Starbucks is testing a new way for customers to pay for their favorite beverages — without even having to pull out their phone. The company confirmed an internal test of “scanless pay,” a new contactless checkout method that would leverage a Starbucks app’s user’s current geolocation to identify them in the drive-through lane so they wouldn’t have to pull out their phone to pay.
The experience is currently only being tested as a proof-of-concept with Starbucks employees, the company told TechCrunch. It doesn’t have a set date as to when such a feature would launch to consumers, or even if it will.
If it did, however, such an innovation would likely speed up drive-through times, as customers wouldn’t have to launch the Starbucks app, display their barcode, then wait for the employee to scan their screen — something that can often be tricky in bright sunlight or when the customer isn’t well-positioned at the drive-through window. Instead, a scanless checkout system would allow the employee to simply hand over the customer’s order and have them then be on their way.
Source: Tech Crunch
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