Starbucks

Brian Niccol's record as CEO of Chipotle will be tested as he tries to to keep the coffee chain competitive with rival digital wallets.

The Trump administration has barred the use of TikTok and WeChat inside the U.S., including a direct ban on WeChat Pay, setting up potential retaliation against U.S. companies that could interrupt international payment flows.

Much of the shift towards digital shopping and payments is likely to outlast the coronavirus pandemic, giving Starbucks an extra reason to open its incentive marketing to broader payment methods.

For Starbucks, the pandemic’s emergency workarounds are also a proving ground for a retail concept that could change the way people visit quick-serve restaurants.

With the world gripped in panic over the rapid spread of the coronavirus — and the stock market falling in response — payments companies have been left to speculate on what it all means to their operations in an increasingly global economy.

Starbucks has invested heavily in building its business and payment technology in China, so the coronavirus weighs on an otherwise strong strong earnings performance.

The winner of this next phase of development won't be an app. Instead, it will be almost invisibly woven into the DNA of the internet of things.

Starbucks’ latest innovation doesn’t include camera-driven invisible checkout and doesn’t even come from Seattle. But for rank and file retailers, it may prove even more informative than watching the progress of Amazon Go.

They’ve scrapped the newspapers and beefed up the food, but most Starbucks cafes in the U.S. don’t look all that different today than they did a decade ago. That’s about to change.

Starbucks is looking to reclaim its role as the global leader in streamlined, intuitive order-and-pay systems through machine learning technology it’s developing in-house and through a deal with restaurant-tech startup Brightloom, its new equity investment partner.

Coffee and doughnut shops such as Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme have been at the forefront of mobile payments, and this technology could soon develop into a completely cashierless experience.

As growth slows in key markets, Starbucks Corp. is funding a new investment arm with $100 million to identify and tap into companies that are developing new technology and products related to food and retail.

Starbucks is being pressured to add an in-app option for deliveries rather than redirect customers to Uber's app.

More innovative thinking will be needed to achieve competitive advantage and differentiation without breaking the bank, an gaming is an emerging option, according to Simon-Kucher & Partners’ Wei Ke and Wenbo Li.

At Tropical Smoothie, a new IT project will deploy new cloud-hosted point of sale terminals, handheld devices and kitchen display systems over the next few weeks across its 700-location footprint.

Even among the experts in the payments industry, people still use cash. Banks can't ignore this, according to Paul Amisano, senior vice president for enterprise digital and payments strategy at BB&T.

It all comes down to convenience. New payment apps, like Venmo, and widely adopted mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay and Alipay, have made the consumer payment experience incredibly convenient, writes Ralph Dangelmaier, CEO of BlueSnap.

After an attempt to test the service with Postmates years ago, the coffee company is now teaming up with UberEats to test delivery in more than 100 locations in the Miami area.

While the battle for the consumer’s coffee or tea beverage, both hot and cold, is increasingly moving in a mobile direction, the challenge remains as to whether Dunkin’s recent moves are enough for it to succeed against Starbucks.

After a slow start, order-ahead payment services will begin to achieve more widespread adoption in U.K. corporate catering, encouraging the transition to the high street in the near future.