8 Reasons Why People Keep On Coming Back
I went to Bandung, West Java in the other day to check some coffee shops there, and I saw a different crowd than what I rusually see in Jakarta. And several things caught my attention, there are some coffee shops that are extremely full until it's I couldn't get any seat there, while there are some that's not busy at all. I'm starting to think about the reasons why people keep on coming to certain coffee shops and become a regular there. After a while, I came to a conclusion that even though serving great coffee is important, it's not a guarantee that it's enough to make people keep on coming back. So I came up with this list, the result of me observing several coffee shops here in Jakarta and Bandung, trying to understand the customer point of view.
1. Familiarity
For some people, going to the same coffee shop for months or even years simply because he/she feels familiar / connection with the place and the people. Sitting on the same spot and order the same coffee, just because it's "the usual" thing. They also know the baristas / servers / owners usually. The coffee suits the palate, the food is acceptable, no reasons to go to other coffee shops. This type of customer really like to stay in the comfort zone, don't mess around with the menu that he/she always order :)
2. Good Food
A good coffee that suits the market demand is unquestionable here, but serving a good food is also important. This doesn't mean that you need to hire an extraordinary chefs for the food to be good. You just need to be in the top 20% of the coffee shop that serve good food, while the other 80% serving so - so menu. This also one of the aspect that really drives sales, so remember to have good food constantly, keep the ingredients fresh, no room for error.
3. Good Service
In the service industry, a good service is a must. Not saying that the customer is king, but you need to make sure that your coffee shop have a good service by hiring a lot of "people person" in your team. Make sure that your staffs always smile and happy when they interact with the customers, spotless tables, and fast serving time for the orders. This way you can make sure that the customer have a good experience in the coffee shop and will return in the future or even recommend it to others.
4. Value For Money
The price tags of the products that you sell in the coffee shop might not be suitable for all market, and that's okay. The customers tend to be a lot more forgiving when the price is cheap since they have low expectations from the start. This doesn't mean that you should sell cheap products, but you need to sell products that value for money. An IDR 80K lunch will seems cheap if it's delicious, fulfilling portion, and using good fresh ingredients. And the lunch that cost half the price, will seems expensive if it doesn't taste good, or tiny portion, or cheap low quality ingredients. So it's not about the numbers actually, it's about if the products that you sell is value for money.
5. Good Ambience
One of the thing that attracts customer is the ambience of a coffee shop. Does it look clean and sleek, or rustic and industrial, or minimalist and hip, all of these up to your branding image that reflects on the interior. Lighting takes a huge part of it. Some people that want to go to a coffee shop for work, will look for a place that's comfy, homey, and brighter, to make them feel creative and productive. Some people that wants to chill with friends or a date will prefer a coffee shop with more romantic ambience, dimmer lightings. Overall you need to have a good ambience that suits the branding and target market.
6. Menu Selections
This is important, you need to know what kind of food & drinks you would like to serve, since most customers will not come to the coffee shop if you don't have some specialties on the menu. Serving everything you can think about (Indonesian food, Asian food, Western food) all in the same time isn't a good idea, it will seems like you don't have any specialty.
7. Easy Access
Location, location, location. You will get regular customers from the people that live in the area or work in the area, or people that travel through that exact street everyday. So strategic location is a must. A street that's always traffic and people tend to avoid isn't a good place to open a coffee shop, but a busy street is a good one, you need to be very picky on the location.
8. Cater Specific Needs
There's this niche market for vegan food / drinks in Jakarta for example, and there's not many coffee shops that cater the needs, it means less competitors in that specific market, so the coffee shop that cater that specific needs will get a big market share. Or pet friendly coffee shop, there's not many coffee shop that allows their customers to bring their pet even if there's an outdoor space. By catering this need, the customers that have dogs or cats will keep on coming to the same coffee shop because there's not many coffee shops here in Jakarta that's pet friendly. Or smoking area, it really matters for the smokers to find a coffee shop that allows them to smoke, usually the one that have outdoor area.
