The coffee industry, especially in regards to the cafes, is a booming business. In the past decade alone, there’s been an estimate over 400 per cent increase in the number of coffee shops.
Here are ten ideas to help funnel new clients into your coffee-perfumed cafe.
Keep Prices Affordable
There’s nothing that will draw sales away from your coffee shop other than pricing your caffeinated concoctions well above market averages. Price your menu affordable, and you’ll attract cohorts of penny-pinching coffee lovers, from far and wide.
Appeal to Millennials
Speaking of penny-pinching coffee lovers, millennials, aside from being one of the most strapped-for-cash generations in recent memory, are largely responsible for this boom in coffee shops. Consider catering to them by not only keeping prices low but offering a wide range of organic brews, digital deals, social media incentives, etc.
Create Seasonal Drinks
If you offer the same-old, same-old drinks, month after month then there’s little incentive for someone new to come through your doors, especially if the shop down the street is offering seasonally-specific brews. Play of the flavours and taste of the season, such as offering pumpkin spice drinks come fall, floral-infused teas, and coffees when spring comes around, etc.; you get the idea.
Be Savvy on Social Media
Everyone — and, probably, including your mom and her — are on some form of social media, these days. Try keeping an active, lively, engaging presence on your various social media accounts, making sure to stay “on-brand” and respond to queries and comments in a punctual, engaging way.
Make Your Space Standout
Fun fact: We do judge a book by its cover — and the same principle applies to things like curb appeal. Make sure your coffee shop stands out above the fray, perhaps showcasing interesting art, architectural design cues, colour schemes, you name it. Choose to be different from the compositions, and people will come, solely out of curiosity.
Make Sure You’re Mobile Friendly
Smartphones are now a ubiquitous part of everyday life. And, if your coffee shop’s website isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be losing out on droves of new, curious patrons who decided to Google “coffeeshops” in your area.
Create Online Deals
More people are on their phones or behind a laptop screen than ever before. So, suffice to say this is a prime digital real estate for you to cultivate online deals from. Try and run “e-deals” on social media sites, online banner ads, and, of course, on your website that can be redeemed in your shop.
Embrace Conscious Consumerism
An increasing amount of consumers are putting their dollars where they matter, only doing business with brands and companies that they believe uphold their values. As a coffee shop, consider catering to this need, perhaps donating a portion of your funds to a relevant charity or non-profit at the end of every month. Also, sourcing environmentally and local products for your brews and snacks is another way to drive up sales from eco-savvy audiences.
Free Samples and Giveaways
Everyone loves free things. So, needless to say, that offering free samples and giveaways for drinks, bagged beans, etc. is a great way to push new traffic to your storefront. For an added boost in sales, consider creating a raffle system, i.e. a customer needs to purchase X-amount of drinks to have their name entered in a drawing for a prize. Make sure to collect email addresses of those that enter the raffle so you can grow your mailing list at the same time.
Create a Digital Loyalty Program
Choosing to create a digital loyalty program is a phenomenal way to help attract new customers to your coffee shop. And, by opting to create a completely digital one with Loopy Loyalty you’re foregoing physical production costs and reduce waste, which is a saving that goes right into your coffee shop’s revenue. It’s a win-win situation.