Starbucks Customers Pay For Drinks With QR Codes

It was on our radar some time back when Starbucks first launched their QR Code campaign in an effort to be in on the game as earlier as possible but we think that they’ve just upped it all again. Retail outlets, since Starbucks first launched theirs, have also pushed for mobile payments, seeing that it is all the rage these days with the number of smart phone users escalating.

The QR Codes can be scanned with a QR Code reader installed into smart phones like iPhone, Blackberry, Android and some other smart phones with Symbian platforms. If you don’t know what QR Code is, read it over here. At the point of writing this article, apparently, Starbucks patrons can now pay for their goods at over nine thousand locations all across the United States. All you need to do is to bring your phone along with you. We won’t go as far as to say that this is the end of other online payment methods but paying with a QR Code seems all the more….’sexy’, we think.

If the stats were to be trusted, it seems that there has already been more than three million of such payments, via mobile phones and QR Codes, made ever since it was launched in March. Interesting stuff.

Unsurprisingly, representatives from the coffee monopoly reiterated that it was a consumer-driven drive. It is all about taking opportunity of something that is already there, something simple and available and then using it to make the lives of their customers better.

Maybe you should think about coming up with your very own QR Code too and it doesn’t even have to be complicated like what Starbucks is doing. It could be something as simple as creating a mobile website and then creating a QR Code and printing it onto your business card or leaflets. Baby steps in the right direction continues to be the trend.

When the time is right, with a bigger budget, consideration can be put into coming up with more elaborate QR Code branding efforts like loyalty programs, membership cards, mobile payments, or even augmented reality if it suits your industry.

Once again, we are seeing huge movements and support for the QR Code technology and we are proud to be one of those who are in on it because we are absolutely passionate about QR Codes. And on top of that, we think QR Code technology is here to stay. In the words of Starbucks representatives, QR Codes gives customers and retailers the extra few seconds or minutes to connect with each other.