Costa Coffee taps GEP SOFTWARE procurement and supply chain platform
Costa Coffee, the second largest coffeehouse chain in the world, and the largest in the UK, has selected GEP SOFTWARE’s procurement and supply chain platform.
Headquartered in Buckinghamshire, Costa Coffee is present in 45 countries with 2,800 plus coffee shops in the UK and Ireland and 1,100 plus globally.
As part of its digital transformation, it has partnered with GEP SOFTWARE to transform and automate its source-to-contract procurement process for all indirect spend, encompassing sourcing, contract and supplier risk management.
"We selected GEP because of its proven procurement software and expertise to help us continue to grow and deliver new value to our customers and shareholders," says Xavier Martinez, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Costa Coffee.
The coffee purchasing process
Retail tech big hitter Diebold Nixdorf and WMF Professional Coffee Machines, a German supplier of coffee machines for commercial use, have partnered in a bid to streamline coffee purchases in retail stores.
The tie up involves connecting WMF’s coffee machines to Diebold Nixdorf’s PoS and self-service systems.
At fuel and convenience stores, coffee is highly ranked among popular non-fuel items, whereas in fashion, specialty or grocery, it can help keep customers shopping in the store longer, inducing them to buy more products.
At the same time, buying coffee can be time consuming, especially when it needs to be ordered at the sales counter and a single staff member is responsible for taking orders, preparing drinks and completing check-out.
Diebold Nixdorf and WMF are adding a self-service option for customers.
Thanks to the open APIs of the former’s cloud native Vynamic Retail Platform and its capability to connect to any Internet of Things (IoT) device, retailers can integrate the coffee machine into their store IT infrastructure and provide vouchers at the PoS after a customer pays for the coffee.
The customer then scans the voucher at the machine to get the coffee. Another option is to connect the coffee maker to a Diebold Nixdorf self-service system, allowing people to handle the process independently, without spending any time in line.
Benjamin Thurner, Vice President Digital at WMF Professional Coffee Machines, says: “WMF is constantly developing its digital portfolio to offer customers even better solutions.”
“By integrating our coffee machines into Diebold Nixdorf's checkout systems, we are offering retailers additional options to make their locations even more attractive by focusing on the customers and their checkout and payment preferences.”
Benedikt Schmidt, Director, Partner Ecosystem Retail Software, at Diebold Nixdorf, comments: “Coffee is very profitable for retailers and drives customer traffic. No longer just a tradition in the morning or after lunch, coffee service can help retailers improve their store concepts and customer experiences.”
“A connected coffee machine also gives retailers more control of the coffee purchasing process and the opportunity to reconnect with the customers when inviting them to join a loyalty programme.”
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