Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cell phone instead of cash: Starbucks leads a payment for smartphones

The U.S. coffee shop chain Starbucks ventures forward again. Coffee buyers to their hot beverage can now pay by phone. Therefore, the Company uses a relatively old-fashioned technology - because of the high-tech method is still missing the best phones. The cell phone as a high-purse. Promised have been many, it has been implemented only in a few pilot projects.

The unfortunate term problem: cell phone manufacturers build the necessary technology not see it because it is a lack of applications is no demand. And the retail cash out, no such systems because so no one would have matching phones. The U.S. coffee shop chain Starbucks now cut this knot.

In the United States should be able to pay for his coffee at Starbucks on Wednesday across the country for smartphones without special equipment, simply by App. The payment process is, however, it looks a little different than the future, researchers have presented. Rather than swing the phone to a reader over and to pay by radio, Starbucks customers must place the screen of their mobile phone at a bar code scanner.

Reads them from a bar code in which the payment information is stored. This is possible with free apps for the iPhone, Blackberry and iPod touch. A version of the payment software for Android phones is planned to be the company said, without naming a release date. The apps work even after the prepaid principle: By Paypal or credit card charges to a credit on his account, from which the relevant invoice amount is deducted from the scanner checkout.

Almost incidentally, you can use the tracking features of the phone also to ask to see the app on the way, where's the nearest Starbucks. Customer Loyalty Starbucks also is integrated bonus system that allows repeat customers to earn free drinks by buying enough drinks paid. That Starbucks Pay by phone with such a pragmatic solution is introduced, rather than equal to the short-range radio technology, NFC (Near Field Communication) is a simple reason: Although NFC for years as a technology of choice for electronic payment systems in conversation, mobile phones with NFC chip are still scarce.

Although the Google phone Nexus has already built-S such a chip, but its distribution still minimal. Nokia offers a similar picture. The Finnish company wants to equip all new 2011 smartphone with NFC has already built such a model in the C7. So far, however, is of NFC phones in the mass market to see anything.

That should change, Starbucks will offer NFC as a payment option. Until this changes, the coffee was the provider but do not wait. Finally, use according to the company, one third of its customers a smartphone. Many of these customers are already interested in a payment option has indicated on her cell phone, Starbucks runs one with his system that is open doors.

By the way, but also the coffee group benefits from the cash-paying customers. Test had shown that of all possible payment methods, the Starbucks-App is the fastest, "said Starbucks Manager Brady Drew. This shortens the queues, maximizing the potential revenue and strengthens customer loyalty.

A positive side effect is that Starbucks customers can even get a coffee when you have lost your wallet. For cash anyway seems to be a problem for many coffee buyers, since according to the Starbucks but often times with no wallet, but will never go without a cell phone.

No comments:

Post a Comment