According to pricing consultant Rafi Mohammed's strategy blog, Starbucks lowered the prices of its popular low-end drinks such as plain coffee and lattes in 2009. It adopted this pricing strategy to compete with McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts, who introduced less expensive low-end drinks to take over some of Starbucks' market share. However, Starbucks simultaneously raised the prices of its high-end drinks such as caramel macchiatos. Starbucks' non-pricing strategy of ubiquitous convenience developed brand loyalty and allowed for a price hike among loyal customers.