Nestlé rolls out contactless coffee machines in preparation of people returning to work.
As the on-going global Covid pandemic lockdowns and restrictions are easing, people across the world are slowly easing out of ‘work-from-home’ life and going back into offices gradually.
People are now so conscious of safety and hygiene as a result of the pandemic that Nescafe, the makers of Nespresso is offering these machines to the market which are based on making the transaction contactless. The Nespresso machines can even be controlled via smartphone, presumably with an app.
I have been unable to find the app on the Google Play store yet, and am interested to know if they will be gathering your coffee preferences for targeted re-marketing. An opportunity most marketing departments simply wouldn’t be able to resist.
The machines are being distributed globally, with introductions in Russia and China in coming weeks.
David Rennie, Deputy Executive Vice President Head of Nestlé Coffee Brands said:
As people return to offices, they may not be going back in the same numbers as pre-Covid.
In-home consumption will continue to grow.
In-home consumption boomed during the pandemic, with coffee playing a major role in Nestlés sales growth last year and makes up the bulk of the company’s US $24 billion beverage business.
In 2018, the company invested $7.15 billion on a partnership with Starbucks, where they make the coffee chain’s products for ‘Coffee at home’ range.
During the pandemic, consumers were more likely to use Starbucks capsules in a Nespresso machine at home, but as people are returning to work, Nestlé is aiming to seek opportunities to expand in offices while trying to keep the at-home demand with new capsules and types of soluble coffee.
