55 million people make in-store mobile payments on a yearly basis. Surprisingly, almost half of those make it through Starbucks’ app, according to eMarketer.
Starbucks was a pioneer in the payments app market, as it launched before the three smartphone giants apps: Apple, Google and Samsung.
But why the success? Basically, because it lets users accumulate credits for next purchases, much like the miles rewards on the airlines, and it had a pretty early adoption and friendly interface. These benefits has resulted that its mobile system accounts around 12 % of all transactions in the US by the first quarter of the year.
Also, Starbucks app has a big advantage, as it is available in both iOS and Android. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay have restrictive platforms, as they are only available depending on the phone the client has, Apple Pay is only available on iOS, Google Pay on smartphones that use Android and Samsung Pay on Samsung smartphones.
Among the three giants’ apps, Apple Pay is the most successful and it’s accepted by more than half of U.S businesses. Google Pay is accepted by fewer businesses even though it is preinstalled in all Android phones. Samsung is accepted by almost 80 % of merchants, but it’s the least popular per usage. Starbucks will continue to be the most used for some time.