Starbucks Will Start Delivering Coffee And Food

Starbucks will start delivering food and beverages in select markets next year.

"Imagine the ability to create a standing order that Starbucks delivered hot or iced to your desk daily - that's our version of ecommerce on steroids," Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz said Thursday on an earnings call with analysts.

Members of Starbucks' loyalty program will be able to request delivery through Starbucks' new mobile order and pay app, which is launching next month in Portland and will be rolled out nationwide next year.

The delivery service will launch in the second half of 2015.

Shultz said the company is launching the new app and delivery service because customers are demanding more convenience.

"What's actually occurring is the cultural shift in time allocation away from retail experiences people have felt forced to undertake and towards retail experiences that people want to enjoy with convenience as the key enabler," Shultz said. "Now what you're going to see in the years ahead will be a rapid acceleration in mobile device purchases and a continued significant migration away from bricks-and-mortar commerce. There is obviously a huge prize there and that's why we're seeing so much activity around the payment space from all kinds of companies."