OREANDA-NEWS. Starbucks today announced the expansion of the company’s industry-leading digital ecosystem with the launch of Starbucks mobile app in Japan. The move introduces Starbucks mobile payment and eGifting to the company’s fourth largest market and one of the most dynamic markets for Starbucks.

"Extending our mobile app and e-Gifting to our customers in Japan helps us meet their needs while enabling us to provide an exceptional and convenient experience within our stores," said John Culver, group president, Starbucks China/Asia Pacific region. "Our ability to bring our best-in-class mobile payment and gifting experience to Japan demonstrates Starbucks digital leadership and the impact we believe we can make on the future of retail. Starbucks is committed to exploring new ways to leverage digital innovations to delight customers and unlock growth opportunities across the country.”

Beginning today, customers in Japan will be able to download and use the market’s first Starbucks mobile app. The Starbucks® Japan App for iPhone® and Android™ provides a fast and convenient way for customers to pay for their in-store purchases at more than 1,100 stores across the market.  Customers can quickly pay for their in-store purchases by scanning a bar code linked to their registered Starbucks Card. Customers can register multiple Starbucks Cards onto their account, all of which will also be available within the Starbucks mobile app.

“We are pleased to bring this digital innovation to our customers in Japan, who now have an unprecedented level of connection with Starbucks,” said Takafumi Minaguchi, chief operating officer, Starbucks Japan. “This is the latest way Starbucks is continuing to engage with our customers using digital and mobile experiences.”

In addition to mobile payment, the new Starbucks Japan mobile app provides customers with information on all the latest Starbucks products and the ability to redeem special offers and send eGifts in a few easy steps. The eGift experience offers customers uniquely-designed digital cards with a wide variety of themes and occasions they can send from within the app.

The introduction of mobile payment builds on a rapidly expanding portfolio of digital innovations across markets in the China/Asia Pacific Region. In December 2015, Starbucks announced the opening of its first online store in China on the country’s popular e-commerce site, Tmall. The Starbucks Tmall store seamlessly connects the online shopping habits of Chinese customers with Starbucks unique in-store experience.

In 2014, Starbucks also introduced the first mobile ordering service of its kind in the industry with Siren Order in Korea, an app which allows customers to order and pay with their mobile device. Starbucks also made the digital experience more convenient last year with the launch of the company’s first Starbucks app on a wearable device in Asia, which allows customers in Korea to track their My Starbucks Rewards™ status and pay for Starbucks purchases directly from the wearable device.

Starbucks will continue to focus on connecting with customers through the Starbucks mobile apps, social media and the My Starbucks Rewards™ loyalty program, while exploring new ways to leverage digital innovations to unlock new business opportunities and extraordinary customer experiences across the globe.