Online Ordering… Why hasn’t it caught fire?

“This is going to take forever,” the young boy continued as they exited from the restroom area. The line at our local Starbucks was over 20 deep. Not forever, I thought to myself. But definitely 15 minutes. She convinced him to head to the back of the line.

I had walked in a minute before. As I crossed  Main Street I tapped my phone 7 times which placed my standard order – tall dark roast.

I waited patiently for another 2-3 minutes as the baristas did the controller scramble that Starbucks has mastered over the years. Then I heard “Mobile order for John!?” in the pseudo questioning tone as if wondering if I was actually there.

As I departed I noted that the mom and the boy had moved forward 2 spots. Maybe 20 minutes, not 15.

I can’t help but wonder… why are so few people switching to online or app ordering when the benefits are so starkly obvious.  Even if they ordered from a table they could have avoided standing in that line. When I ask nobody says “I stand in line because I enjoy the act of standing in line.”  So why do they?  There is still some barrier that I can’t figure out that stops people from using mobile ordering apps. Even though Amazon reigns supreme and that’s the only way you can order with them.

What am I missing here?  I would love comments (though this blog is so sparsely visited I won’t hold my breath 🙄😬)