News

Starbucks adding wireless mobile charging stations for customers

June 12, 2014

Starbucks today announced a partnership with Duracell Powermat to rollout Powermat wireless charging stations in Starbucks locations.

According to a news release, the rollout began in San Francisco and additional major markets will be added in 2015, with a full national rollout in Starbucks company-operated stores and Teavana Fine Teas + Tea Bars planned over time. Initial pilots in Europe and Asia are also expected within the year.

"From WiFi and the in-store Starbucks Digital Network to mobile payment and digital music downloads, we have always tried to anticipate our customers' needs early in the adoption curve and provide a world-class solution. We are thrilled to offer our customers that next level of convenience with Powermat wireless charging. Rather than hunting around for an available power outlet, they can seamlessly charge their device while enjoying their favorite food or beverage offering right in our stores," Starbucks' Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman said in the release. "We were pleased with the customer response to the pilot tests, and we're now expanding this offering nationally to provide our customers a quality and reliable experience as they use our stores as their respite, their office away from home or as a gathering place with their friends and family."

As part of the partnership, Starbucks' locations will be equipped with "Powermat Spots," designated areas on tables and counters where customers can place their compatible device and charge wirelessly. Select Starbucks stores in Boston and San Jose, Calif., offer Powermat today and the broader rollout can be tracked at powermat.com/locations.

"Powermat Spots in Starbucks are the result of almost a decade of scientific research spanning material sciences, magnetic induction and mesh networking," Ran Poliakine, CEO of Powermat Technologies, said in the release. "The two-pronged power-plug dates back to the era of the horse drawn carriage, so that today's announcement marks the first meaningful upgrade to the way we access power in well over a century."

Powermat Spots comply with the open standard set by the PMA – whose members include AT&T, Blackberry, HTC, Huawei, LG, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung, TI and ZTE.Jeff Howard, vice president, Mobile Devices and Accessories, AT&T Mobility, called the partnership "transformative for both consumers and the mobile industry."

Stassi Anastassov, president of Duracell at Procter & Gamble, added that the rollout is a "critical step" in Duracell's vision to "make dead battery anxiety a thing of the past."

"Starbucks' plans to offer Powermat nationally is likely to settle any lingering standards questions, and usher wireless power into the mainstream," Anastassov said.