How technology is reshaping the business of coffee

From automation to app-based ordering and back-of-house efficiency software, Tobias Pearce explores new technologies changing the face of coffee shop interactions 

The way coffee is consumed around the world is changing. According to the National Restaurant Association, more than 50% of US coffee businesses dedicated more resources to consumer-facing technology during the pandemic, including app ordering, mobile payments and delivery services. 

In the UK, 61% of more than 50,000 UK consumers surveyed by World Coffee Portal in 2021 indicated they had downloaded a coffee shop app, with 36% purchasing a beverage to collect from a coffee shop over the last 12 months. 

In China’s burgeoning coffee shop market, World Coffee Portal data shows 86% of Chinese consumers surveyed have previously ordered coffee for delivery, with more than half doing so 2-3 times a week in 2020 alone. 

With technology providing benefits across consistency, automation and seamless transactions, coffee shops are adopting new tools to stay competitive and provide new ways of transacting. World Coffee Portal spoke to three coffee tech innovators to see what the future could hold.