Starbucks on Thursday announced that it will make available a beta version of its Starbucks Odyssey Web3 loyalty program expansion to a small group of customers and employees on a waiting list.
The program is the largest extension of a restaurant chain loyalty program into the expanded version of the Internet known as Web3. The program uses a series of activities that enable members to collect points and nonfungible tokens, or NFTs.
It’s also the latest in an aggressive expansion of the chain’s loyalty program of late, coming as it has also linked the program with Delta’s Skymiles program.
Starbucks Rewards has been an amazing success for the chain. The program has nearly 29 million members in the U.S. who account for more than half the spending at its corporate locations.
The company now wants to double down on that program.
“Starbucks Rewards members are some of our most loyal and engaged customers, and Starbucks Odyssey is our next big innovation in loyalty to recognize, surprise and delight them,” CMO Brady Brewer said in a statement.
Customers can log into the “beta” experience of Starbucks Odyssey using their Starbucks Rewards login.
Once logged in, members participate in interactive activities called “journeys.” The activities could be a virtual tour of a Starbucks coffee farm in Costa Rica or completing trivia about the chain’s heritage or playing games.
Once complete, members will be awarded a collectible “Journey Stamp,” which is a Polygon-based NFT, or nonfungible token. They also get bonus points toward their overall points total.
As customers collect stamps, their point total will increase, accessing benefits and experiences. There are three levels of benefits, which can range from a virtual espresso martini-making class to access to unique merchandise and artist collaborations.
The first Journey Stamps, or digital collectible tokens will feature designs such as Starbucks’ first location in Pike Place Market in Seattle or the company’s current holiday cup. Customers will be able to buy or sell those stamps among other members.
In 2023, customers will be able to purchase those stamps with a credit card, rather than with cryptocurrency. Customers will also be able to purchase limited edition NFTs through the Starbucks Odyssey market. Sales of those stamps include charitable components with donations to causes that matter to loyalty members and Starbucks employees.
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