Coffee basis for the backlash: Starbucks location-based push promotions

A blogger complained publicly that the Starbucks app sent promotional messages based on real-time location, marketing whichever store the person passed, and called it tracking-style marketing. Starbucks customer service said it was unaware of the matter and had forwarded it to public relations. The episode has renewed attention on how the brand collects and uses personal information.

The app's privacy policy lists only three scenarios for precise location: finding nearby stores, ordering or booking, and joining specific activities. Regulators in the Chinese market have repeatedly summoned Starbucks over personal information collection, and in June 2025 its app and WeChat mini-program appeared again on a notification list for improper data collection. The dispute centers on whether promotional pushes sit inside those stated boundaries.

Recently, a blogger publicly complained that the Starbucks app pushes promotional messages based on real-time location, saying that wherever they go, they get marketed to, sparking heated discussion online. Starbucks customer service said it was not yet aware of the matter and had forwarded it to the public relations department. Notably, Starbucks has repeatedly been notified and summoned for talks by regulators in the Chinese market over personal information collection issues, and in June 2025 its app and WeChat mini-program again appeared on a notification list for illegally and improperly collecting and using personal information. This debate over precision marketing and the boundaries of privacy has once again pushed the brand's use of user data into the spotlight.

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Yesterday, Dahé Daily reported that a blogger posted a message online complaining about Starbucks' marketing model, drawing attention from many netizens.

According to the blogger, they recently received a promotional push from the Starbucks app and found that its content was based on the app user's real-time precise location, recommending the "one bean, two ways to drink" campaign at a store the user was [just passing by]. What surprised the person even more was that the push was not sent just once, but "chased me all the way with marketing, promoting whichever store I walked to."

According to the Starbucks app privacy policy, there are only three business scenarios in which the app uses users' precise location information (that is, precise geographic location): finding nearby stores, ordering, shopping or booking services, and participating in specific activities. Therefore, in the person's view, Starbucks' practice of relentlessly pushing promotional content based on user location information has caused users certain annoyance.

In addition, the blogger said that the Starbucks WeChat mini-program privacy policy does mention that "displaying promotional activity information" can use location information, but that is a scenario in which the mini-program is actively opened, not passively received push harassment. The person believed that Starbucks should immediately stop promotion pushes based on precise location and publicly explain the legal basis and user authorization process for this function. If no relevant explanation can be given, users should be given a formal apology and a rectification plan.

Regarding the "chase-style marketing" feedback from users about Starbucks, netizens had differing views. Some consumers who supported the blogger's point of view believed that the brand may be excessively collecting users' personal information, and for consumers who value personal privacy, this kind of marketing model only makes people annoyed.

But some onlookers also pointed out that many apps now quietly collect user information during use and, after big data calculations, push suitable promotional content, and believed that Starbucks' marketing approach is not much of a problem.

In response, media reporters asked Starbucks customer service about the situation. The other party responded, "Not aware of it for now; the relevant complaint content has been fed back to the public relations department."

It is worth mentioning that public information shows Starbucks has been involved multiple times in issues related to user privacy and information security in the Chinese market, and has repeatedly been notified and summoned for talks by regulators over personal information collection issues. According to media reports, in June 2023, due to consumer reports and investigations by law enforcement officers from the Shanghai Cyberspace Administration and the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, Starbucks was found to have problems such as frequently inducing users to provide information and inducing consumers to follow official accounts.

In April 2025, Starbucks officially issued an announcement saying that, regarding the guidance put forward by law enforcement departments in the "special law enforcement action on personal information protection in the consumer field," the company attached great importance to it, responded actively, immediately conducted a self-examination, and is actively adjusting and improving the relevant issues raised by regulators and consumers.

But in June this year, the National Cybersecurity Notification Center announced that, after testing by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, 64 mobile applications were found to be illegally and improperly collecting and using personal information, and the Starbucks app and WeChat mini-program appeared prominently on its notification list.

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