Starbucks Launches Voice Ordering On Mobile App, Amazon Alexa Platform

Starbucks Corp. said Monday that it has launched voice-ordering capabilities on its mobile iOS app and the Amazon.com Inc. Alexa platform. The new feature is an extension of the Starbucks mobile order and pay feature. Starbucks mobile order and pay accounts for more than 7% of transactions at U.S. company-operated stores, the company said. On the app, customers can use the voice system through the My Starbucks barista, which is in beta testing to 1,000 customers with plans for a rollout through summer 2017. An Android version is coming next year. On Amazon Alexa, the company is launching the Starbucks Reorder Skill. Starbucks shares are down nearly 1% in Monday premarket trading, and are down 7.7% for the past year. The S&P 500 index is up 18.3% for the last 12 months.