The global digital coffee market and coffee shop industry are projected to reach $13.6 billion in 2027. With the vast array of ecommerce coffee businesses available, there is stiff competition in the industry.
Nonetheless, with the right coffee shop marketing strategy, you can emerge among the best-performing coffee shops on the market.
Whether you run an online independent coffee shop, plan on starting one, or want to expand your selling channel to a digital one, we have just the marketing strategies for you.
Let's get into some effective coffee shop marketing ideas for you to grow a thriving coffee shop business.
1. Build a coffee shop website
Wether you're roasting yourself or working together with a private label coffee supplier, a website should be your first go-to marketing solution for a thriving online business. A website is the most convenient substantive digital selling channel as it can easily attract consumers of different kinds–compared to other marketing and selling channels.
For instance, you are more likely to attract a younger demographic of coffee drinkers on social media platforms like TikTok. On the other hand, a website attracts customers and enthusiasts of all ages–as long as they use the internet.
Why set up a website for your coffee shop
Here are the essential benefits of a coffee shop website:
- Expands customer and broader audience reach
- Establishes a new or additional sales channel
- Wider audience reach–beyond the reach of local coffee shops
- Increased online visibility
- Extra cost-effective marketing channel
- Cost-effective marketing method
Market your coffee shop and sell on your website
Further, a website is a multifaceted business solution, just like a brick-and-mortar store, only better! Like a brick-and-mortar store, a website lets you set up a shop; allowing customers to browse for what they want, order, and have it delivered to their doorstep.
A coffee shop website also integrates various ecommerce solutions, letting you do everything online–whether managing orders or payments. Even better, unlike a brick-and-mortar store, an online website coffee shop integrates an all-in-one solution, letting you manage your marketing in the same place you sell.
You can do so by creating a blog for your business. An effective blog increases your site's searchability and SEO ranking on search engines and directs traffic to your website store. Resonating and relevant blog content can also generate leads to your product pages and transform them into real sales.
Your website blog can do more than just standard marketing to attract existing and potential customers. You don't always have to include direct marketing content. You can also share content that adds more value to your customers.
For instance, you can include a coffee making class, how-to videos for crafting unique coffee drinks, or a guide to coffee blends–and explain how your audience can make the most of this newly found information using your products.
A website also comes with another added advantage that a physical store doesn't have. You can take advantage of the deep analytics to understand customer behavior and every element of your website, including your store and marketing efforts.
For instance, you can track how long potential customers spend time reading your blog and whether or not they click on CTA links. Further, you can analyze how effective your content is at turning views into leads or sales.
Similarly, you can see which product does well and which one doesn't through your site's analytics and metrics. Ecommerce website platforms such as Shopify let you build an online website with a store while providing deep analytics to truly understand your business and measure your selling and marketing efforts.
Get creative with coffee shop marketing
In addition to the blog, you can encourage existing and new customer interaction and engagement through other marketing gimmicks across the site.
Roll out new and exciting products frequently
For coffee shops, they can offer different special house-roasted coffee blends every month for coffee lovers to try, and include these monthly blends in a discovery set for sampling.
Designing an attractive and easily navigable user interface
This boosts visitors' engagement as they stay on the site longer. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of conversions and purchase completion. Website visitors are more likely to abandon the process if they stumble upon a hard-to-navigate website.
Encourage customer feedback and online reviews
Welcome and work on customer suggestions; when customers notice you pay attention to their feedback, they feel heard and valued - the best way to cultivate customer loyalty.
2. Establish a solid social media presence
Create a business account across different social media platforms where your target audience is to reach a wider base and build customer loyalty. Social media offers a cost-effective and convenient digital marketing solution like a website.
Whether you open a Facebook page, Instagram, TikTok, X, or YouTube, each platform has a dynamic way of helping you engage your audience, and even boost customer experience. Social media presence is also a great way to keep your customers (and potential ones) engaged and thinking about your coffee shop.
Potential customers are likely to remember you and your brand and make a purchase when they come across your social media page and content more often. Create a social media marketing strategy and share relevant high-quality content consistently.
Build customer relationships through content and engagement
Existing and new coffee shops can easily build a loyal follower base and boost engagement through everyday content. Sharing high-quality and relevant content is a great start. However, you must also humanize your brand.
This means engaging your customers by replying to their comments or questions and even reposting your coffee-business related content they share. For instance, your coffee shop customers might order coffee from your site and tag your business on social media with a photo of them enjoying it.
This is a grand opportunity to reshare, express your appreciation, and encourage more customers to do the same - a sure way to attract new customers your way. Today, many brands leverage features like Instagram or Facebook Live to engage their customers in real time.
You can host a 15-minute FAQ session where you ask questions they ask in real-time or receive feedback. Alternatively, you can run coffee-related events online with fun giveaways, such as free samples or gift vouchers to lucky winners.
By building such a pleasant customer experience, you ultimately, get more people to talk about your brand and even enjoy word of mouth marketing - at no extra cost!
Take advantage of audience and influencer marketing
Understandably, not all coffee owners will be content creating savvies. This is where you can leverage individuals and tools available to you online. For instance, coffee shop owners can leverage influencer marketing by collaborating with creators through sponsored content.
There are plenty of other ways to collaborate with influencers to help diversify your customer base as well. For instance, you can establish a long-term partnership with a social media creator and have them be your brand ambassador.
Through their ambassadorship, they regularly promote your coffee shop along with your products to their audience. Some brands collaborate with influencers through giveaways (e.g. influencers give their followers a chance to win gift vouchers from your coffee shop), among other marketing strategies.
If you are a small coffee shop owner, don't worry about the high costs associated with hiring an influencer. Remember, you can always start small and work your way up. Start with local influencers with a good local reach to appeal to the local community of coffee lovers.
As you continue to grow your business-so does your marketing budget! You can also leverage social media by encouraging user generated content from your audience, followers, and existing customers.
An excellent example of successful user generated content marketing is Coca-Cola's name printing on their soda bottles. During this period, Coca-Cola encouraged customers to share bottles with their names on them on social media and to tag the company.
This was a great way for the company to generate engagement, buzz, and even, trend on social media. With an online presence and ecommerce store, this style of marketing can certainly drive foot traffic to your site.
You can even offer incentives to encourage more customers to participate in UGC marketing. You can offer free samples, extra points in your loyalty program, or even, exclusive discounts from a few nominated social media users that tag you.
3. Offer unique customer incentives
As part of your coffee shop marketing strategy, offer unique customer incentives to encourage customers to return. You can share these incentives on your website and social media pages to attract new customers.
Running consistent incentive programs can also optimize customer lifetime value and encourage higher customer spending. Different coffee shops will curate their own ways of rewarding their customers. Through this unique approach, you can personalize your customer's experience; making it even more pleasant and memorable.
By ensuring consistent customer experience, you unlock word of mouth marketing. Customers are more likely to encourage their loved ones to explore a business when they receive excellent and high-quality service.
Among unique incentives to avail your customers include:
- Rewards points and loyalty program
- Exclusive discounts with more purchases made
- Subscription programs with discounted prices
- Exclusive birthday, National Coffee Day, and other celebratory day offers
- Invite-only coffee shop events - such as store-wide sales or coffee tasting
- Set online or peak happy hours to encourage site visits during slow hours
4. Simplify and diversify your online ordering system
To encourage returning customers and attract new ones, your online service delivery must be streamlined and hassle-free. Most ecommerce consumers look for ease of use and convenience when opting for online shopping.
Create a website with good UX
Design an attractive and easily navigable and straightforward user interface for easy order placing. You can even include an online ordering option for frequent customers.
Add a subscription program option to the checkout page with no commitment required. Without the commitment requirement, customers don't have to feel tied down and can always opt-out or choose a different product when they want to.
This streamlined online ordering design means you will be selling 2 packets of coffee to this particular customer in a month and not 1. The same customer is likely to return, thanks to their subscription! When building your site, don't forget to design it from your customer's perspective.
Think of shipping options and payment providers - and diversify them. A potential customer will always opt for an online coffee shop with the payment method and shipping option they want.
Social media stores
Social media platforms can also serve as coffee shops or sales channels. While marketing your products on social media, take advantage of their shopping features to increase revenue and bring your products closer to where your customers are.
With varying customer preferences, you are likely to find some who shop on your site and others who buy on social media due to your content. For instance, Instagram and YouTube let you establish a shop and sell your products straight from your account.
This means that your customers don't have to follow links that take them to your website's product pages to complete their purchase. Instead, they can find products listed on your profile and complete the purchase without leaving the social media platform.
Imagine a new customer who comes across your Instagram post on their feed is engaged. They now want to purchase the bag of coffee they see on the post. All they do is click on the product link on the photo, checkout, and complete their order.
The link can also take them to the product page to explore more varieties of products–an incredible upselling and cross-selling opportunity!
Other ecommerce websites
Even the biggest brands still establish shops on other ecommerce websites, despite running their own websites. The biggest ecommerce website online, Amazon, for example, attracts millions of customers daily.
Research suggests that 89%of customers on Amazon are more likely to purchase the product they are viewing. Further, 74% of customers think of Amazon as their first go-to ecommerce site when they want to purchase something online.
With such a loyal customer base, Amazon is an excellent additional channel to sell your coffee online. Additionally, as the largest and most popular marketplace, establishing a seller account on Amazon for your coffee shop increases your online presence, brand visibility, and access to a wider audience reach.
Amazon also comes with the advantage of a consolidated shopping cart. This means that a customer can scroll and add your products to the shopping cart and continue to purchase products from other sellers.
This simplified shopping experience increases the likelihood of the customer completing their purchase. This is because they don't have to create separate carts for each seller or complete purchases from one seller before they can buy more products from another.
5. Incorporate SMS and email marketing features
Customer engagement should not be limited to social media marketing. Many website CMS platforms let you integrate with additional tools, such as email and SMS marketing. These marketing tools are a great way to engage customers, upsell, and encourage them to return.
Examples of additional coffee shop marketing tools include abandoned cart notifications, reorder/restock notifications, and rewards point notifications, among others.
Enhance customers' experience with segmentation and targeted marketing
You can also make use of customer segmentation to send out personalized and targeted actionable messages. For instance, automating birthday email emails with a special gift during a customer's birthday.
You can also leverage your site's analytics and metrics and send targeted emails or messages based on their behavior. For example, you can curate recommended best product lists based on their purchasing or browsing history.
Metrics and analytics tools on your site also offer insights into different customer attributes and activities. Make your brand personable by incentivizing customers with unique attributes to keep them coming back for more.
For instance, offer a free ready-to-drink(RTD) can of coffee to new customers or subscribers with their first purchase from your site. Or, offer a 24-hour special giveaway of a free 8-ounce bag of coffee on the first purchase to site visitors who browse your site multiple times without completing a purchase. Doing this can incentivize them to be your next new customers.
6. Increase your presence on search engines
Use the Google My Business tool to maximize your exposure on the search engine. This tool can also help in boosting your site's local search engine optimization (SEO). If you have a physical shop, Google My Business makes it easy for customers to find your location.
Customers can also access important information about your business, including your official website, your other sales channels (social media and presence in ecommerce marketplaces), online reviews, or key updates.
7. Pay for online ads
Opt for paid online advertising (online ads), whether Google or social media ads. The best part of using online ads is the cost-effective advertising. Plus, you get to set the impact you want from the ad and how to attract customers.
For instance, based on your budget and coffee shop reach, you can set your ads to target the local community, nationwide, or global customers. Further, unlike regular ads, online ads allow you to reach your target market with precise demographics and behavioral targeting.
This, in turn, drives instant traffic generation; quickly bringing customers to your store. Another benefit of using paid online ads is that they come with actionable insights, analytics, and metrics to show you exactly how each ad performs. You can use this data to adjust your marketing and make other business decisions.
8. Make the most of product packaging design and quality
Sometimes, your product packaging and quality can be part of an effective marketing strategy. Good quality packaging and attractive label designs can help sell your product easily. After all, "people eat with their eyes, first".
Brands, like Supliful, can help you design resonating, attractive, and high-quality labels for your products. Similarly, the quality of your coffee is enough to turn new customers into returning ones. In addition to boosting sales and revenue generation, high-quality and attractive label and package designs enhance brand awareness and visibility.
Think of major coffee shop brands like Starbucks and how easy it is to recognize the brand through their labels. In fact, brands that offer consistently high-quality products enjoy more positive brand awareness.
Customers seeing their label or packaging automatically evokes positive emotions associated with the brand.
Leveraging online tools to maximize your coffee shop marketing
The right digital marketing strategies can help you significantly grow your business, raise brand awareness, attract more customers, and enjoy a higher revenue generation. But, with such a versatile digital landscape, you have access to multiple online tools to complement your marketing.
Choosing a dropshipping business model
Supliful can help coffee you set up shop, maximize your marketing efforts, and even streamline their business operations. Supliful offers comprehensive dropshipping services with order fulfillment.
Supliful offers a catalog of over 100 different products, including coffee. The good news?
Supliful makes it easy for you to access this service without complicating the process for your customers. Supliful integrates directly with your online store–and integrates with major ecommerce platforms, like Shopify.
This means that your loyal customers access your branded store; browse and order - without ever interacting with Supliful directly. On the back end, Supliful takes care of the order fulfillment process. Depending on your business needs, Supliful can design your branded labels and packaging, prepare your order, and ship to your customer's doorstep.
This model saves you capital on inventory and storage management, other overhead costs, and the headache of managing such complex operations. You also reduce wastage since you don't keep stock and the company only ships when a customer orders - no more coffee inventory going stale or moldy!
Let Supliful guide you
With the core business operations taken care of, you will have ample time to focus on your marketing efforts. Supliful offers assistance beyond this. Not all business owners can navigate digital marketing needs, so Supliful can help you in this area.
We can guide you in establishing your digital e-ommerce store, from product label design to building your Shopify store, and developing a digital marketing strategy, Supliful offers an all-around solution for a successful coffee business.
FAQs
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