Retail Marketing - Shopping Center Marketing

Engaging customers to share ideas on how to improve the business is critical to today’s leaders in innovation. An example is Starbucks. According to Starbucks chief Howard Schultz, the company’s customer engagement processes have resulted in surprising ideas. One customer wants Starbucks to make ice cubes out of coffee so when they melt they won’t dilute cold drinks; 7,660 fellow customers agree. Another wants the chain to install shelves in restrooms—where else can you put your drink when you’ve drunk too much? Although some customers are repelled by that suggestion, Starbucks thinks it’s a “sleeper idea” worth considering. More than 10,000 Starbucks fans wish for something to plug the hole in lids to prevent sloshing. Starbucks listened and just introduced reusable “splash sticks” to do that.

[Full Story at Canadian Marketing Blog]