Creating an Excellent In-Store Coffee Program and Building Customer Loyalty
Location, Location, Location!
Where you place your brewed coffee will determine the possibilities for success and your ability to build repeat sales.
- Behind the counter or deli will create a barrier to consumer demand, reduce turnover and sales.
- Ideally located, your brewed coffee will be immediately visible to the customer when they walk through the door.
The Coffee Brewing Area and Service Counter
This area most definitely follows the adage that “You only get one chance to make a first impression!” The coffee service counter must always be:
- Well lit, bright and organized. The service counter should flow with coffee cups and brewed coffee available first for those customers whom just want black coffee. Next the hot cappuccino and at the end of the counter the condiments.
- Organized to flow from the easiest and quickest sale to the condiment area where customers may want to take more time to “Fix” their coffee or even experiment with the condiments until it is precisely the way they like it.
- Able to accommodate the customer whom wants to quickly get coffee and hit the road or the customer whom wants to take the time to savor their coffee experience.
- Merchandised correctly with clean, clear signage including product pricing and brand imaging. The area should look and feel like coffee.
Product Quality and Taste
Coffee is a sensory item and is certainly a memorable customer experience. Coffee may be the first and last impression in a restaurant and could also be the same in any store. Coffee is a sensory item and actually involves a number of senses. Some of the features that combine to create the customer experience are:
- Aroma. One of the first things the customer will notice when walking in to the store is the aroma of brewed coffee. It is vital the aroma be fresh. The aroma of stale coffee immediately creates a negative impression of freshness for coffee and all foodservice items in the store. The recommended holding time to serve fresh coffee is 20 to 30 minutes. Many stores discard coffee after 30 minutes.
- Sanitary and clean serving equipment. Clean servers or coffee bowls enhance the appearance of the service area and create a favorable customer impression for all items purchased in the store.
- Appropriate coffee pack weights. We recommend no less than 2.0 ounces of ground coffee per 64 ounces of brewed coffee. Lower pack weights strain the ground coffee to provide enough flavor and also compromise customer loyalty. An ideal weight is 2.5 ounces of ground coffee.
Customer Loyalty Program
When we refer to customer loyalty we always say we are “Building Customer Loyalty”. This is very accurate. Customer loyalty is a constant building process and our approach is a long term building process to customer loyalty. How do we build customer loyalty while providing customer delight?
- Make sure we communicate visually, verbally and non-verbally. This means we keep the “Coffee Experience” described above a clean, fresh, organized product offering that is consistent day after day. We want the customer to expect quality each and every time.
- Give the customer multiple reasons to return. This is accomplished when we use a loyalty program that features loyalty cards at the coffee service counter and checkout area.
- Have a refill program that includes travel mugs. Utilize a lower refill price to communicate with regular customers that you want them back and appreciate their business.
- Have a thermos policy. The price of a half pot (32 oz.) or a full pot (64oz.) can attract repeat customers.