As the demand for contactless solutions and low-touch, easily accessible beverage options remains high, the partnership will offer consumers the ability to pay with their face at Bobacino’s automated boba locations and on mobile devices. 

Over the past year and a half, the food and beverage industry has faced a variety of challenges due to the sudden shift in consumer attitudes and preferences – particularly around health and safety measures for how items should be prepared, handled and delivered. Coupled with the ongoing labour shortage, many food and beverage providers are turning to automation and low-touch solutions to maintain quality, expedite service times and cut down operational expenses to stay afloat. 

Bobacino’s approach - a standalone, fully integrated beverage system and dispenser - creates an automated bubble tea experience that combines futuristic technology with a range of diverse flavours and customisable ingredients in order to bring the unique drink to a larger audience.

PopID’s advanced facial recognition technology complements Bobacino’s low-touch automation, speed and access expectations for consumers. 

Key benefits of the partnership include:

• On-site contactless ordering and payment: PopID-compatible Bobacino machines will feature full software and hardware integration, allowing customers to select and utilise PopID’s PopPay solution as a payment method on the same screen they viewed Bobacino’s menu and placed their order. Customers can still pay via traditional credit/debit cards if they do not have a PopID account. 
• App ordering and payment: Bobacino customers will be able to use PopID as a payment method on PopID’s app for placing pre-orders for pickup. 
• Customer confirmation: Customers will also have the option of verifying their identity with PopID to retrieve their order. Through an opt-in only system, the customer’s face will be scanned and authenticated to dispense the drink. No customer data will be saved on Bobacino machines.
• ‘Powered by Bobacino’ integration: For operators that choose to deploy their own branded Bobacino machines, they will have the option to integrate PopID into their automated boba tea bars.

“By integrating PopID into our system, Bobacino customers will have a safe and reliable way to pay for their favorite boba tea beverage and have a better overall experience,” said Darian Ahler, CEO of Bobacino. “Our goal has always been to make boba more accessible to a wider audience - from the enthusiasts who can’t get enough to those who are willing to try it out because they see a robot making it in front of them. We want to make sure that the ordering process is as seamless as possible and PopID enables us to do just that - all while adding another contactless layer that gets boba into our customers’ hands even faster than before.” 

The demand for low-touch concepts and operator solutions that align with industry shifts caused by the pandemic has led to huge interest in Bobacino. As a result, Bobacino continues to see traction with investors in their crowdfunding campaign, which is currently underway on StartEngine. The platform gives  everyday investors an opportunity to capitalise on the global boba tea market – which is projected to exceed $8bn by 2024 - and be a part of shaping the future of the industry by investing in Intelligent Automation. The campaign is set to end October 29 - invest now.  

Bobacino is backed by experts in the food automation space. Its lead investor, Wavemaker Partners, is a global venture capital fund with over $550m assets under management, and its studio, Wavemaker Labs, focuses directly on automation.