Thanks to a pilot program in Seattle, cashless Starbucks locations may soon be the norm. The Starbucks location testing this will be located in the Russell Investment Center in Downtown Seattle and will only be taking payments through cards or pay-by-phone technology. This specific location was picked by the coffee chain to determine the best response by customers. Starbucks will be running the pilot program for an undisclosed amount of time, and during this testing phase, the company will be gaining valuable feedback from both customers and employees.
The success of this pilot program may lead to future cashless Starbucks locations and could lead to other coffee chains adopting the system. Cash is starting to see significantly less use, thanks to the rise of contact-less payment and safer credit transactions, making the idea of a cashless service more enticing. The first cashless Starbucks may be the first big step in the cashless revolution, and depending on its success, there may be a boom in similar programs done by competing chains.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Cashless Stores
- The rise of contactless payments is encouraging the shift towards cashless stores.
- Pay-by-phone Technology
- More businesses are offering pay-by-phone options and integrating them into their payment systems.
- Customer Feedback Programs
- Businesses are increasingly using feedback programs to gain valuable insights from customers during pilot programs.
Where This Applies
- Coffee Shops
- Coffee shops are starting to experiment with cashless systems for their stores, and may adopt them in more locations in the future.
- Mobile Payments
- Companies that specialize in mobile payment technology and systems may see an increase in demand as more businesses look to integrate pay-by-phone options.
- Payment Processing
- Payment processing companies may have the opportunity to develop new systems and technology to support the cashless revolution.
