Omnivore - The psychology behind the ‘Starbucks experience’

The October issue of Psychology Today includes an article about Starbucks’ meteoric rise from 100 coffeehouses 15 years ago to 13,000 today. It opens 2,000 new locations each year.

Interestingly, the article relates that Starbucks’ original vision did not encourage lingering: “Efficiency, not coziness had been the design goal.”

Then, in 1996, the company conducted extensive research and discovered that most people were more interested in “feeling and atmosphere” than in the coffee itself. Most of the article is devoted to describing the psychological means by which the company creates a sense of “warmth, luxury and emotion,” in exchange for lots of money.

Some interesting mentions:

Flavors of Frappuccinos are tied to fashion trends. The company attempts to divine next season’s trendy colors a year in advance and then develops the right-color Frappuccino. (I sampled a blueberry one this week. I guess we’re supposed to be dressing in purplish blue.)

Store design avoids hard edges. Everything is curved. Why does the store use such tiny tables? “Tables are small and round to preserve the self-esteem of customers drinking alone, since a circular table has no ‘empty’ seats.”

The company intentionally developed the annoying language (“grande Valencia latte”) for its products, both to add a sense of sophistication and to get consumers always “thinking” in Starbucks-ese, so that they will feel out of place at other coffeehouses. The company even publishes a 22-page booklet of the lingo to help customers “build confidence in beverage ordering.” (Photo of Jesus from SubversiveInfluence.com. Check out the post there that specifically reacts to Starbucks lingo and compares the coffeehouse to a church.)

The same issue of the magazine has a feature on the healthful qualities of green and black tea. Who knew black tea “speeds recovery from stressful events, reducing levels of cortisol and diminishing blood platelet activation”? Green tea “mitigates sunburn,” and both types may promote brain health. I wonder if they cure erectile dysfunction and depression.