Self-service coffee machines may become the new normal of consumption

Recently, Coffee Wings, the leading brand in the self-service coffee machine track in China, announced the completion of a new round of financing of up to 100 million yuan.

With the rise and development of the digital economy, in recent years, "unmanned" technology has been applied in many industries, and the food industry is no exception

The self-service coffee machine market has entered an incremental era

Since Nestle instant coffee entered China in 1989, after more than 30 years of coffee market education, coffee has changed from "high-end drink" to "everyday drink"

Ms.

With the changes in consumers' perception of coffee and the increase in consumption frequency, the coffee market has also ushered in rapid growth

Data from iiMedia Research shows that the size of China's coffee market will reach 381.

In the entire coffee market, according to the survey of relevant institutions, it can be roughly divided into three development paths

In addition, in the coffee market, there is an underestimated segment, that is, unattended retail, or self-service retail terminals

"In China, there are very few self-service coffee machines in terms of number of machines and outlets.

The domestic self-service coffee machine market emerged around 2015.

Compared with stores, the business of self-service coffee machines seems to be simpler and more controllable, so it is easier to attract the attention of the market

Under the influence of the wave of unmanned retail, the market's attention to unmanned self-service equipment has greatly increased, and self-service coffee machines ushered in a "crazy bet" of capital in 2018

In 2020, Ruixing announced its entry into the field of intelligent unmanned retail.

Strong flexibility and closeness to the people are the main reasons for enterprises to enter the game

When the top coffee brands entered the self-service coffee machine track one after another, the "landing" players such as Coffee Wings have long been relatively mature and have become the best among them

In 2016, Coffee Wings added a new business - self-service coffee machines, which has since become the main business of Coffee Wings

"Taking Starbucks as an example, in China, everyone knows Starbucks Social Cafe, but in Europe and the United States, its products are everywhere.

Yin Feng said that when the labor difficulty of offline stores increases and the rental cost of offline stores is getting higher and higher, it is necessary to make a "store" more and more unmanned, so as to reduce operating costs and increase the competition of enterprises.
strength and risk resistance
.

In addition to the "human" factor, another factor that makes Coffee Wings transform its business model is the degree of standardization
.

The industry believes that in the extraction of a cup of coffee, the process of grinding, powder pressing, extraction, and latte art really depends on the barista, accounting for no more than 10%, which means that this set of "programs" can completely mechanized production
.

Since 2017, Coffee Wings, which has readjusted its strategy, has spent 4 years polishing a new business model.
By the end of 2021, more than 70% of Coffee Wings' business is self-service coffee machine business, and it has been launched in 147 cities across the country.
more than 7,000 self-service coffee machines
.

　　"More than 70% of the energy will continue to be deeply cultivated in the field of self-service coffee machines.
This market segment is large enough for us and the ceiling is high enough
.
" Yin Feng said
.

　　The unmanned retail strategy of Ruixing and Costa, which has entered the game in the past two years, is also a further extension of the "unlimited scene"
.
The relevant person in charge of the two major brands also said that compared with stores, the advantages of self-service coffee machines are that they are more flexible in light assets, closer to consumers, and 100% mobile experience is very convenient.
The machine can also interact with customers in an all-round way.
More data for machine maintenance and better service
.
It is understood that in European and American countries where the coffee industry is relatively mature, self-service retail coffee machines account for at least a quarter of the market.
Costa has more than 7,000 self-service equipment in the UK, which is far greater than the number of its stores
.

　　According to the forecast of Zhiyan Consulting, China's coffee industry will present three major development trends in the future
.
First, the "third space" consumption scene of coffee may be weakened; second, the taste and form of coffee products are gradually becoming more diversified
.
Third, compared with stores, smart unmanned terminals have lower costs, are not limited by venues, and have strong flexibility.
After making full use of the advantages of China's new Internet infrastructure, unmanned retail may become the new normal for coffee consumption
.

　　(Arctic bug)

　　"China Food News" (July 06, 2022 Edition 08)

　　(Editor-in-charge: Yuan Guofeng)