Starbucks says it will continue its focus on improving the customer experience as part of its multi-year turnaround plan.
In July, the company rolled out its new Green Apron Service program as a part of CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan. This week, Niccol said that customers have already noticed a shift in the cafes’ atmosphere in the few months since the investment, particularly the welcoming staff and personalized interactions, such as the return of Sharpie-written names on cups.
During its 2025 fourth-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, the coffee chain’s global same-store sales increased by 1%, mostly lifted by international markets like Canada and China. Starbucks’s same-store sales in the U.S. were flat. However, the company said new fall items and various customer service improvements helped boost sales in September.
“Our intent is to become the world’s best customer service company,” Niccol said on the conference call. “To do this, we’ll double down on Green Apron’s service by empowering our leaders in and above the coffee house.”
Product innovation is also playing a major role in improving Starbucks’s value proposition among customers. Niccol said the company’s offerings like a protein cold foam are also helping boost traffic, with expectations that it will continue to do so. “One thing that’s great about protein is we’re seeing low-frequency rewards customers show up with more frequency,” he said. “So it’s going to be a combination of consistently great execution.”
With the “Back to Starbucks” initiative, Starbucks is hoping to bring back the aspects that high-frequency customers previously loved about the chain, before it shifted to focus more on mobile orders and delivery during the pandemic years.
Analysts are cautiously optimistic about the plan improving foot traffic incrementally. Brad Jashinsky, director analyst at Gartner, said the company’s focus on the customer experience is a step in the right direction.
Jashinsky said that “Starbucks has pulled back many of [its] promotions and is now being more selective in what they offer,” with a focus on reframing its value perception to loyalty members. Moving forward, he added, the emphasis is less about bringing in customers with cheap food and drink offers, and more so about creating an inviting cafe environment they want to organically return to.
Indeed, the Starbucks rewards program is a big piece of the puzzle for driving repeat visits. As Modern Retail previously reported, Starbucks is quietly testing out a new rewards perk called Coffee Loop among select members. Coffee Loop has a simple structure that prompts customers to “buy nine coffees, get one free.”
The company’s 90-day active Starbucks Rewards member base grew 1% — both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year — to 34.2 million members.
“This was led by higher re-engagement and fueled by customers returning for their seasonal favorites and new offerings as part of our fall launch,” Cathy Smith, chief financial officer, said during the call. The improved transaction rate among this cohort is also being helped by the company’s “intentional shift away from last year’s discounting strategies,” Smith said. Meanwhile, non-Starbucks Rewards customer transactions also grew year over year, for the second consecutive quarter.
“Through 2026, you’ll see us announcing improvements to our rewards program and mobile app and new brand activations,” Niccol said. “Our strategy is only as good as the people who are executing, and over the past year, we underwent significant change, and fast.”