Starbucks has successfully launched its Mobile Order & Pay program which will allow customers to make use of their smartphones to order and pay ahead of time. They can then pick up their pre-ordered drinks at any Starbucks location.

The global coffee company publicized the good news last Tuesday. More than 4,000 stores in the US are now linked to the mobile ordering program which is an advantage to people who are busy.

The new service can be availed using the Starbucks mobile app, which is currently available for iPhone users only. . The coffeehouse chain is still working on an app for Android, which they plan to release before the year ends.

The company has been testing the new feature for months now, and last December, the app was initially launched in Portland. Now, more than 50% of the stores in US are integrated to the new program. Starbucks will continue to expand the program in all the remaining states of the US, and then extend it in Canada and the United Kingdom.

This step provided positive results for the company especially in increasing the number of its customers. Since the app was launched, they gained 16 million active users. Each week, around 8 million mobile payments are being processed. Almost 19% of the transactions in all Starbucks stores are done using the new app.

Starbucks chief digital officer, Adam Brotman revealed that the company is happy for the new achievement, which will surely give a significant impact to the coffeehouse chain.

"In terms of the rollout plans and what we're learning, we're very pleased with how this has started," he said.

Besides Starbucks, other food companies like Taco Bell are also trying to make use of mobile apps to reach customers. Many business institutions will surely resort to this strategy considering its positive outcomes.