Starbucks Takes Its Pioneering Mobile-Phone App to Grande Level
- Coffee chain expands order-ahead program, tests delivery
- Handset payment may soon account for half of all transactions
Customers use mobile devices inside a Starbucks Corp. coffee shop.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Starbucks Corp., a pioneer in getting consumers to pay for products with a mobile phone, is boosting spending on digital ventures this year as it enhances the capability of its app in Asia, Europe and Latin America.
The coffee chain is promoting a new feature, introduced last year nationwide at U.S. stores, that lets customers order and pay for beverages in advance and pick them up without waiting in the cashier line. It plans to bring the Mobile Order & Pay program to China and Japan in 2016. Starbucks is also testing delivery through the app this year in the U.S., where it will roll out features such as personalized food recommendations.