How to Prepare the Best Coffee Studio
Generally speaking, people go to a coffee studio to get a good cup of joe. For coffee lovers, nothing still beats going to their favorite place to watch the crowd, relax, unwind, smell the addicting aroma of freshly brewed coffee that always seems to permeate the atmosphere at such places while, at the same time, getting their caffeine fix.
Lately, however, the coffee shop-going crowd has changed. In the past, one usually associate the coffee lover group to be mostly middle-aged or older. These days, however, it seems that a coffee studio’s clientele is increasingly getting younger; a visit to any popular coffee shop these days will invariably result in meeting high school and college-age teenagers and young professionals. In fact, the younger group seems to be making up the bulk of customers these days.
Demographics
With the shift in customer demographics, the role of coffee studios has changed as well. They are no longer just a place for people to get their favorite kind of coffee. Of course, they are still good places to get one’s caffeine fix, but they have evolved with their changing clientele as well.
Coffee shops these days tend to become places for social gathering; they are now the top destination for friends to hang out as they catch up on each other’s lives. Families also frequent these places during dad’s and mom’s days off as they bond over freshly brewed coffee, delicious food, and good company.
Coffee Shops Today
With the age of digital nomads and online jobs, coffee shops have also become one of the best places to do some work. Students also realize that the free wi-fi and the great ambiance are the perfect combinations to inspire them to do their schoolwork.
Keeping all these diverse customers happy is a challenge for entrepreneurs who want to enter into the coffee studio business.
Determine Your Target Customers
While it would be great to entice just about everyone to come to your place, coffee studios should cater to the needs of the main customers they are targeting. Remember that customers are after a great coffee experience, which does not necessarily mean that you can impose your preferences on them.
Thus, doing a bit of research first would go a long way and would help you launch your business successfully. After all, it would be your target customers who will ultimately decide whether your brand fails or succeeds.
Create The Right Ambience
This is where the result of your research comes into play. By then, you will already have some idea what the majority of your potential customers really want from your soon-to-open shop— “Do they want retro, modern or artsy interiors? Do they require the place to be child-friendly that would justify you to set up some sort of family zone to cater to this need?” The list goes on, but of course, you can only satisfy a couple of these preferences. It’s up to you to decide which matters.
Having taken into account your target customers’ wants and needs, you can then decide the ambiance or feel that works best for your coffee studio. With this goal, you can call on some design tricks to your aid to help you achieve your branding.
Correct Lighting
You definitely need to install the correct lighting fixtures for your shop. You might be surprised how lighting has a very substantial effect on any space, and it can even quickly set the mood or function of the space. For instance, dimmer lighting tends to make customers linger for a bit while brighter lights usually have the opposite effect by making them finish quicker. The function of the place should likewise be taken into account; is it used for business meetings, studying, dates or hanging out with friends?
Choose Your Furniture
Aside from lighting, your furniture choice has a great impact on the mood and ambiance of your shop. To reinforce your brand, you need to choose classy and quality furniture that reflect the general theme of your concept. Also, different types of customers tend to choose different kinds of furniture. You must have observed that in any coffee shop, there are customers who prefer to tuck themselves away in a corner or nook lazily lounging on a comfortable chair. On the other hand, there are customers, mostly those who want to work or study, who tend to be alert and sit up straight. Try to get different pieces of furniture that can accommodate both types of customer.
Utilize Your Space Creatively
Try to maximize the use of space in your shop to cater to the needs of most of your target customers. For example, if you expect your place to be the gathering place for larger groups of friends, be sure to set up your interior that provides enough space for these group customers. If you also cater to the morning business group of customers where people just eat their breakfast alone and quickly leave for work after, be sure to have a section designed for this need.
Spice Up Your Front
Despite having heard the saying about not judging a book by its cover, you should be aware that first impression counts especially when it comes to luring in potential customers. Thus, it is in your best interest to spice up your storefront for this purpose. Create an inviting exterior, one that would instantly announce to passersby the culture and brand of your coffee shop.
Some pertinent issues regarding storefront design include whether or not you might want to place some outdoor seating, the city council’s position on outdoor umbrellas as well as another requirement they might impose if you plan to have an outdoor area.
Deliver What You Promised
Lastly, your shop needs to deliver exactly what you advertised. Marketing can only convince people so much; it is the actual customer experience that will dictate whether your initial customers will be coming back for more.
This means that you need to have top-notch coffee making equipment to produce the best quality coffee you possibly can. Use excellent equipment such as the Sisitano coffee maker to create memorable coffee that will keep your customers from coming back. Also, coffee accessories like spoons, saucers, cups and even serving trays should all speak for the quality of the product you offer.