Knowing your Coffee Shop Buyer Persona makes you money!
Coffee shop owners are always searching for the best location (location, location, location), and whilst doing a coffee shop location analysis is essential - contextualising the analysis data is even more critical.
And to achieve that, you want first to create a benchmark - your desired coffee shop buyer persona. Which segment is most likely to buy your coffee, bagels, etc.? Once you have completed the persona, you can use that to perform an intense user observation study on your desired location (the target market).
Key things to include for a buyer persona looking for coffee:
- The age that you are targeting
- The Gender
- The job or types of position that they are holding.
- Their frustrations
- Their goals and needs
- Their personalities.
Use the Free Buyer Persona Template download (editable) to start creating your coffee shop audience!
What is a buyer persona?
Coffee shops rely on a steady stream of customers to keep their business running, and one of the most important things they can do to attract and retain those customers is to understand their buyer persona.
A buyer persona is a fictional representation of a typical customer based on demographic information and other data. However, more is needed to look at demographics when it comes to coffee shops. Instead, it's essential to look at the customer's "job to be done."
The "job to be done" perspective is a way of thinking about what customers try to accomplish when they visit a coffee shop.
Buyer persona from a JTBD perspective
For example, they might be looking for a quick pick-me-up on the way to work, a place to relax and catch up with friends, or a quiet spot to work on their laptop. Understanding these different "jobs" can help coffee shop owners tailor their offerings, marketing efforts, and even the tone of voice they use to appeal to other customers.
Customers looking for a quick pick-me-up to work might be more interested in a to-go option, like a grab-and-go breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee.
On the other hand, a customer looking for a place to relax and catch up with friends might be more interested in a comfortable seating area, free Wi-Fi, and a menu that includes pastries and sandwiches.
It's also important to understand that the same demographic can change according to different circumstances. For example, the same 40-year-old man might pay for a $7 iced blended coffee in a trendy café but would find the same $7 iced blended coffee too expensive in a local coffee shop. This is why it's essential to create buyer personas that consider demographics and factors like income, education, and lifestyle.
Free workshop - collaboration with Skills future Singapore and Temasek Polytechnic. With full access to free market reports.
Learn more about this Selling Food Online workshop.
Doing a simple location and persona fit
In addition to understanding the customer's "job to be done," it's also essential to consider the coffee shop's location when analysing its buyer persona. For example, a coffee shop in a busy downtown area might attract a different type of customer than in a quiet residential neighbourhood.
The owner of a coffee shop in an active downtown area should focus on quick service and to-go options. In contrast, the owner of a coffee shop in a quiet residential neighbourhood should focus on creating a comfortable atmosphere and providing free Wi-Fi.
Different types of persona have different preferences, and being in the wrong place targeting the wrong audience usually results in an expensive marketing campaign or low walk-in audience**.
**I am sure most of you have seen empty F&B outlets in bustling malls or coffee shops without customers in a crowded street near the train station.
In conclusion, coffee shop owners should not only invest in a great location with proximity advantages but must understand their buyer persona if they want to attract and retain customers.
By looking at the customer's "job to be done" and considering factors like location, demographics, and lifestyle, coffee shop owners can tailor their offerings, marketing efforts, and even the tone of voice they use to appeal to different customers.
Understanding your customer's unique needs and preferences is the key to success in the coffee industry.
If you enjoy this coffee shop buyer persona article, check out other articles by following the link or drop us a message for a chat or to learn more about our upcoming training.
About US | OCM Profile
OCM (OnCoffeeMakers.com) was started in 2007 with the first webpage about coffee machines. And for a number of years, we focused on helping people find their desired coffee machine (we still are helping folks with that! So, if you are looking for coffee machines for office or restaurants - check out the link).
In 2010, we started getting enquiries on restaurant marketing and we start to help food and beverage brands with their marketing. Below are campaigns and events that we have done over the years:
OCM's campaigns: F&B Marketing Ideas by OCM
OCM's Events: F&B Industry events by or with OCM
Check out this restaurant marketing guide to learn more about the many campaigns and companies we have worked with.
Since then, we have also created many marketing workshops and classes for the F&B industry. Many of these modules are still running in tertiary institutions such as Temasek Polytechnic Skillsfuture Academy and also ITE College East COC classes, below are some snippets of our lectures and workshops:
OCM’s F&B workshops: Food and Beverage Marketing Lectures | Workshops - click to watch classes on customer journey map, JTBD and more.
So, if you are looking for industry practitioners to help you scale your coffee or F&B businesses, do drop us a message or book an appointment. Do also check out our various social media platforms on regular F&B and coffee market updates:
For regular coffee (F&B) related videos: OCM Youtube
For Daily Coffee Inspiration (fun coffee content): OCM IG
For insights into the coffee (F&B) industry: OCM LinkedIN
PS: For the coffee lovers, we continue to share coffee articles (and videos) and have also started a free coffee class section (with free online coffee training supported by coffee partners).
