Last issue we checked in on NFC & mobile wallets. Two weeks later, and the world of retail mobile payments just got even more interesting. Beverage behemoth Starbucks has announced that it will be adopting start-up mobile payment service Square across its U.S. operation, and investing $25m in the company.
The newest venture of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Square has been quietly revolutionising mobile payments for small businesses and solo traders by cleverly enabling them to take card payments through their smartphone. It’s got 7million users already and this latest move will see it expand exponentially, placing the tech firmly in the minds of consumers – and no doubt many other retailers. Starbucks’ incredibly successful loyalty/payment app already boasts 1million transactions per week in the US…
And on the horizon, something else interesting Starbucks is Square’s newest feature which, using location services, will mean that when a user enters a store they can open a ‘tab’ on their app and complete a transaction simply by saying their name at the till. Effortless.
Mobile marketing has quickly evolved from a niche part of the digital marketing industry to a full-blown discipline of its own. Time to get on board with it or you’ll be left behind.
