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After reading about Apple’s latest pattent request for a system to cut down on waiting in lines through wireless ordering, it got me to thinking about the future of in-store purchasing.

In the not so distant future, I believe we will be able to place in-store orders in a wireless manner to avoid long lines at the purchase counter. In the future, I think that ordering can be done via a mobile device such as a phone or internet tablet.

The day will come when you can walk into a Starbucks, McDonalds or other kind of restaurant where orders can be put directly into the order queue via an interface on a mobile device. Rather than having to stand in line, you can order on your phone or PDA. The purchase total will be applied to a debit or credit card directly connected to the device. Not only will you not have to wait in line, but no longer will you have to dig around your pockets for change.

While this has great potential for fast food places, it could just as easily be done in restaurants. Instead of having to wait on a waiter to place your order, you can submit your order via a wireless device so it will get placed quicker and earlier into the order queue. While you won’t be eliminating the need for a waiter, you will save everybody some time by ordering from a wireless gadget. By shaving off even a minute or two off of the order time, you can get in and out quickly while allowing the restaurant to serve more customers because they can get people fed and out the door quicker.

While I think this idea has the largest potential in the food service industry, it can be applied to other sales industries as well. Imagine buying lumber from the lumber yard with your phone and just having to drive up to load your truck up and then drive off, with the smallest amount of hassle possible.

While it will be a while before we see this convenience, I believe that is the direction we will be heading in the near future. For the sake of both consumers and companies, I hope this happens sooner rather than later.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

 

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