SEATTLE, 2015-1-30 — /EPR Retail News/ — With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Match are offering singles new opportunities to connect at Starbucks. With more than 3 million members already listing “coffee and conversation” as one of their interests, starting today, Match members will now be able to use the “Meet at Starbucks” feature to more easily reach out and make that first coffee date. Additionally, on Friday, February 13, in participating Starbucks locations around the world, customers are invited to join the World’s Largest Starbucks Date.
“There’s no better time to celebrate meaningful moments of connection, and encourage new ones, than during Valentine’s Day,” said Sharon Rothstein, Starbucks global chief marketing officer. “For more than 40 years Starbucks has been a place to connect over a great cup of coffee. We’re a place where people come together to share important life moments – big and small. We’ve been witness to first dates, marriage proposals, job interviews, friends and families reunited, communities gathering, and so much more in our stores around the world.”
“Meet at Starbucks” Feature Now Available to Match Members
According to Match, more than one in three singles said that having coffee together is a favorite activity for a first date (1). In the past year, hundreds of thousands of new Match members mentioned “coffee” in their profiles, and in the past few months, hundreds of thousands of members have added a Starbucks badge to show their love for the brand on their profiles.
Now, Match is introducing the first-ever branded product feature that allows members to directly send an invitation to another member to set up that first coffee date. Using the “Meet at Starbucks” feature, members can send an email to someone they might like and can even find a convenient location for their Starbucks date using the Starbucks store locator.
“Together, Starbucks and Match have made it easier than ever to turn that first flirt into a first date,” said Sam Yagan, Chief Executive Officer of The Match Group. “Match is a ubiquitous part of singles’ lives generating more dates than anyone else and more first dates happen at Starbucks than anywhere else.”
The World’s Largest Starbucks Date
In celebration of love and meaningful connections of every kind, Match and Starbucks are inviting people around the world to participate in the World’s Largest Starbucks Date. On Friday, February 13, participating company-operated and select licensed locations in the U.S. and Canada will feature a special pairings menu. In the U.S., the menu will feature a selection of coffee and treat pairings available for $5 (US).
Starbucks US menu pairings include:
Caffé Verona® Coffee Press for Two and a Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie
Tall Flat White and Chocolate Croissant
Grande Raspberry Mocha or Grande White Chocolate Mocha and Heart Cookie
Available from 2pm to close, the special pairings menu will be complemented with in-store experiences designed to facilitate connection and celebrate love, including special in-store music playlists chosen by Starbucks partners (employees), and photo props to document and share your #StarbucksDate.
Additional markets around the globe (2) will be celebrating the World’s Largest Starbucks date with their own unique in-store activations. Customers in participating markets can check with their local stores for details.
(1) For more information on “Singles In America” visit: www.singlesinamerica.com.
(2) Participating markets include USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, India, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 21,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or online at Starbucks.com and news.starbucks.com
About Match.com
Founded in 1995, Match was the original pioneer of the online dating industry. Today, almost 20 years later, Match operates leading subscription-based online dating properties in 25 countries, eight languages and five continents and is responsible for more dates, relationships and marriages than any other website. Match.com is an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI) and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.match.com.
For more information on this news release, contact us.
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