Pioneering role for Starbucks

Starbucks introduced its mobile payment system three years ago and today 21 percent of all of their transactions are realised using smartphones and 16 million consumers are using the Starbucks payment app. There are three main reasons for the app’s success: 1. the large-scale loyalty programme behind it, 2. selling an ‘addictive’ product, caffeine, 3. the same customers visit practically the same cafés day after day.

At first the Starbucks mobile app was a smart way of letting customers monitor how they are rewarded for their loyalty and use their coupons. All the coffeehouse chain did was adding a payment function to it: Starbucks customers are so loyal that they were already keen on using the app when they couldn’t pay with it.

Others are trying to keep up with Starbucks in this field: Walmart Pay is now used by 22 million consumers on Android and iOS devices. If the retail giant’s mobile wallet is successful, competitors such as Target will be forced to follow their path.