Starbucks Korea’s NFT service boosts tumbler use
Starbucks Korea’s new non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are boosting its customers’ use of tumblers and contributing to the brand’s environmental initiative by reducing demand for single-use cups, the coffee franchise said Thursday.
The company said it saved around 600,000 single-use cups within two weeks since launching the service on Jan. 16. It saw a 49 percent year-onyear increase in the number of customers using tumblers when placing orders via Siren Order, the company’s mobile order system.
Even after taking into account customers who make orders in-person or online, the figure saw a 32 percent increase.
The company started offering NFTs through three different “reward missions.” Each customer who orders through Siren Order and chooses to use a tumbler is given an “eco-stamp.” They can exchange five stamps for one Basic NFT, 15 stamps for one Creative NFT (limited to 20,000 in number) and 20 stamps for one Artist NFT (limited to 10,000 in number).
The company said 260,000 customers participated and collected 600,000 eco-stamps during the period.
NFTs, each with a unique digital identity that is traceable by blockchain, have been offered by the company to reward customers with a certification in the form of digital artwork for their eco-friendly efforts.
“Starbucks NFTs aren’t for tendering payment or investment,” a company official said. “They represent our way of certifying our customers who voluntarily engage in environmental activities in their daily lives.”
The company said its NFT service is the first of its kind in Asia. It added that to celebrate the launch, it opened an exhibition of its NFT art at the Jongno branch of the brand’s Starbucks Reserve in central Seoul. The show runs until the end of the month.
The company has been promoting the use of tumblers by offering a 400 won ($0.30) discount to customers who bring tumblers. It said the number of customers using them has been on the rise each year, with last year seeing a record number of 29.4 million tumblers being used by its customers.