NEW YORK – Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past six months, you probably know that mobile payments are a hot topic for retailers. From Apple Pay to Samsung Pay and everything in between, mobile payment is a rapidly evolving field. In a column for Vending Times, PayLab Networks President and Founder Mike Gron argues that the company to look to for mobile payments is likely right around the corner. “To see what the current state of mobile payments looks like, pick up your phone and head to your local Starbucks,” he advises.

The coffee retailer has been a leader in mobile payments since it launched its initial pilot project in 2009, with the coffee giant now processing more than 5 million mobile transactions a week – double the number of just a year ago. More than 10 million North American consumers have already downloaded Starbucks' mobile app, accounting for 15% of Starbucks current revenue and growing fast. Perhaps most telling, writes Gron, is the fact that the Starbucks mobile app represented 70% of all mobile wallet apps downloaded in 2013.

In his column, Gron accounts for some of the reasons why the Starbucks mobile payment app has been so successful while other mobile wallets have struggled to gain traction. He cites simplicity as one major reason behind the app’s success, viewing it as a natural progression from the company's popular loyalty card. Further, the app functions like a mobile loyalty or gift card, which means it has no technical dependencies, like NFC, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

“But Starbucks' mobile payment strategy isn't simply about enabling payments by phone — it's much more than that,” writes Gron. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has been quite clear that he sees the app as another way for the company to deepen its connection with customers and differentiate itself from competitors.

So what does that mean for everyone else? According to Gron, using Starbucks as a case study, it could be argued that a successful mobile payment solution is less about payments than it is about user experiences. “In other words, simply replacing a plastic card with a phone isn't particularly innovative or compelling. Mobile needs to be part of a more meaningful offering in order draw in users and keep them engaged for the long term,” he writes.