The generous types among us now have a convenient way to treat friends to Starbucks from afar. Facebook members can credit their friends’ Starbucks cards without ever leaving the site, thanks to an update added today to the Starbucks Card Facebook application.
“Give a Gift” is the new feature that makes the Facebook exchange of Starbucks currency possible. Starbucks Card Facebook application users in the U.S. and Canada can use the application to load between $5 and $500 to a friend’s registered Starbucks Card.
To “Give a Gift,” app users are walked through a six-step process where they select a friend, specify an amount, choose a theme, pen a personal note, pay for the gift and then can share their generosity via status update with the rest of their Facebook friends.
The Starbucks Card Facebook application was previously introduced back in April to provide customers with a way to manage their Starbucks Cards on Facebook. Starbucks credits their community site, My Starbucks Idea, with the “Give a Gift” idea. The idea was first suggested by user Suz01 on March 3, 2008; the idea has since attracted more than 42,000 votes, making it the eighth most popular suggestion of all time.
“It’s great to bring another customer-inspired idea to life that enhances the customer experience in our coffee houses and within our digital communities. The new ‘Give a Gift’ feature on the Starbucks Card App provides a quick, fun gifting solution for our customers who want to surprise a friend on any occasion,” says Chris Bruzzo, Starbucks’s vice president for brand, content and online.
Starbucks has an especially strong presence on Facebook with more than 15 million fans. The application update is a wise move that will not only satisfy brand fans who requested the feature, but may also inspire more Starbucks Cards transactions due to sheer simplicity.
Image courtesy of Flickr, cafemom
Reviews: Facebook, Flickr
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