It's no secret that the coffee market is thriving. Whether in a shopping mall or out and about, you're sure to find various coffee shops in the Philippines. That’s why it’s essential for café entrepreneurs like yourself to know how to make your coffee shop unique.
Attracting customers to your coffee shop isn’t something to take lightly. The key to success here is figuring out how to attract the most attention without blowing your marketing budget. To do this, you must develop new ways to promote your business.
Curious about these ways? Read on as we detail various tried-and-true methods for attracting new customers to your coffee shop.
What to Offer in a Coffee Shop?
Before finding ways to attract customers to your coffee shop, think about what you’ll serve your customers first.
Here are some typical items listed on coffee shop menus:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Juice
- Pastries
- Snacks
For coffee offerings, you may go with common brews like café Americano, latté, and espresso-based drinks. There are many to choose from when it comes to tea and other beverages. Nowadays, people crave matcha and green tea because of their health benefits. Try pairing these drinks with pastries and snacks such as croissants, bagels, and nachos so your customers can have options for a light meal. Some coffee shops also offer pasta and pizza dishes to make their café unique. Customers are more likely to linger if you provide these since they will appreciate the effort you put into preparing their delicious meals.
Some cafés also sell coffee-related items to help local businesses and get customers interested in coffee brewing. You can provide simple coffee makers like a French press, drip coffee, and other coffee equipment for sale in the Philippines.
Other things you can offer to make your coffee shop unique include:
- Coffee-Brewing Systems
- Merchandise and Souvenirs
- Local Art
If your shop’s already making a name, try offering merchandise and souvenirs to earn some extra profit. Also, consider displaying and selling local art to support local artists and communities. The local art gives your store more personality and shows that you appreciate the creative work of fellow startups.
How Do You Attract Customers to Your Coffee Shop?
Having the ability to make coffee and knowing what other services you can provide are both crucial. Aside from these two, understanding how to make your coffee shop unique to attract more customers is also a priority.
Here are some surefire ways to get customers running to your coffee shop.
1. Make Prices Affordable.
One essential strategy to attract coffee shop customers is to make your prices affordable. No one likes overpriced coffee, so analyze your competition. Examine how they price their products and lower yours to the point where you still make profit.
2. Create a Google Business Profile.
Making your shop visible online will get you more customers. Shops close to and visible to customers will have a higher chance of receiving visits because most customers who want to try new coffee shops will search for them online. So, make your shop visible by creating a Google Business profile.
3. Create social media accounts.
Another easy way to get customers for your café is to create social media accounts. Make sure potential customers know what you're offering by starting a Facebook page for your coffee shop. Sharing what you know about coffee is another excellent way to get new followers. Those new followers will likely share your posts, increasing their reach and the chance that people will interact with them.
4. Offer discounts on soft openings.
One innovative idea for your coffee shop is to offer a discount on your soft launch. Posting a discount event on your social media pages will increase your chances of getting more customers on your first day.
5. Brew limited-edition drinks.
Offering the same blends over time will decrease your customers. So, think of other ways to provide brews, like selling limited-edition and seasonal beverages. This will give you an advantage against your competitors because you’ll be offering something they haven’t delivered. For example, brew pumpkin-spiced lattes for Halloween or the sweetest chocolate drinks for Christmas. This will make your customers feel special because they will be able to taste the holidays in their drinks.
6. Appeal to all age ranges.
To make your coffee shop unique, try appealing to all age ranges, whether they’re teens or older people. Knowing they're always welcome in your café will help everyone feel like they're a part of the coffee-brewing process.
7. Make your coffee shop wifi-ready and mobile-friendly.
Modern coffee shops offer wifi-ready and mobile-friendly spots to help those who work outside their office. In addition,coffee shops have also become great hangout spots for young people. People are more likely to return to cafés with these innovative features because they can surf the internet while sipping their coffee blends.
8. Have an ‘instagrammable’ shop design.
Most young coffee lovers go to coffee shops that offer aesthetically pleasing designs. One way of attracting customers to your coffee shop is to make it picture-friendly. Design its interior in a way that can be captured and shared on different social media platforms. This way, you’ll get free marketing from customers who love to post on their social media.
9. Invest in live entertainment.
Customers may come in for the coffee, but most are there for the experience. Consider bringing in live entertainment if you’re thinking of new ways to offer your coffee shop. Adding live music or other forms of entertainment may do wonders for the atmosphere and popularity of your café. Do this by connecting with musicians in your area and negotiating a collaboration. By working together, you’ll help promote the performers and bring in new customers interested in hearing live music as they enjoy their favorite drinks.
10. Give coffee samples and giveaways.
In addition to discounts, free samples get people interested in your coffee shop. People walking by can try your products. If they like them, there’s a high chance that they turn into paying customers. Also, monthly giveaways are another option. For example, if they buy a certain amount of coffee or another drink, they might have a chance to win something from your shop. This will get people excited about your shop, and they will definitely keep coming back.
11. Design a loyalty program.
One of the best innovative ideas for keeping customers in your coffee shop is to design a loyalty program. Customers who take part in a loyalty program may be able to get something new or get something for free at the end of the scheme. Do this by giving customers a loyalty card on their first purchase. To redeem a loyalty card reward, such as a free coffee blend after ten purchases, customers must repeatedly visit the store and purchase an item from your menu. These promotions foster customer loyalty, enabling you to keep loyal clients while luring new ones.
Take Your Café Business to the Next Level
Successfully promoting your coffee business is only the first step. The next step is maintaining these customers while running your business smoothly. When you practice these innovative coffee shop ideas regularly, you will start to see a change in how customers see, interact with, and ultimately buy from your coffee shop.
Are you ready to take your café business to the next level? Today, you have the chance to give your customers an experience they will never forget. Consider these ways now to start getting the customers and profit you deserve!
