Starbucks has just announced plans to start offering mobile payments to their cardholders:
http://business-video.tmcnet.com/news/2011/01/31/5278422.htm
Of course this is a great idea, allow users to pay for their beverages uses their mobile phones. But, I think Starbucks might be missing out on what it's customers could really use: mobile ordering.
For most, the biggest "inconvenience" at Starbucks is not how long or how difficult it is to pay for your order (paying is usually the quickest part), but it's placing your order, ensuring it is correct, waiting for it to be fulfilled, then verifying the order was made correctly. Chances are that regular customers may be ordering complex drinks with numerous adjectives, and may be placing a large order for friends or co-workers. In a crowded and noisy Starbucks, this can result in mis-matched orders, lost items, confused baristas, or worse -- irate customers.
Here's an idea: allow account customers to place orders via the phone or computer with a pickup time if they go ahead and pre-pay with their account. That way, the order can be placed in the barista's cue by the system at the appropriate time, and there is no chance of "mis hearing" or mis-interpreting the order by the order-taker. Users simply go and pick up their order, no waiting in line and no paying... This saves time for the customer and Starbucks. Bonus: this should result in fewer "remakes" as the order is always placed correctly...
This option could be enhanced to save your favorite drinks, at which point you could enable "one touch" ordering of your favorite drink at your favorite location, something that most of the regular customers already do anyway...
