During this period, many beverage companies themselves were hit by the epidemic, but their kindness in delivering warm coffee to frontline medical staff touched many people.

Some people are also worried about whether this will bring the risk of "contact".

Love in the coffee world continues to "evolve": Luckin Coffee has arrived with a completely contactless "unmanned coffee machine", and the first one has been put into use in a Wuhan hospital.

Author : Nicole

1. Self-service coffee machines are now available in Wuhan hospitals, making it even more “contactless”

During the fight against the epidemic, the work intensity was high and the psychological pressure was great. Many front-line medical staff who were usually "heavy coffee addicts" regarded coffee as a "must-have" for refreshing themselves.

Upon learning of this demand, the coffee industry, which had been severely hit by the epidemic, almost took collective action.

From first-tier chain brands to small coffee shops in third- and fourth-tier cities, they deliver free coffee to hospitals.

The coffee shop community in Shanghai has also launched a "collective support action for frontline medical staff", with more than a dozen coffee brands and suppliers participating to provide heart-warming coffee to the medical staff fighting on the front line.

Some people are also worried whether this will bring new risks of contact?

Love in the coffee industry continues to "evolve": unmanned coffee machines are put into use in Wuhan hospitals. Not only are they "contactless", this time even no people are present.

Luckin Coffee allocated unmanned coffee machines "Luckin Coffee" from across the country to support Wuhan hospitals. On February 12, the first Luckin unmanned coffee machine was put into use in Wuhan No. 672 Hospital.

Luckin's unmanned coffee machines are deployed in Wuhan hospitals

Previously, Luckin Coffee had donated 10 million yuan to fight the epidemic. According to the official account of Luckin Coffee, in order to help the front line this time, on February 3, Luckin Coffee CEO Qian Zhiya took the lead in setting up a 29-member "special action team".

However, the difficulty index of epidemic assistance applies equally to all brands.

The entire process of Luckin's first unmanned coffee machine entering the hospital was like a "Lost in Wuhan": the residential area where the coffee machine engineer worked was blocked, local coffee supplies were difficult to allocate, and 400 kilograms of robot meat was transported...

Frontline medical workers quickly got their coffee

Fortunately, the hot coffee was finally delivered to the medical staff.

2. Meeting the urgent need for coffee in hospitals: “unmanned” may be the ideal solution at this stage

Hospitals are themselves "high-frequency demand scenarios" for coffee.

Medical workers are special consumers of coffee. The nature of their work requires them to be physically and mentally tense all the time, so refreshing is a rigid demand. Many new modern hospitals have coffee shops, which is also a way to flexibly manage and care for both doctors and patients.

During the special period of the epidemic, in addition to the needs for protective equipment and three meals a day, the "coffee needs" of medical staff should also be respected and met.

Coffee is a daily necessity for many medical staff

Feedback from the hospital

Because of the risk of the spread of the epidemic, "unmanned mode" may be the ideal solution to meet this need at this stage.

The “Luckin Coffee Store” that entered Wuhan hospitals this time is a new model that Luckin Coffee just launched in January this year (Portal: From Luckin Coffee’s entry into the “no man’s land”, taking stock of the retailization process of the beverage industry).

Customers place orders through the luckin coffee APP, scan the code to pick up their meals, and the drink preparation, cupping and capping are all completed automatically. The entire process requires no human involvement and avoids contact. It only takes 30 seconds from ordering to completion.

No manual involvement in the whole process

It is understood that after the first stop, Wuhan No. 672 Hospital, "Luckin Coffee" will also gradually enter Wuhan Union Hospital, Hannan District Chinese Medicine Hospital, some temporary hospitals and Wuhan Fire Rescue Detachment, etc., and Luckin Coffee officially announced that it will continue to provide free services to medical staff until the end of the epidemic.

3. As the epidemic continues, will the “unmanned mode” usher in a market boom?

Currently, "contactless operation" has become a necessary means for the beverage industry to protect employees and customers.

As the epidemic continues, people's requirements for "contactless" will only become higher and more detailed.

There have been a large number of players in the "unmanned coffee machine" market, but the demand side has not kept up

"Unmanned coffee machines" go one step further in terms of safety than "contactless delivery". In 2015, there have been a lot of entries and attempts in this field in China.

According to incomplete statistics from "Kamen", from 2015 to date, no less than 10 self-service coffee machine brands including Coffee Zero Point Bar and Coffee Wharf have obtained financing.

However, in the past few years, the market performance of self-service coffee machines was not ideal. The reason for this was not only the limitations of their own development, but also the low domestic demand for coffee and the small market at that time. A lot of supply suddenly emerged, and the demand side could not bear it.

In addition, the traditional coffee market has always attached great importance to "human" services.

The special needs of epidemic isolation are a boost to the "unmanned mode"

In fact, whether in the field of coffee or tea in China, the unmanned model has always been in a state of "top brands actively trying and mid-level brands waiting for opportunities."

Since last year, leading brands have been testing the waters with robotic arms for making tea and smart tea cabinets.

Smart tea cabinets have already appeared in the industry

In the past two years, the competition between Luckin Coffee and Starbucks has stirred up the entire domestic coffee market. A large number of urban white-collar workers have developed the habit of drinking coffee, small and medium-sized boutique coffee shops have sprung up everywhere, and the daily consumption demand for coffee is also growing rapidly.

As overall demand increases, new models will have better soil.

The special circumstances of this epidemic are "triggering" greater market demand.