Free coffee is one of the best ways to keep loyal coffee shop customers returning

A customer walks into a coffee shop and orders a dark roast coffee with a cheese danish. They sit quietly, sipping at their cup for 30 minutes or so, and then they get up and leave. Ask yourself now, quick:

How do I get that customer to come back? 

If you’re having a tough time coming up with the answer, then you have found yourself among countless café managers. The quiet and private nature of many coffee shop customers can make it difficult for shops to target advertising. Additionally, this makes it very hard to know what made them even come through your door in the first place. While free coffee is one of the best ways to keep loyal coffee shop customers returning, it’s not the only one.

This article details alternative coffee shop rewards programs to keep patrons coming through your door. It starts with getting to know your customers better.

Loyalty plans and customer histories

Many café-goers enjoy the anonymity that comes with simply walking into a shop, ordering coffee and leaving. It is nonetheless the shop’s goal to make them feel wanted and comfortable. In other words, you want to make them feel like they know you. So how do you have a conversation with a customer while respecting that desired anonymity?

The answer is customer histories. By offering your customers the ability to leave their information at the point of the initial sale, your POS solution can track their purchase history. This includes:

What they bought
When they bought it
How they bought it

This information is invaluable for café’s of all sizes; offering targeted specials using customer history information incentivizes customers to return to your shop. For example:

If customers respond positively to these offers, perhaps use this as a springboard for a loyalty plan that offers customers standing discounts for their repeated business. Offers such as these strengthen the bond between shops and patrons, achieving the goal of making them feel that your shop is like a home away from home for them.

From inventory data points to generalized promotions

Maybe your approach is meant to target more than just one customer. In cases like these, it can be difficult to determine how to reach wider audiences. It’s likely the case that your menu has diverse options, making it difficult to figure out:

By providing managers with data on which of their products sell the most, analytics provide management with much-needed direction on what sells. For example, managers may see that dark roast is particularly popular at one of their locations in the suburbs. This could prompt them to run a special at similar locations on a discount for dark coffee. Incentives such as these keep customers coming through your door and your inventory moving through your kitchen.

Making coffee shop rewards programs simple

Getting coffee is a strange mix of personal and impersonal. On one hand, it’s a coffee—you can get it just about anywhere. On the other hand, most customers tend to stick to places with an atmosphere that caters to who they are. The tools integrated into modern POS systems allow your coffee shop to do just that. This ensures not only that they will return, but also increases the likelihood that they will refer new customers.

The experts at talech have spent years working with café’s to make the most of their coffee shop rewards programs. Whether you are a small shop with just one location or a regional chain, the tools found here are designed to meet your needs and grow with you as you do. Reach out today about a free demo and to learn more about how talech can become your trusted business partner.