• by Chuck Martin , September 19, 2019

Using Alibaba’s smart speaker, Starbucks is launching voice ordering and delivery in China.

Customers can use Alibaba’s Tmall Genie smart speaker to place an order by voice for delivery within 30 minutes.

Starbucks is leveraging Alibaba’s on-demand food delivery platform Ele.me.

The launch of the service is at the one-year anniversary of a strategic partnership between Starbucks and Alibaba.

“We are focused on ensuring that Starbucks voice ordering is truly personal, and we look forward to offering our customers more convenient moments and new opportunities to engage with Starbucks on a single integrated platform as they move throughout the day,” states  Molly Liu, vice president and general manager, Digital Ventures, Starbucks China.

A Starbucks-themed Tmall Genie is also being made available through the Starbucks virtual store in China.