Nfts
Starbucks shuts down Odyssey – its NFT-backed metaverse program
In September 2022, Starbucks officially revealed its highly anticipated foray into the metaverse: Starbucks Odyssey. At the time, NFTs and the Metaverse were the hot tech innovation of the moment, with companies across many industries scrambling to figure out how to capitalize on the popularity of Web3, which was promised as an “Internet of the Future” more immersive. » Eighteen months after unveiling Starbucks Odyssey, the Seattle-based coffee company confirmed that the program – in beta mode for 15 months – would officially end at the end of the month.
“On March 31, 2024, we will end the beta version of Starbucks Odyssey so that we can focus on the future of the program and delivering experiences to a broader audience,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to applying our learnings to the future of this program and are grateful to the Odyssey community for their participation in the beta experience. We’re excited about what’s next, but don’t have any details to share about the future of the program at this time.
While the announcement isn’t a surprise — it’s been a while since the Metaverse and NFTs captivated audiences and motivated tech companies — Starbucks ending Odyssey in its current form marks the closing of a chapter of the history of catering technology.
Although the coffee chain wasn’t the first to embrace Web3’s digital marketing capabilities – Chipotle made his debut virtual games on Roblox in 2021 and the Wendyverse opened in April 2022 — Starbucks’ Project Odyssey was one of the highest-profile metaverse projects that offered some of the greatest potential for long-term digital engagement. Project Odyssey was supposed to go beyond limited-time digital games and introduce Starbucks superusers to a community of like-minded “Siren fans.” The digital universe would encourage them to buy and trade NFTs (renamed “Journey Stamps”) and redeem them for Starbucks perks and experiences, up to and including a high-value trip to a coffee farm from Costa Rica.
But since the beta launched in late 2022, Starbucks has remained relatively quiet about Odyssey, and there have been no major announcements in the fifteen months since. Likewise, other highly anticipated NFT innovations have failed over the past year or more, including the wave of Exclusive NFT membership-based clubs and restaurants and programs aimed at the wealthiest corners of Silicon Valley. But last year, many of these projects have been delayed (sometimes indefinitely) or quietly canceled as the hype for virtual dining experiences has died down.
Although it seems like the sidelining of Starbucks Odyssey might be the nail in the coffin of the metaverse trend (at least, in the restaurant industry), the excitement around Web3 and NFTs was rooted in the very real needs of today’s consumer: digital engagement and continued technological investment.
While consumers aren’t necessarily clamoring to redeem virtual points for the chance to visit a Starbucks coffee farm, they want digital technology to ease customer experience friction and make their lives easier. While not as flashy as the once-intriguing world of Odyssey, technologies like Starbucks’ digital order status boards (introduced as part of the company’s new ) accessible store designs), could prove more popular in the long term.
In hindsight, restaurateurs might see the metaverse as a momentary, brilliant distraction from why their customers visit them regularly: not to play games in a virtual world or trade digital collectibles, but to order their favorite foods and drinks as easily and quickly as possible. possible, with a consistent experience every time. By stepping back from Odyssey, Starbucks has quietly proven that it’s crucial to refocus on digital technology as a customer success tool rather than a fun gimmick.
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