Starbucks and Paytm offer diners a contactless experience
Starbucks will be deploying Paytm’s digital ordering solution across 180 stores in India
Coffee chain Tata Starbucks has forged a pan-India partnership with digital payments firm Paytm for a contactless dining solution, said two people, requesting anonymity.
Starbucks will be deploying Paytm’s digital ordering solution across 180 stores in India. The solution is already live in its stores in Bengaluru.
Through the adoption of Paytm’s ‘Scan to Order’ contactless dining solution, the coffee chain brand aims to promote social distancing in its outlets, and plans to scale this solution across top metros, including Mumbai, Gurugram and New Delhi, among others, said the first person.
Currently, restaurants across the board are devising new plans to woo consumers after the protracted lockdown impacted several businesses severely. Even as restaurants have resumed operations, the number of diners they can accommodate is capped.
This has prompted restaurants to encourage takeaways and strengthen partnerships with online food aggregators and payment partners to ensure consumers have minimum point of contact with their services.
Starbucks and Paytm declined to comment on the development.
Paytm had launched its contactless dining feature for restaurants in April. Now, through this partnership, customers can scan the QR code placed on every table in a Starbucks’ outlet, to access the menu options on the Paytm app. Customers can then place and pay for the order digitally through Paytm Wallet, Paytm UPI, net-banking, or cards.
“Starbucks has usually been shy in partnering with digital payment firms, and this partnership will help Paytm quickly scale up its contactless-dining solution, as it looks to compete against a similar solution from Zomato," said the second person.
Paytm is also enabling customers to use the ‘Order Ahead’ feature as they head for the Starbucks outlet.
tarush.b@livemint.com
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