Know Your Café’s Customers

In café culture, where does your coffee shop stand? Perhaps you’re a relatively busy café that attracts customers who are mainly students looking for a quiet place to study, read or catch up with friends. Or perhaps your café is a social center that is buzzing with energy and liveliness of a mix of the city’s metropolis. Whatever the case may be, it is important to know your café’s customers in order to cater to their needs. Here are a few factors to consider.

Adapting to non-peak times

Cafés that are open at non-peak times will reap the benefits. It’s true, at this time in our economy; customers are more focused on smaller purchases when it comes to food and beverages. Think about it: eating out of traditional hours has become a trend. For instance…

• 48% of consumers snack at least twice a day
• 37% of these consumers include small meals (bagels, salads, soups etc.) in their definition of snacking
• 62% admit to buying snacks on an impulse purchase
• 77% of adults say they would go to a café of restaurant during off-peak times if they were to receive a discount

Cafes are spots where you can find a meld of people like remote workers, students, business professionals and artists. It’s a great place to host meetings to social events. This presents a great opportunity for building business during off-peak periods. According to a 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast, cafes and restaurants that cater to these needs are highly successful.

Tip: Have a happy hour special, create student-targeted specials or create food and beverage deals to attract customers and promote multiple sales.

Promoting multiple sales

According to Forbes Magazine, coffee should be no more than 40% of your weekly sales. When a customer buys two additional items with their coffee, it shows that your coffee shop is heading in the right direction. Having cold food items, pastries and hot food will maximize your point of sale.

Tip: If you have a large evening clientele, consider having a café-bar that offers other beverages like cocktails.

Another thing to consider is hosting events like poetry readings or open-mic nights at your establishment. This will further promote multiple sales – as you’ll have a coffee shop by day and a bar that hosts events by night.

Whether you’re gearing up to open a new coffee shop or you’re looking to revitalize your current business, takeaway coffee cups are perfect way to establish your brand identity on a higher level. We can help you create contemporary and distinctive sleeve designs for your business with QR codes that allow you to drive traffic to your website and social media sites. Check out our gallery and get in touch with us to get the process started!