

Spend at least forty-five minutes in Starbucks and carefully observe the Starbucks customer experience.

You are welcome to make your observations in the company of another student or friend or family member, but don’t lose sight of your mission. Don’t get distracted and miss your chance to make the keen observations the insightful reporting of which will determine your grade.

This is not a team project. You will be graded individually. You are encouraged, however, to gather your observations with other people. Multiple observers are usually better than single observers as long as they are unobtrusive so as to not affect the behavior of the observed.

Buy a beverage or other product. Observe the process but do not reveal that you are working undercover. Take a seat and covertly observe a number of interactions between Starbucks employees and customers. Surreptitiously take notes. Please we sure to note the physical aspects of the store. How do they help or hinder the sales process? Note things like signage, product display, etc. Form an informed opinion about the entire customer experience, both yours and others’ in light of the goals listed at the top of these instructions.

Note: I have chosen Starbucks as our test subject for a reason. No other venue is acceptable. Do not let your personal feelings about Starbucks cloud your observation process, judgment or affect your writing. You do not need to purchase coffee but you must purchase something. (That’s part of the customer experience).

Turn in:

Observation/Interaction paper. Please include:

The observations above.

Observations about the product (only if they are relevant, ex. Too cold because of long pick-up time, etc.).

Observations about environment – does it add to or inhibit positive customer experience?

Citations that tie your observations to things you’ve learned in this course. (This is very important – failure to include these will negatively affect your grade).

Your assessment of average customer experience based on what you observed.

Suggest service/experience improvements. You must justify your suggestions with academic reasons.

Please Note:

This is a serious academic project and you should turn in a serious paper. APA format. Your paper should be long on scientific observations and analysis and short on personal narrative. We are trying to discover some universal truths about what people buy and why. You bare encouraged to do some research on Starbucks before or after you make your observations.