Hadley Malcolm

USA TODAY

Starbucks (SBUX) reported a 16.2% increase in second quarter earnings Thursday as the coffee company benefitted from rapid growth and continued to acquire new customers.

The Seattle-based company said sales were the best of any non-holiday quarter ever, jumping 9.4% to $4.99 billion, from $4.56 billion in the year-ago quarter. That came in slightly below what analysts expected, which was $5.03 billion, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Starbucks shares fell more than 5% in after-hours trading on the news. Earnings per share came to 39 cents, in line with analyst expectations.

Starbucks has been aggressively growing its cafes overseas, where it recently announced plans to open outposts in Italy and Germany. A store opened for the first time in South Africa Thursday and it's also been heavily focused on the China market. The company opened a net total of 350 stores in the quarter, bringing its global total to 23,921.

Coke soda business goes flat in Q1 while water bubbles up

The company's rewards program has also sparked growth since Starbucks announced changes to it earlier this year. Those changes took effect this month, but had already led to an 8% increase in loyalty participation for the quarter ended March 27, compared to the first quarter.

The rewards program is now based on dollars spent rather than number of visits, a decision some customers have been unhappy with, saying it unfairly rewards higher spenders who go for frappuccinos over regular coffee.

Starbucks will capitalize on the new rewards structure with a Chase-branded prepaid rewards Visa card coming out at the end of the year. Users will be able to earn rewards stars on any purchase made with the card, whether or not it's for a Starbucks product.

"Loyalty, technology and innovation are continuing to fuel our digital flywheel and propel our business forward all around the world," CEO Howard Schultz said in a company statement.

Same-store sales, a measurement of sales based on stores open at least a year, increased 6% globally, as customers spent more and foot traffic bumped up. In the U.S. and Americas, same-store sales increased 7% — Starbucks said it served 12 million more customer occasions in the U.S. in the quarter.

Starbucks launches prepaid Visa rewards card

Channel development segment sales increased 8% in the quarter, driven by Starbucks single-serve products such as K-cups. At the company's annual shareholders meeting last month, Starbucks executives outlined the company's plan to put more emphasis on its products in grocery stores. That includes rolling out new versions of its popular K-cups for Keurig coffee machines, such as a pumpkin spice latte that will be available in the fall.

Starbucks will also introduce bottled cold brew coffee, a popular drink that came to Starbucks cafes last year, in grocery aisles this summer. That sort of premium product is helping drive sales, executives said on a conference call, and will continue to be a bigger priority. Starbucks has plans to open between seven and 10 high-end roasteries around the world that will feature its Starbucks Reserve single-origin coffee brand. It already has one in Seattle and will open another in Manhattan in 2018.