Most of us want to start our day with a fresh and good cup of coffee. Be it a latte, mocha, cappuccino, or black coffee. But the love for coffee is endless be it in any form. Well, that is the beauty of it, the way it can be made in so many different ways. You may enjoy iced coffee during summers and some hot caramel cappuccino in the winters. The perfect balance between the bitterness and the sweetness makes it the first preference above any other drink. So cheers to all our caffeine addicts! The aroma of the coffee beans is enough to convince your mind to have your favorite cup of coffee. Here, let’s know about the Target Market of a Coffee Shop.
Understanding the target market and building a marketing strategy accordingly and effectively for a coffee shop is essential before entering into the startup. You do not only require a good range and taste of coffee for a successful running coffee shop, but also a catchy environment with excellent service by the staff. Hence, there are many points to keep in mind for a successful business as a coffee shop runner. It would be good to think as a coffee lover and then make decisions regarding the coffee shops.
Target Audience for a Coffee Shop
To attract a significant amount of customers, you must keep in mind the different choices the customers in the market may have. What kind of drinks are preferred, what kind of atmosphere will be better etc. Let us discuss this in detail.
Since we are talking about the target market for a coffee shop, let us focus on coffee first.
Specific Coffee Lovers
There are many coffee lovers who know what they want and stick to it. They do not want to risk their coffee experience once they know their kind. For example, one may only prefer Latte, Mocha, Cappuccino, Drip Coffee, Iced Coffee, etc.
Mocha: Mochaccino or Caffe Mocha, is a hot beverage with a flavor of chocolate. Usually made with cocoa powder or chocolate syrup. It also has a variant that uses white chocolate instead of dark or milk chocolate made of white chocolate, called White Caffe Mocha.
Drip Coffee or Brewed coffee: Brew coffee in itself is an art. Made with time and effort to give the consumer the utmost satisfaction through that one cup. Very simple to make once you have the right machine for it.
Cappuccino: Based in Italy, it is prepared with the foam of steamed milk. Can be served cold or hot as per the choice of the customer. It consists of three equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, and foam.
This is just not it. There are many other caffeine beverages such as doppio, ristretto, long black, short and long macchiato, piccolo, flat white, affogato, etc that may be your customer’s demand. The more options you have, the more are the chances of getting customers and sending them back happy.
The next thing to keep in mind is what kind of audience might get attracted to your coffee.
The Business People
Many people often hold their casual business meetings in a coffee shop. They may also visit the coffee shop during their breaks with their colleagues to have some coffee and discuss work or anything they like to. Sudden small work celebrations can be held to appreciate the work and hustle, etc. The reasons can be many if you love coffee.
Independent Workers
Some coffee lovers who have the freedom to work from anywhere might love to work while enjoying their favorite cup of coffee in the coffee shop.
To make an apt environment for these people, the atmosphere must not be too chaotic. Instead, it should be calm and relaxing so that they can focus on their work and enjoy the time being there.
Coffee Beans Buyers
Do not underestimate the passion of coffee lovers. There are many coffee lovers who like to purchase coffee beans to enjoy at their homes, preparing them fresh by grinding them instantly before a drink to have its fresh taste and smell the ground coffee beans will provide.
Marketing Strategies to Attract The Audience to You Coffee Shop
Marketing is essential for a business to get hyped. Your presence in the market creates your image and awareness about you and the unique selling point you have. Yes, you do need a unique selling point to have your business. Following are some points to keep in mind that will make your coffee shop stand different from the other ones.
- Interiors
Be very particular about the interiors, as discussed earlier, the interiors are going to decide the atmosphere of the coffee shop and that must be relaxing and unique – something not every coffee shop has to offer.
- Produce Special Offers and Premium Memberships
Having special offers periodically can attract more customers and availing a premium membership with premium benefits will be an extra excuse for enjoying an extra cup of coffee. For example, you may create some kind of loyalty pass to do so.
- Email Marketing
Weekly emails about the offers or events taking place in the coffee shop is another effective way of marketing and attracting more customers.
- Events
Many coffee shops keep singers and bands either on specific days, or weekends, or all seven days a week. Events or activities like these can keep the customers from going to any other coffee shop.
- Website
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to have your presence on the internet because mostly everybody checks the reviews, ambiance, and the menu before actually visiting the coffee shop to prevent themselves from having a bad experience. Also, having a website and keeping it updated will help you share about your coffee shop to not just your customers and visitors, but those who have not visited yet too!
- Prioritize the Customer
Having a customer leaving the coffee shop happily is the ultimate goal. Always keep in mind what the customer wants, how the customer would stay comfortable, what can be done to give them the best experience, etc. Quick service, polite staff, and of course, a perfect coffee with a perfect environment will make the customer feel satisfied.
- Unique Selling Point (USP)
It is very essential to have that one thing unique you offer that nobody has so that you have no other substitute. This way the customer will keep coming to you for that special product or service of yours.
- Props and products
You may also create personalized props based on your cafe such as coffee mugs, key rings, pens. Providing products like exotic coffee powders, coffee beans and side dishes like donuts, muffins, etc is a must.
Conclusion
Running a coffee shop can be a tedious task. But keeping a few guidelines in mind and following them without fail can help you gain stability and success with time. Coffee is something almost everybody loves. But it is also something many cafes provide. So the competition is quite tough. Therefore making the coffee right is essential. Keeping in mind what the customer might want and providing that is all one has to do.
The right marketing strategies are a cherry on top. Marketing is as essential as your working in the beginning. You may change your strategies with time according to your goals, but the services must stay optimum. With all this done, you are good to go.