Mobile Payments Comprise 10 Percent of Starbucks' U.S. In-Store Sales

SEATTLE -- Using mobile payments to purchase their java has really caught on with Starbucks Corp.'s customers. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced that mobile payments have crossed the 10-percent threshold of in-store purchases in the United States.

Starbucks has long been considered a leader in the mobile payment space and will continue its efforts by installing wireless charging mats in select locations. According to a report by AOL, the Powermat-supplied wireless charging initiative follows a trial at 17 locations in Boston, and will roll out in Silicon Valley locations throughout August.

"Various digital initiatives have added demonstrable impact to our U.S. business in [our fiscal] third quarter," Adam Brotman, Starbucks' chief digital officer, said during a recent company conference call.

Unlike some mobile payment and mobile wallet platforms, Starbucks' method allows for a wide variety of payment options and uses traditional bar code scanning to a smartphone.

The AOL report stressed, however, that 90 percent of Starbucks' payment transactions still involve non-mobile methods.