Last week an email appeared in my inbox from my friends at Starbucks. I call them friends because every morning they kindly prepare my venti mocha latte and help me start the day (even if they do charge me $3.82 with the Gold card discount).

I know, I know ... too many calories, too much money ... and probably too much information, but I can't help it, I'm hooked. I love my latte almost as much as I love my iPhone, and the email I received made me even happier: Starbucks and Apple have joined forces to create not one, but two mobile apps to enhance my morning latte routine. Like so many java junkies, the news made me a happy camper, but not just because it's now easier than ever to feed my addiction ... the long-term mobile commerce implications will be tremendous. I can't wait to see what comes next.

The "myStarbucks" app allows customers to search store locations, customize drinks, review the menu and nutritional information, and share their drink preferences with friends via SMS or email. More significant, however, is the new "Starbucks Card Mobile" app. It's designed specifically for Starbucks Card holders (like me), and allows users to register new cards, check available balances, reload, and for select West Coast users, even pay for drinks in certain stores.

The new app works just like a regular Starbucks card -- customers buy credit and then use it against in-store purchases. When they want to buy a drink, for example, they just turn on the app, and a barcode appears on-screen. The store then scans the barcode right from the phone and the dollar value of the drink is subtracted from the account holder's purchased credit.

Airlines have experimented with this technology using similar barcodes as boarding passes. If the Starbucks application is successful, who knows what will come next? As devices like the iPhone become increasingly sophisticated and useful, consumers will focus many more of their daily activities around them. We've already seen services like PayPal and Mint.com release their own iPhone applications, and it appears that more and more financial functions are going "mobile." What other pay-by-phone services will become available? Could mobile devices soon become the next credit and debit cards?

A new technology called near-field communication has emerged in the Asian markets (primarily Japan) that suggest further mobile commerce developments are likely. Phones with near-field transmitters, which can transmit about 4 inches, can complete transactions simply by being held near a POS terminal. Unbelievable, I know.
So how will mobile commerce enhancements change your business? Will your current marketing strategy prepare you for what comes next?

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