Starbucks Mobile Payment Revolution

By John Dodge for Enterprise CIO Forum

Is the long-talked about digital wallet about to finally happen? If Starbucks has its way, it is.

For CIOs at retailing and consumer products companies, take note. Mobile payment systems are the future moving quickly to the present.
Starbucks is partnering with software company Square to turn smartphones into wallets. In fact, one explanation of how it will work has it that you walk into Starbucks and it knows you’re there. When you pick up your latte and lemon square, all you have to do is say your name to the barista.

That’s a bit in the future for Starbucks so a smart phone 2-D scan will still be required for now. But you can do the simple name drop now with Square’s “pay with Square” where it’s accepted. The app that links to your credit card. Word is retailer deployment of the app requires minimal changes to existing infrastructure. What’s more, Square offers inexpensive access to credit card processing so that millions of small businesses scared off from credit cards by high expense could now accept them (2.75% of each transaction and no other fees…).

Article Continued Here.

Excerpt appears with permission from John Dodge.

About John Dodge

John Dodge is an award-winning journalist and newspaperman, who has covered technology and business since 1980. He spent 16 years at PC Week (now eWeek) as news editor and editor and several years as editor-in-chief of engineering magazines EDN and Design News. His personal blog is The Dodge Retort. John Dodge is presently the community manager at enterpriseCIOForum.com, an online community for CIOs sponsored by Hewlett Packard and produced by IDG.

• 
• 
•