Starbucks Flop Products & 4 Wise Business Ideas
Starbucks flop products include effervescent coffee, liquid chocolate, and campaigns on social media to name a few. Although Starbucks is a well-known global coffee company, it still makes blunders in some of its goods. In fact, you could even be aware of a couple of the failed Starbucks items in this article! But Starbucks continues to enjoy its current level of prosperity.
Let’s find out with CentralParkWestCafe which Starbucks goods have failed and why they are still effective.
Starbucks Flop Products:
Starbucks has a successful menu with “golden” locations that readily persuade people to drop in after decades of domination in the coffee business. However, Starbucks had numerous flops along the way.
1. Barista Blender:
In 2003, Starbucks debuted the Barista blender, which cost over $100 and came with various recipes, including the “Irish Bliss” smoothie with juice and ice cream. Crushed ice, coffee, and nuts.
However, the corporation failed to differentiate between Starbucks-branded items and those of other well-known brands.
In the end, the corporation had no choice but to destroy this equipment. Perhaps an established beverage company, such as Starbucks, just lacks the hands to accomplish it with a mechanical device.
2. Coffee machine VIA Ready:
Despite the failure of the Batista blender, Starbucks appears to be interested in machines with the Via Ready coffee machine.
Melody Overton, however, asserts that it is only a machine that combines hot water with instant coffee; it is impossible to refer to it as a genuine machine, despite the fact that osmosis-online.com recognizes coffee.
This machine’s made coffee isn’t bad, but it’s considerably weaker than stopping by a coffee shop on the way to work and only slightly better than the “provided coffee” packets in a hotel room.
3. Chantico:
Chantico, named for the Aztec goddess of fire, is essentially liquid chocolate mixed with cocoa butter and whole milk, providing up to 390 calories and 20 grams of fat in 1 cup 6 ounces (nearly 180ml).
It was released in January 2005 with a price range of $2.65 to $2.95. Michelle Gass, who eventually became Starbucks’ Vice President of Management, told CNN at the time: “Imagine melting mushrooms,” she said.
However, no one likes to drink mushrooms. And Chantico vanished off the menu 11 months after it first debuted.
4. Mazagran:
In 1994, Starbucks collaborated with PepsiCo to create Mazagran, a coffee-and-carbonated beverage available in convenience and grocery shops. It was lauded on the bottle. “Sparkling coffee,” it’s called.
Sadly, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz noted in a book that some people adore it and some people despise it. Many people were eager to taste it since it was Starbucks-branded, but Mazagran fell short of expectations.
Even after admitting loss, it appears that Mr. Schultz did not forget to polish the name for Starbucks, but this could not compensate for the fact that Mazagran was not well welcomed by customers.
5. Magazine “Joe”:
Not only does this beverage firm offer machinery-related items, but it also enters the media arena by partnering with Time magazine to establish a magazine called Joe.
The magazine was first published in 1999. However, this product collaboration between the 2 behemoths Starbucks and Time only “lived” 3 issues before being canceled. Melody Overton, the blogger at StarbucksMelody, characterized the magazine as “strange” and “abstract,” with just a few individuals understanding it. Most people don’t comprehend why the magazine compares office toilets to electronic tombs or why the transition from a California hamlet to a film set is significant.
Howard Schultz confesses that no one reads. It was a heinous failure, spending money on a useless product. Who would have imagined that the magazine’s brand value would have been guaranteed by the two well-known names, Starbucks and Time, standing side by side, but the media market has transformed in an unpredictably unpredictable way? This is analogous to Vietnam’s EVN investing in real estate, and whatever happens, will have to happen because not every large firm can accomplish everything well.
6. Sorbetto:
The sorbetto, which costs around $2.75 for a 300ml cup, was introduced in the summer of 2008 and then discontinued a year later. According to Reuters, the sour liquid, which tastes like cream combined with citrus, is unattractive to consumers and even a catastrophe for bartenders, who must spend an additional 45 minutes cleaning the plates and preparing utensils.
