Costa Coffee

As mobile ordering became an increasingly important part of the customer experience, Costa Coffee needed a reliable way to ensure orders placed through its loyalty and mobile app could be received and fulfilled efficiently by in-store baristas.

While customers could place orders remotely through the app, the information was not being delivered effectively to store teams, creating a disconnect between the customer ordering experience and operational execution. After working with multiple vendors without success, Costa turned to BOXTEC to help solve the challenge.

Costa’s digital and loyalty teams had invested heavily in creating a seamless customer ordering experience through their mobile application. However, translating those customer orders into actionable information for baristas proved far more complex.

Previous attempts to resolve the issue had failed, and the project had reached a critical stage. The challenge was not simply displaying orders on a screen but creating a complete hardware and software ecosystem that could reliably support deployment at scale.

There were two key challenges:

BOXTEC worked closely with Costa’s digital development team to create an end-to-end solution that connected the customer ordering platform with in-store operations.

The project involved extensive collaboration between the software developers, hardware specialists and device management teams to ensure every component worked seamlessly together.

After evaluating the requirements, BOXTEC selected the BOXTEC Core 111 Panel PC (K755) as the platform for the deployment.

Key Features:

• Compact 10-inch touchscreen display
• Android operating system
• Integrated Wi-Fi connectivity
• Fanless design for improved reliability
• Robust construction designed for demanding hospitality environments
• Low power consumption
• Small footprint suitable for installation next to coffee preparation equipment
• Full Google Mobile Services (GMS) support
• SOTI-compatible device management capabilities

Overcoming the Technical Challenge

One of the most significant elements of the project was enabling a non-Google device to support both Google Mobile Services and SOTI device management requirements simultaneously.

BOXTEC worked closely with SOTI and the wider software ecosystem to ensure:

• Devices could be remotely managed and monitored
• Applications could be securely deployed and updated
• All required Android services were supported
• The platform met operational and security requirements
• A scalable deployment framework was created for nationwide rollout

What initially appeared to be a straightforward project ultimately involved weeks of development, testing and validation to ensure the solution performed reliably across thousands of locations.

Implementation

The completed solution was rolled out across Costa Coffee stores nationwide, creating a direct link between mobile customer orders and in-store barista workflows.

Project Highlights

• 2,500 stores supported nationwide
• Purpose built 10″ touch panel PC designed specifically for the environment
• Android and Google Mobile Services support
• MDM solution powered by SOTI and delivered by BOXTEC
• Hardware supplied through Computacenter
• Rollout delivered by Celestra

The Results

By successfully connecting Costa’s mobile ordering platform with in-store operations, BOXTEC enabled baristas to receive and process customer orders quickly and accurately.

The solution delivered:

• Improved fulfilment of mobile and Click & Collect orders
• Greater operational efficiency for store teams
• Faster customer service
• Consistent order visibility for baristas
• Simplified device management across thousands of locations
• A reliable platform designed specifically for hospitality environments

Most importantly, Costa was able to bridge the gap between its digital customer experience and in-store execution, ensuring orders placed through the app could be delivered as intended.