In these times of austerity, businesses in all
sectors are having to be more creative and enterprising in order to
get customers through their doors.
The challenge is particularly strong for firms that provide what
are essentially discretionary purchases, such as café bars with
commercial
coffee machine facilities.
So what can they do to ensure people keep coming in and spending
their cash week after week? The odd marketing gimmick and special
promotion can often help to attract a bit of extra interest in what
a company is up to.
This approach can be particularly effective if it is tied in
with a seasonal event, such as Christmas or Valentine's Day.
So perhaps try to drum up a sense of festive cheer in a coffee
shop during December by offering some Christmas puddings and mince
pies, and provide good offers on other yuletide delicacies too.
Festoon the coffee shop with decorations and play music that
gets people in the Christmas mood, and use appropriate colour
schemes on promotional literature and packaging - red and white for
example.
And in the run-up to Valentine's Day, go for pink to create an
atmosphere of love and romance. Offer brands of coffee that
originate from romantic hotspots such as Paris, so loved-up couples
who are grabbing a brew can end up feeling like they've been
transported from their high street into a dream.
The options are endless and it just takes a little imagination
and nous to come up with something that makes café bars stand
out.
And promotions don't just have to be tied in with seasonal
events. One-off occurrences that happen from time to time can give
them something to base a campaign around.
With events such as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee coming up next
year, coffee shops have even more of an opportunity than usual to
steal a march on their rivals and present a unique, distinctive
offering to customers.