“We were overly quick with the Sorbetto,” Howard Schultz admits. “It was entirely my fault.”
7. Tazo Tea Infusions:
Starbucks attempted but failed, to enter the juice and tea markets at the same time with Tazo Tea Infusions, a drink introduced in 2009.
Green tea and apples are combined in Tazo Tea Infusions. Starbucks’ berry tea, promoted as the perfect combo for a winter day, gives the user a sensation of tranquillity and calm. However, it appears that consumers have not yet noticed that this drink does not last long.
Melody Overton claims that it is just a blend of fruit juice and tea mixed with hot water.
4 Starbucks’s Wise Business Ideas:
Although Starbucks has had several failures in the past, they are still one of the top coffee brands in the world. Do you know why? Failure is not necessarily the end of the road; Starbucks’ ability to learn from its errors has helped them stay strong throughout time.
Let CentralParkWestCafe consider 4 wise business lessons from Starbucks:
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Brand Positioning:
Starbucks’ first lesson for businesses is to position themselves from the start. Starbucks strives to be its customers’ best friend. Starbucks transforms its locations into places that every consumer wants to visit after a long day at work.
Is the first spot people think of when they want to get together with friends or hold critical business conversations.
Starbucks’ slogan is that every consumer, at any age, will have a terrific experience at Starbucks.
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Psychological Understanding:
If you’ve ever visited a Starbucks coffee store, the sales staff will likely ask you, “What are you searching for?” One of the customer service skills that any service company should master is this. Knowing what your consumers want will make it simple for you to offer it to them. This boosts the business’s income as well as its ability to engage its customers more.
The fact that no employee wants to quit this well-known coffee company is a huge bonus. Starbucks refers to its staff as “Partners” rather than “Employees.” The fact that Starbucks baristas receive fair compensation for their efforts helps them feel valued and motivated to devote their lives to the company.
An efficient hand in understanding client psychology is the sales personnel. As a result, Starbucks constantly pays close attention to its staff. It will be simpler to utilize and aid personnel in realizing their potential after you have a better understanding of them.
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Always Creating And Being Responsible:
Since 2010, Starbucks has offered free internet connectivity in recognition of the fact that patrons frequently spend a considerable amount of time there. Starbucks already allows consumers to pay using the iPhone app as well. This company is the first in the US to use this new payment method.
This brand is committed to upholding the fundamentals of communication while also always producing, innovating, and adapting to the demands of its audience.
Because errors in service are unavoidable, Starbucks’ problem-solving strategy when events occur also helps the brand maintain a distinctive place in the hearts of customers.
For instance, if the staff accidentally calculates the wrong bill or writes down the wrong drink, they will immediately admit their error and work with the client to fix it. This is done to avoid upsetting the consumer.
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Business Consistency:
While certain Starbucks goods are flexible enough to change depending on the locale, consistency and a uniform customer experience must be maintained throughout all outlets. If example, as Starbucks grows into the Chinese market, how can it succeed in a society dominated by tea drinkers?
Starbucks has introduced a drink menu with components produced from regional tea to better cater to Chinese customers. Additionally, the Chinese market is not uniform, particularly in terms of purchasing power. To address this, Starbucks has teamed up with regional tea producers to better comprehend the nuanced nature of regional tastes and preferences.
Finale
One of those enduring, recognizable coffee brands is Starbucks. Although Starbucks has had several failures in the past, they are still successful today. Starbucks has developed a premium brand, introduced a novel way to consume coffee, and provided an ideal customer experience that no other company can match. With the information provided in this article, brand owners should be able to understand and implement the best practices for their coffee shops.
For additional business lessons related to coffee shops, keep checking the CentralParkWestCafe blog.
He has lived in Thailand for more than 2 years and in Vietnam for over a year to explore the coffee culture.
He is the Co-founder of Centralparkwestcafe With more than 20 years in coffee, he brings more subtle perspectives that you may find interesting.
