Harris + Hoole (H+H), a UK coffee shop chain part-owned by Tesco, has launched a mobile payments app that lets customers get their caffeine fixes without taking their phones out of their pockets at the till.
Customers who download the free iOS or Android H+H app link a payment card and top up their account with funds.
Then, as they enter a shop they check in on their phone and, if they take advantage of the 'My Usual' feature, the barista will know their order. When customers get to the till, there is no need to get their handset out again, they just confirm that they are paying by the app.
H+H is retrofitting all of its 36 shops with new point-of-sale systems that are integrated with its customer relationship management technology for the new app.
Danielle Anderson, director, digital experience, H+H, says: "The mobile payment removes the cold formality of an anonymous transaction and better reflects the kind of friendly exchange you'd expect from your local coffee shop.
"For the first time anywhere in the UK, a customer can walk into any H+H shop, order their usual from a barista who knows their name and how they like their coffee, and pay - all from just one tap on their mobile."
Anderson recently spoke at Finextra Future Money about mobile payments, its implications for cash, and the relationship between retailers and other players in the money ecosystem.