Starbucks begins rollout of mobile ordering

Starbucks said it will begin the national rollout of mobile ordering on Tuesday with the expansion of the service from a single test market to 650 stores in the Northwest.

Patrons will be able to use their smart phones to order and pay for their lattes and espressos in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

At a financial conference held last week by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Starbucks CFO Scott Maw remarked that the financial benefits from mobile ordering had exceeded expectations, while the logistics of adoption had been simpler than anticipated. The test included about 150 units in Portland, Ore.

In announcing the start of the rollout, Starbucks repeated its pledge to complete the introduction nationwide by the end of the year.

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