Starbucks: Three Main Benefits For Writing Customer Name On The Cup

Whenever I order a small Starbucks coffee, I am always asked "What's your first name?" by a cashier. Even I was the only person to order, they still asked my name. Not only Starbucks, now many other bubble tea brands such as Vivi, Coco, Gong Tea also start calling customer's names.

Why does Starbucks write customer name on the cup? What're the benefits to do that?

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Self-Promotion

In the beginning, Starbucks wrote customer names because they received too many orders. Marking down names would prevent mistakes. Later on, Starbucks found that writing names do not only improve work efficiency but also increase brand awareness.  

Sometimes (most times) Starbucks spell the wrong name. You think customers will get angry? Actually no. In contrast, people feel Starbucks is not only a coffee shop but also a coffee shop with its own personality. 

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Some customers also make fun with Starbucks. They come up with some funny name such as "Dad", "Mom", "Mr. King", "Queen", "Lord", "God" ,  or "Boss" when they order drinks. 

"Funny Name Jokes" become the most effective way to increase brand exposure. Especially, people love to share those funny things on social media.

Let Customers Feel A Sense of Ownership

Writing names on the cup make customers feel a sense of ownership. This cup of coffee only belongs to me, not anyone else. 

Why is it important to have a sense of ownership? 

For example, lose $100 cash or lose $100 handbag, which one will make you feel worse? Most females would choose the second one. Even they have the same value, but they bring different feelings. 

Lose $100 cash will make you feel sad, but you know you can earn it back soon. However, lose $100 handbag will make you feel worse because you owned the handbag and you had a relationship with this bag. You are the only owner of this handbag. You lose the bag, so you lose the ownership. 

Therefore, when Starbucks write our names on the cup, it actually builds a strong connection between the product and customers. We may feel a sense of ownership of this product potentially.  It is a smart way to add brand identity value.

Two-Way Communication

When Starbucks ask customer names, they also ask for other needs. Therefore, customers love to tell Starbucks their special needs. It makes customers feel Starbucks is listening to the customer's voice.

This two-way communication is extremely important for brands. Without responding to customer needs, customers won't care about the brand so much. People prefer to choose the brands who really care about them. Therefore, asking customer needs and responding back to them will increase customer participation with the brand as well as improve the customer experience.