Starbucks Corp. is taking its highly success mobile payment app into China, a country in which consumers have quickly adopted mobile payment methods.
My Starbucks Rewards members in China will have access to the mobile payment app to make in-store purchases using pre-loaded Starbucks gift cards at more than 2,200 stores throughout the country.
“Our customers in China have a very high expectation of their digital experience and we are thrilled that the new mobile payment experience will enhance and transform the way we connect and build a meaningful relationship with them,” Belinda Wong, president of Starbucks China, stated in a July 12 press release.
As consumer behavior shifts because of mobile technology, Starbucks continues to explore new ways to leverage digital innovations for Starbucks customers, Wong added.
Starbucks first launched its digital Starbucks Gift Cards in China in 2014.
Users can now bundle their gift cards to version 4.0 of their password-protected Starbucks China mobile app to initiate mobile payments. The payment process does not differentiate from the one used in the U.S., as the user scans a bar code linked to the registered Starbucks Card account. The app allows users to manage the account and also locate Starbucks stores.
Starbucks says it will deliver promotions through the app to its Chinese customers.
The company continues to have success with its mobile app in the U.S., revealing earlier this year that its
In late 2015, the company also reported that over a fifth of U.S. transactions were paid using Starbucks mobile apps, and it was continuing to grow.
Both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay
