The most obvious answer is loyalty cards. You can get a stamp and loyalty card designed to suit your coffee shop and then hand them out to customers to reward them for coming back time and time again.
Give away a free cup of coffee or a muffin with every 5 cups of coffee/tea or something similar. Sure, it costs you money, but it's worth spending a bit to keep customers happy!
Work out your uniqueness or how to move yourself away from your competition.Do you have the best tasting coffee, homemade cakes etc. Check out your competitors, what are they offering, what do you like, not like about their proposition.
Work out your target market so that you can appeal specifically to them. Ask your most regular customers why they come back, what they like about what you are offering, what they don't like and act on their feedback.
Why have you got a coffee shop? Is it because you love coffee or have a passion for delivering fantastic service. Could you have a coffee club and invite your VIP customers to choose the next
coffee of the week or month.
Once you know who your core customers are and what they want it is much easier to add value to keep them coming back. If your offering is about the same as every other coffee shop in town then I think customers just go to the most convenient to them or a chain because they know what to expect.
Good luck. I wish you every success.
Try,
1. Freebies - You could do that during opening ceremony of a business. But as in your case, you have already opened your business, you can find any reason to draw customers for example Halloween week specials- FREE- "(your business name) special roasted coffee for breakfast". Make sure you specify the time of this offer such as 7 am - 10 am. Free coffee for breakfast.
(I think Mc D is already doing this and is well received)
2. Customer Loyalty Strategy -
Giving out coupons for each purchase of coffee/food. After a number of time, say 5 times a FREE breakfast or something. You have to estimate your budget to decide what you would like to give FREE.
3. Make sure you have some music or tuned in to a favorite local radio station.
4. R & R - For those who like to spend longer time with their friends, darts or snooker. This option depends on your space.
5. Have some reading materials such as newspapers, magazines.
6. Contests: Count the number of coffee beans in this jar and win a prize. You can decide the prize and the number of winners according to your budget.
7. Goodwill: Make small donations to local community and your brand (coffee shop) gets some goodwill recognition and attention. Free advertisement.
8. Cheap advertisement: Give away small stuffs like bookmark or cheap key-chains with your business name embossed in the giveaway stuff.
9. If internet facility is not available for free in your region, you may consider wi-fi for your customers. Give away the password access for the internet only to your paid users. This has already been practiced in countries with paid internet services. This actually works!!
10. Put out a suggestion box- "How can we further improve to serve you better". Look out for the suggestions. You'll never know if you do not try.
We have to keep inventing and reinventing what has already been established and stay away from the norm to avoid being mediocre.
Hope this 10 tips were useful.
Wishing you Good Luck and $ucce$$ in your endeavor. ALL THE BEST!!
great customer service. if your staff are always going above and beyond for a customer, the customers will recommend you to their friends and word of mouth is the best advert.
I'm running a small business (a coffee shop). I need ways to bring in more customers and keep them coming back. Any suggestions?
