When you step up to the register to pay at the coffee shop, do you reach for cash, a card or your smartphone? In U.S. Starbucks stores, phones are now being used for 10% of purchases.
The milestone for the coffee giant suggests that the long-awaited ‘digital wallet’ is still on the way, even if it’s taking a lot longer to arrive than many people in the tech industry once thought.
Starbucks digital chief Adam Brotman noted the stat during the company’s earnings conference call this past week. The news comes despite earlier reports of glitches in Starbucks’ rollout of its high-profile mobile payments partnership with Square. The company didn’t say how many of the transactions are being made via Square vs. Starbucks’ smartphone apps.
Brotman said “mobile devices have become increasingly important part of the customer experience at Starbucks as the fastest and easiest way to pay in our stores.” He promised that the company “will continue to bring more innovation to this space.”
Starbucks this past week also announced plans to roll out wireless smartphone charging mats to stores in Silicon Valley, expanding on an earlier pilot in Boston.
More coverage: Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch.
