Summary
The Beta Cup is not necessarily a cup; the Beta Cup is all about tackling this particular situation innovatively and from a new perspective. To do this I propose a three pronged attack. First of all costs to consumers must be reduced to encourage uptake of reusable cups. Secondly we must target the consumer in their home so as to remind them to bring the cup. Finally we will introduce a liquid proof pocket to carry the mug when not in use to prevent spillage of the inevitable last few drops.
The Context:
It seems to me that if Starbucks customers are simplified right down; there are three groups.
The first are what I will label “social drinkers”; the individuals who go to Starbucks to have a drink either with friends or to have a coffee and work or read on their own. As such they generally drink from the mugs provided and are not adding to the billions of coffee cups being thrown away each year. As such they do not need to be focused upon.
The second are “ritual drinkers”. Those who go to the same Starbucks everyday at the same time and order exactly the same coffee before rushing off to work, home or another appointment. These people are by far the majority of paper cup users and as such will be the target of my solution.
The final group are the “spontaneous coffee drinkers”. These are the people who may or may not get a coffee at any given time on any given day. These are not the target of my solution but will hopefully begin to improve due to the trickle down effect from the “ritual drinkers”.
The solution:
I went into Starbucks a number of days ago to get myself a coffee. While I was there I found myself admiring the extensive range of travel mugs on offer. There are all very well designed to their purpose (the ceramic mug and travel top attachment particularly appealed to me as they deal with the much complained about aspect of metal and plastic cups altering the coffee flavour which we all know and love).
Starbucks needs to encourage more use of these reusable cups. Their idea of free coffee on Earth day was a good way to raise awareness. However it needs to be more sustainable. My assumption, based on my observations is that the majority of people care for the environment right up until they are hindered in anyway for the want of it. To conquer this, Starbucks needs to make the customers want to use refillable mugs by offering significant savings as well as encouraging potential patrons to carry their mugs with them.
Part 1
Thus I have decided that it is pointless to rethink an already perfectly functional product. However, I propose that instead of the price currently attached to these; Starbucks sell these at cost price. This is to encourage customers who have not yet swapped over to travel cups. Starbucks can use the fact that they are selling them at cost price to advertise and create even greater publicity of both their brand and their commitment to sustainability. They can easily afford it as their key product is the consumable good (the coffee) not the durable (the reusable coffee cups).
To encourage the cups to be brought in, I propose that Starbucks look to what the branches are doing over here in New Zealand. Here they offer a larger saving in recognition of bringing in your reusable cup (70 cents if I remember correctly) which is far more encouraging than the 10 cents currently offered in the USA. I propose that this same measure is met in the America.
Part 2
The cup itself is only good if the customer remembers to bring it when they leave home. This is a significant issue in my eyes as the target audience are often rushing and as their brain is in a beta wave state (more active but forgetful) they can easily forget the small things such as bringing their cup. To counter this I propose That Starbucks sells a cheaply-produced miniscule coffee grinder which can be placed on the wall by the door of the home. This grinder will have a motion sensor and will grind a single bean whenever this sensor is tripped.
This will engage 3 of the customers senses when they leave their homes. First they will see the grinder, secondly they hear the bean being shattered and finally the grinder will release the rich beautiful aroma of fresh coffee. This will have to be restricted to going only once every hour so that if a group are leaving at the same time it does not keep going off. The smell of coffee will inevitably remind the individual of their cup and will encourage them to bring it. Eventually the sight and sound will also begin to remind them of their cup also and before long it will be firmly ingrained and the grinder will just be a pleasant scent for them to inhale as they rush out the door.
This will also be an advantage to Starbucks as they will sell more coffee beans and although it will not offset the cost of decreasing the cost of coffee for reusable cups completely it will help towards covering their losses.
Part 3
My final change is to introduce a range of pockets designed to carry travel mugs. Each pocket will be liquid-proof and washable especially for the mug. Although the mugs generally have very little in the way of liquid left in them once they are placed in a bag and each mug does have a liquid proof lid, mistakes do happen. It would be far better if this is contained to a removable washable section. These will be fairly cheap to produce and will be included with each mug. Each will have a plastic clip so that they can be attached to the outside of a bag or can just as easily be placed inside the bag itself.
To further encourage use, Starbucks should advertise that their staff will wash the bag and or the cup as required. This is essential as many customers return more than once a day. While (in my experience) most of the staff will happily wash it for you this should be standard practice and it should be advertised as much so that customers are not confused.
Pros for customer-
Reduced cost
New experience
Greener behaviour
No risk of cup damaging owners’ belongings
Pros for Starbucks-
New revenue stream in the form of coffee beans
Greater media coverage for both being “green” and for looking after customers
The end goal of this is to end up with as many of the “ritual drinkers” as possible buying and regularly using the reusable cups. To encourage them to buy, I have reduced the cost. To encourage them to bring the cup with them, I have introduced a new way of reminding the user to bring their cup as well as offered a more significant discount. Finally I have ensured that there is no detriment to the user in terms of ending up with spilt coffee over the contents of their bags. It is my hope that the “spontaneous drinkers” will also be encouraged to carry their mugs on them as they will also have the cost advantages supplied to them. This is not a Beta Cup but the Beta Future for all
€20,000 Overall Community Prize
to be defined Sold Idea
Product Design: Help reduce waste from coffee-to-go paper cups and come up with sustainable solutions!
Closed
Announced
Submission Period (61 Days)
-
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Beta Future
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Useful?
KDragonBlend
Great idea - I will gladly vote for it!
Useful?
Janne