These are the things that I believe really drives people to keep on coming back to the same coffee shop again and again, from my perspective as a customer. I hope this list will help you to understand why people choose to become a regular in a certain place rather than others.
xoxo,
AP
1. Familiarity
For some people, going to the same coffee shop for months or even years simply because he/she feels familiar / connection with the place and the people. Sitting on the same spot and order the same coffee, just because it's "the usual" thing. They also know the baristas / servers / owners usually. The coffee suits the palate, the food is acceptable, no reasons to go to other coffee shops. This type of customer really like to stay in the comfort zone, don't mess around with the menu that he/she always order :)
2. Good Food
A good coffee that suits the market demand is unquestionable here, but serving a good food is also important. This doesn't mean that you need to hire an extraordinary chefs for the food to be good. You just need to be in the top 20% of the coffee shop that serve good food, while the other 80% serving so - so menu. This also one of the aspect that really drives sales, so remember to have good food constantly, keep the ingredients fresh, no room for error.
3. Good Service
In the service industry, a good service is a must. Not saying that the customer is king, but you need to make sure that your coffee shop have a good service by hiring a lot of "people person" in your team. Make sure that your staffs always smile and happy when they interact with the customers, spotless tables, and fast serving time for the orders. This way you can make sure that the customer have a good experience in the coffee shop and will return in the future or even recommend it to others.
4. Value For Money
The price tags of the products that you sell in the coffee shop might not be suitable for all market, and that's okay. The customers tend to be a lot more forgiving when the price is cheap since they have low expectations from the start. This doesn't mean that you should sell cheap products, but you need to sell products that value for money. An IDR 80K lunch will seems cheap if it's delicious, fulfilling portion, and using good fresh ingredients. And the lunch that cost half the price, will seems expensive if it doesn't taste good, or tiny portion, or cheap low quality ingredients. So it's not about the numbers actually, it's about if the products that you sell is value for money.
5. Good Ambience
One of the thing that attracts customer is the ambience of a coffee shop. Does it look clean and sleek, or rustic and industrial, or minimalist and hip, all of these up to your branding image that reflects on the interior. Lighting takes a huge part of it. Some people that want to go to a coffee shop for work, will look for a place that's comfy, homey, and brighter, to make them feel creative and productive. Some people that wants to chill with friends or a date will prefer a coffee shop with more romantic ambience, dimmer lightings. Overall you need to have a good ambience that suits the branding and target market.
6. Menu Selections
This is important, you need to know what kind of food & drinks you would like to serve, since most customers will not come to the coffee shop if you don't have some specialties on the menu. Serving everything you can think about (Indonesian food, Asian food, Western food) all in the same time isn't a good idea, it will seems like you don't have any specialty.
7. Easy Access
Location, location, location. You will get regular customers from the people that live in the area or work in the area, or people that travel through that exact street everyday. So strategic location is a must. A street that's always traffic and people tend to avoid isn't a good place to open a coffee shop, but a busy street is a good one, you need to be very picky on the location.
8. Cater Specific Needs
There's this niche market for vegan food / drinks in Jakarta for example, and there's not many coffee shops that cater the needs, it means less competitors in that specific market, so the coffee shop that cater that specific needs will get a big market share. Or pet friendly coffee shop, there's not many coffee shop that allows their customers to bring their pet even if there's an outdoor space. By catering this need, the customers that have dogs or cats will keep on coming to the same coffee shop because there's not many coffee shops here in Jakarta that's pet friendly. Or smoking area, it really matters for the smokers to find a coffee shop that allows them to smoke, usually the one that have outdoor area.
These are the things that I believe really drives people to keep on coming back to the same coffee shop again and again, from my perspective as a customer. I hope this list will help you to understand why people choose to become a regular in a certain place rather than others.
xoxo,
AP
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