Starbucks has already demonstrated an incredible grasp on the mobile payments concept.
Whether it’s ordering in advance, making a payment at the store, or even getting rewarded for those purchases, Starbucks has most every part of the shopping experience available as a mobile equivalent, except for actually drinking the coffee.
Now, Starbucks fans in India will be able to get in on the action as well, as Starbucks brings the online options to the country later on this year.
As explained by Sumitro Ghosh, chief executive officer of Tata Starbucks, users will be able to make payments from mobile devices and join in on the My Starbucks Rewards program via phone.
This is likely to prove a sound move for two main reasons: one, the mobile program has already been well-received in the United States, where one in four of the company’s transactions are now made via mobile device.
Two, Indians are increasingly using mobile devices, and are also increasingly seen in Starbucks locations throughout India.
Ghosh noted that customers were both spending time at store locations and were frequenting social media for both Twitter and Facebook listings.
This is providing plenty of raw information about what customers are hoping to see, or just hoping to see removed, so it will be able to move accordingly.
With 83 stores currently in the country—in just three and a half years—it’s clear there’s at least some interest, even if rollouts seem a little slower-paced than was seen in China.
However, China was already something of an established market, Ghosh notes, as compared to India.
Still, this is a very exciting proposition. Starbucks is walking into the Indian market with a lot of feedback, making it more likely its pushes in the field will be a success.
Throw in the success previously realized with the mobile suite in the United States and the predominance of mobile devices in India and it suggests a likely repeat.
With India having better than three times the United States’ population, this could be quite the winning proposition.
There’s a lot to work out yet, and we won’t even see this start for a little while yet. With new mobile operations and new stores gearing up—Teavana locations are set to start hitting as well—India could be a growth industry for Starbucks, which has already proved its mettle growth-wise.