Cafes with commercial coffee
machines expect to see a wide variety of people coming through
their doors. When a consumer-facing business is located in a busy
city or town centre, they can almost take it for granted that just
about anyone and everyone will be coming in at some point.
But could coffee shops benefit from actually taking a closer
look at who is giving them their custom? After all, they need to
know if certain products should be pushed more heavily, and if so,
who they should be pushing them towards.
Allegra Strategies recently carried out a study to shed some
light on exactly who is making purchases at coffee shops and what
they are buying, paying particular attention to those who have
syrup with their hot drink.
More than two-thirds of syrup users were found to be female,
while they were typically aged between 18 and 29. This means that a
large number of customers are not buying it, so it could be
potentially lucrative for coffee shops to step up the promotion of
syrup to older customers.
Indeed, the fact many are not taking syrup with their hot drink
does not automatically mean they do not like it. They could simply
be unaware of the various alternatives on offer at coffee shops
beyond a traditional brew, or reluctant to be adventurous and
sample some different varieties.
The trend was reflected in a survey of syrup users' employment
status. Nearly three-quarters were said to be in a full-time job,
while just four per cent are retired. So it appears there is a
definite age gap in this particular section of the market that
needs to be addressed.
Maybe it is time to launch some discounts and special
offers aimed at the older demographic so they don't have to miss
out.