Cafe customer loyalty

As coffee shops and cafés return to ‘normal’ service with restrictions lifted, customer numbers are getting closer to pre-pandemic levels.

While there are still some challenges ahead as you look to rebuild your business in the long run, for many operators, priorities have changed.

With footfall on the streets continuing to increase, the focus has shifted from recovery to the future and how to maintain and encourage continued growth.

Our recent research* found that two thirds (61%) of hospitality businesses believe the key ingredient to future proofing their business is through customer loyalty. So how do you go about encouraging customers to come back time and again, especially following lockdown where many people have trained themselves up as ‘at-home coffee connoisseurs’?

Based on insights from coffee shop professionals themselves, here are our top four tips to build customer loyalty and future proof your business.

1. Enhance the experience

Almost half (45%) of hospitality businesses believe consumers want an enhanced experience when eating or drinking out. That’s not to say they want service with a show, or all the bells and whistles that cost a fortune. What they’re looking for is something that they can’t make themselves at home.

This is especially true when you consider how many people have become accustomed to making their own drinks at home during lockdown, meaning that knowledge and expectations are higher than ever. Now, consumers want a greater choice of hot drinks and increased information about the quality of what is served.

2. Offer sensational service

As always, customer experience is key to not only encouraging and maintaining customer loyalty, through word of mouth, but it can also drive new customers in. Some cafés offer loyalty schemes and others are investing in technology to improve their service. In fact, our research found that 50% will be adopting innovative customer service tech in the future and 31% will invest in ‘Internet of Things’ enabled kitchen equipment.

3. Stay agile

Agility has become a stalwart of the industry over the past 18 months, with the pandemic providing constant change and challenges. However, it’s also an ability that will serve you well in terms of future proofing your business. We found that 49% agree that responding to consumer trends and hiring innovative and creative staff (46%) will be key to their ongoing success.

4. Safeguard your quality service

What’s key here is to showcase how the combination of quality ingredients, tip top equipment and your team’s expertise will offer an experience that can’t be replicated at home.

But when it comes to serving great tasting brews, well-sourced tea and quality roasted beans are just the beginning. In fact, some 84% of coffee shop professionals place unfiltered water as the most important factor for adversely affecting hot beverages[i]. Afterall, you’ll be aware about how unfiltered water can contain impurities that can affect the flavour and dull the appearance of hot beverages, making the drink less appealing.

It’s vital to use the right water filter and exchange it on time to help keep beverage equipment in peak condition and to ensure you’re offering consistent, great tasting hot drinks.

BRITA Managed Services can help with one of its tailored packages, supporting you with preventative maintenance on equipment and offering advice, monitoring filter usage and carrying out essential filter exchanges.

If you need any support from BRITA with helping you stay on top of your filter exchanges, our team is here to help.

To find out how your business might benefit from a bespoke service package visit BRITA Managed Services.

*All research is from 3GEM in collaboration with BRITA Professional (March 2021), unless otherwise stated

[i] 3GEM in collaboration with BRITA Professional (November 2018)