A wide variety of people use commercial coffee
shops at cafes every single day, so it may not always register with
staff whether some are regular or occasional customers. And of
course they will never know whether those who are coming through
their doors regularly visit other establishments as well.
However, Allegra Strategies did recently try to lift the lid on
this gap in the sector's knowledge in a survey of those who
regularly buy syrup with their purchases in coffee shops.
Nearly one in three of these people revealed they go to coffee
shops about two or three times a week, while a similar proportion
of those who do not purchase syrup visit them about the same number
of times.
Meanwhile, nearly one in five people in both groups said they go
approximately once a week, with four per cent of those in each
category going every day.
Only a tiny minority of syrup and non-syrup users said they
visit less than once a month, so it looks as if nearly everyone who
steps into a coffee shop does so pretty frequently, even if it's
not necessarily the exact same one.
Allegra Strategies did uncover one other interesting trend with
its poll, finding that nearly half of all people who order syrup
visit coffee shops more often now than they did last year. Could
this be a sign that word of their broadening range of options on
the menu is getting around?
It certainly seems so - and this could be true for non-syrup
users as well, since a healthy 38 per cent disclosed they go to
coffee shops more frequently now than they did 12 months ago.
Companies with commercial coffee
machines are always looking at their product line to satisfy
people's widening tastes - and the fact many are stepping up their
number of visits suggests this approach is paying dividends.