Coffee shops have become a central part of life for a lot of people, becoming places to meet with friends, work, relax, or have meetings. It’s a fast-growing sector, although there is a lot of competition out there. Your cafe or coffee shop needs to stand out.
Know Your Brand To Create A Competitive Advantage
Your brand is the colours, font, and imagery you use to represent you. Your brand is the personality of your coffee shop and the values it stands for. There could be a few cafes on your street, but you need to work out what gives yours the kerb appeal and makes people choose yours over the other choices. Everything from your logo to the cantilever umbrellas outside can communicate your brand to do this.
You need to know who your target customers are. If you do, you can attract loyal customers. Establishing an eye-catching brand that is recognisable and memorable is essential.
Getting To Know Your Customers Better
To find your target audience you need to know what your customers do. Is your coffee shop a quiet place for freelancers to work? If it is, you need free WiFi to show that you’re happy for people to come in and work. If you have enough room, create some quiet corners with good lighting.
Do you want to attract young mums? You’ll need space for buggies and pushchairs to get in, and some larger tables. Think about how prams could be stored. Do you have space to set out a small play area for toddlers?
Think about what type of customer you are trying to bring into your cafe. Once you know, create a space that suits their needs. If you don’t know where to start, speak to your customers, and ask what they would like to see in space and what attracted them to come into your coffee shop in the first place.
The Interior Design Should Reflect Your Brand
The decor and the furniture are the first places to start, as these are what immediately create an impression, and will impact the experience that your customers have. Your shop should be visually appealing, comfortable, and inviting. It’s worth thinking about creating a theme to bring your brand and concept to life, such as creating a modern, rustic, traditional, contemporary, or vintage feel to your space. Comfortable chairs and sofas will make your customers want to stay and relax.
You can learn a lot from what other hospitality industries like hotels do in their lounges and bar areas in terms of layout. Taking a look at hotel furniture in Sydney by Adage Furniture might provide you with some solid inspiration for blurring the lines between a swanky lobby and coffee shop.
If you want to attract more professional working customers for business meetings or freelancers to work, make sure you offer plenty of power points and have some tables that are at a comfortable working height.
With some advance planning and some careful thinking about the overall design of both your brand and your space, you can make sure that your coffee shop stands out from the rest of the high street for all the right reasons, and will attract in the right people who will become loyal customers who visit your business on a regular basis.
Image Credits: Free-Photos
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