Things are revving up in the mobile payments category. Starbucks is taking the lead with an application ( app ) that shows a scannable QR code to make payment with.
With all the convenience of modern technology, the smartphone is becoming a tool for work, play and now for drinks. Starbucks is major franchise that is adopting the mobile revolution in a big way. This app is not just for the android fanboys. It works on android or iPhone smartphones. The restriction for android is that it will only work on smartphones that have android version 2.1 and later.
So, what does this Starbucks app do ? First and foremost it allows a Starbucks customer to pay for their java with a smartphone. Just download the app, enter the Starbucks card number, touch the screen, scan the screen, and you are good to go. Other things that the app can do are manage Starbucks cards. Reloading cards is also possible using a credit card.
The app has a mapping feature so that if the user is not in a familiar area they can still find the nearest Starbucks restaurant. Safeway stores are going to be involved in this Starbucks venture also. They will be supporting mobile payments as well. The number of stores available across the Starbucks spectrum using this system will be 9,000 stores.
The use of the word “digital wallet” has been circulating around since Google made their android 2.3 presentation. Starbucks seems to have taken them seriously. The app uses a technology that is new for Western cultures. It originated in Japan. The app shows a QR code on the screen of the android smartphone. A QR code is a new form of scannable code, similar to a barcode.
The barcodes of yesteryear can be scanned in one direction, horizontally. But the QR ( Quick Response ) code is scanned horizontally and vertically resulting in a higher bulk of data available. The QR reader at the Starbucks store scans the QR code in the downloaded app and the price of the joe is taken off the Starbucks card of the customer.
One security flaw exists with this process. Someone can take a photo of the QR code in the smartphone app of the customer. They can then present the copied photo to the Starbucks QR reader and start drinking coffee on the account of the the first person.
