Even the stir sticks were adorable!
When your 17 year old daughter drove clear across town for a piano lesson that was actually an hour later than she expected, she made the most of her time. With a great reading book in hand, she simply drove to the closet coffee store. Little did she know that her promptness that day would lead her to find the most awesome coffee shop that she did not even know existed. Many coffee drinkers have a list of coffee shops that they would like to visit some day, but when you find a spot that you have never heard of before the excitement is real. From custom paper coffee cups that carry a logo hoping to create a following to cafes that you just stumble upon when you are off the beaten path, there are an ever increasing number of coffee shops in America. Using strategic marketing campaigns and word of mouth, there shops often have varied degrees of success.
When a new customer accidentally stumbles across the location of a new coffee shop, however, this is perhaps one of the greatest ways to create a new following. Consider some of these facts and figures about what consumers are looking for whether they are visiting their local favorite or simply finding a new place for their morning Cup of Joe:
- American consumers drink an average of 1.64 cups of coffee a day, according to the most recent statistics.
- Considered the highest quality in the world, specialty coffees represent 37% of U.S. the coffee sold.
- Accounting for almost 25% of global coffee un-roasted imports, the U.S. imported about 27.5 million bags of coffee in 2014. This makes America the world’s largest single coffee buyer.
- With specialty comprising approximately 55% value share, the retail value of the U.S. coffee market is estimated to be $48 billion.
- 65% of all coffee is consumed during breakfast hours; 30% is consumed between meals; and the remaining 5% is consumed with other meals.
- 150 million Americans, which is equivalent to 50% of the population, drink espresso, cappuccino, latte, or iced/cold coffees.
From stir sticks to napkins to websites, there are plenty of ways for today’s coffee shops to get the attention of people around the country and around the area. Few of these marketing methods can compare, however, to having a perfectly brewed cup of coffee for that stranger who just wanders in off the street.
