by Richard Crone had been on the road a few days recently when his smartphone did something unexpected: It started sending him special-offer coupons for breakfast at Starbucks.
Why the sudden largesse? Well, Crone has the Starbucks mobile payment app installed on his phone—and as he traveled the country, buying coffee with that app, it started to learn his habits. Instead of merely acting as a digital wallet, the app also began to serve as the virtual version of a “loyalty card”—one with a more proactive approach than merely offering discounts for money spent.
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