星巴克以機器人和手寫杯，以科技賦能強勢回歸！

Starbucks, one of the world's largest coffee chains, is making big changes to win back customers and improve its business. The company's CEO, Brian Niccol, is leading these efforts and says he does not want to raise prices unless it is absolutely necessary. Instead, Starbucks is investing in new technology and making its stores more welcoming to attract more people.

One of the biggest changes at Starbucks is the use of artificial intelligence and robots. At some drive-thru locations, customers might be surprised to find that a robot, not a person, is taking their order. Inside the stores, baristas can use a virtual assistant to help them remember drink recipes or manage their work schedules. In the back of the store, a scanning tool now counts inventory, which saves employees from doing this boring and time-consuming task. This technology helps make sure that popular items do not run out, which has been a problem for Starbucks in the past.

Starbucks is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on these improvements. The company hopes that by making things easier for workers and faster for customers, more people will want to visit Starbucks. Last week, Starbucks reported that sales in the United States went up for the first time in two years. This is important because about 70 percent of Starbucks' money comes from the US. However, even with better sales, the company's stock price went down by 5 percent. Some investors are worried that all this spending, including $500 million to hire more staff, is hurting profits.

Brian Niccol believes that if Starbucks keeps growing its sales, profits will improve over time. The company also plans to save $2 billion over the next three years, and technology will play a big role in making the business more efficient. Niccol says he is confident that Starbucks has the right plan to succeed.

When Niccol became CEO in 2024, Starbucks was facing many challenges. Customers were unhappy about frequent price increases, and there was growing competition from other coffee shops. The company was also dealing with boycotts and disputes with unionized workers over pay and benefits. To address these problems, Niccol stopped raising prices, made the menu simpler, and set a goal for baristas to finish orders in four minutes or less. Starbucks also closed underperforming stores, cut thousands of corporate jobs, and sold a large part of its business in China.

Niccol believes that Starbucks lost its way by focusing too much on numbers and technology, and not enough on the customer experience. He wants Starbucks to feel like a community coffeehouse again. To help with this, he encouraged staff to start writing customers' names on cups by hand, a tradition that many people enjoy. Starbucks is also updating its stores with new chairs, fresh paint, and ceramic mugs as part of a $150,000-per-store renovation plan that will take four years to finish.

Along with these changes, Starbucks has introduced stricter uniforms for staff and new rules that require customers to make a purchase before using the bathroom. Even though the company is using more technology, Niccol says it is meant to make things smoother for both customers and employees.

Starbucks is testing an AI-powered chatbot that can suggest drinks based on a customer's mood and is allowing people to schedule their orders to reduce wait times. At drive-thrus, robots are being used to take orders so that staff can focus on making drinks and providing good service.

Despite these efforts, Starbucks still faces challenges. The company is dealing with a union campaign, and some workers are unhappy with their pay and benefits. There are also questions about how much the CEO earns compared to regular employees. Niccol says he is open to talking about these issues and wants to reach a fair agreement.

Looking ahead, Starbucks has big plans to expand, especially in other countries. The company hopes to nearly double its number of stores worldwide. Niccol believes that what makes Starbucks special is not just the coffee, but the welcoming atmosphere of its cafes. He says that Starbucks should be a place where everyone feels safe and included, whether they are eight or eighty years old. By focusing on both technology and the customer experience, Starbucks hopes to keep growing and stay successful.