Starbucks already offers one of the best mobile payment options around. You can walk into the store, place your order with an employee and then pay right from your phone. Yesterday, the company rolled out an iOS update that makes it even easier, and even includes an option to tip your barista. The coffee company isn't resting on its laurels, however, and is already testing a new mobile payment option that will streamline the entire coffee ordering process.
Starbucks is testing a new feature that will let you place your coffee order from your phone. That means you won't have to stumble in, half awake, trying to mumble your order for a venti mocha frappucino no whip. Instead, while you're in line, you can tap around the application and choose the drink you're looking to purchase. "We're not revealing a lot of details about it now," Starbucks chief digital officer Adam Brotman explained to Bloomberg, but it said the company knows customers are waiting for the feature. Brotman didn't explain how it will work, but presumably you'll have some sort of mobile menu to tap through. Pick your beverage, the size, how you want it, and then a barista on the other side can get started.
That way, hopefully, by the time you get to the counter your order is either already complete or well on its way. Starbucks could also potentially allow you to pay right from the app, alleviating any need to scan your phone with a cashier. It would work too, especially if you simply show a mobile receipt at the check-out counter. As someone who frequents a crowded Starbucks, this could save me a lot of time.
