Starbucks Delivery In 2015 Teases Coffee Chain

A periodic trip to Starbucks is a daily grind for many, but the coffee chain is looking to streamline that with the ability to not only order a drink through its app, but have it delivered too. The service – which will include both drinks and food items – is expected to launch in the second half of 2015, Starbucks confirmed, with chief exec Howard Schultz describing it as "our version of e-commerce on steroids." It's not the first attempt to use the Starbucks app in non-traditional ways, though the heat is on with the company failing to meet investor expectations.

"Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot to your desk daily," Schultz said of the scheme.

The system will build on another of Starbucks' plans for the coming months, enhancing the Starbucks app to support order-ahead service. Rather than simply being used to pay for drinks in-store, as today, the app will also allow customers to pre-order and then jump the line when they arrive.

Starbucks will launch the new app in Portland, OR. next month, ahead of a broader roll-out in 2015.

Nonetheless, the delivery service is a far more ambitious plan. The logistics involved in not only managing to get drinks to your desk in a timely manner, but making sure they're fresh and taste just like they would in-store are tremendous.

It's unclear whether Starbucks will offer its full menu or some subsection of it to address that problem. While a large container of brewed coffee would be relatively transport-friendly, trying to do the same for a Pumpkin Spice latte would be a whole lot tougher.

VIA NBC

SOURCE Starbucks