How to get the most out of your café’s retail spaces.
Over the past 16 years we’ve been fortunate to work with hundreds of cafés. We’ve seen stunning spaces, amazing teams, gorgeous food, and of course, delicious coffee—but one area that is often overlooked is the retail shelf. Café owners frequently tell us they didn’t give enough thought to their retail setup at first, only to realise later that it can be a significant profit driver for the business.
You can avoid these regrets by taking some time to consider what your customers want from your retail offering and how to give it to them. Here are some tips and strategies we’ve sourced from our experienced team and the café owners we partner with.
Prufrock Coffee
Keep It Simple To Engage
Café owners tell us all the time that simplicity and clarity are key to engaging customers. Customers may only spend a few minutes in your shop, so your retail shelf should be easy to navigate and not overwhelming. Think about how neatly everything is laid out and how clearly it is labelled.
Make your house espresso the focal point. If you use Red Brick in most drinks, regular customers will already be familiar with it. This is likely the most popular coffee, so give it pride of place on your shelf. It’s a great starting point for customers and often a gateway to future purchases.
Group Products Thoughtfully
Group products with intention to reduce friction and improve the customer experience. Think about how you want to organise your retail coffee, for example, grouping by broad flavour profiles (nutty, fruity, floral, etc.) can help your customers find their preferences efficiently, without getting distracted by origin and other messaging.
Think about how your customers engage with your products and find opportunities to cross-sell or upsell; if a customer enjoys a filter coffee you serve them, ask if they make coffee at home and recommend a coffee they might enjoy. If they always buy a retail bag of the house blend, ask if they want to try a single origin. An organised display will set your team up for success and ensure they are ready to guide customers.
Some cafés offer a home brewing bundle, especially moving into heavy gifting seasons. You could bundle a delicious coffee with a piece of brewing kit, like a pour-over cone, hand grinder, or even electric grinder. It can make things simple for customers, encouraging them to invest in making better coffee at home, potentially turning them into repeat customers for your retail coffee.
Cricks Corner
Preparation Is Key
We hear this over and over again from café owners—if your team isn’t up to speed on the coffee you sell, you’re missing an opportunity. Consider running a retail-focused training session for your team. Everyone should know the basics of the coffees you’re offering, ideally including the origin, processing method, flavour profile, and best brewing methods for each one. This is why we designed our free Origins Characteristics workshop, which you can book through our wholesale website.
Remember to utilise your team's experience. You may have some team members with retail experience; why not draw on that knowledge?
Integrate retail coffee into your steps of service. When a customer orders a coffee, ask if they brew coffee at home. A few well-placed questions, like “Do you drink your coffee black or with milk?” or “Do you brew espresso or filter?” can signpost what the customer likes, and help your team suggest the right product. Some shops design a simple and efficient flow, or script, that they use for cutting through the noise and making fast recommendations.
Velazquez and Van Wezel
Remove Barriers
We all know grinding fresh is best, but sometimes your customers need an on-ramp to build up to purchasing a grinder. If they’re just beginning to brew coffee at home, you can play a crucial role in removing barriers, and helping them to see the value in freshly ground coffee. Investing in a retail grinder for your shop is a great way to assist that introduction for your customers, and should dramatically increase your retail sales.
Ensure that your team knows which grind size to use for which brewer, and how to grind for various coffee origins to help customers get the most from the coffee; keep a cheat sheet by the grinder for speed. Square Mile have designed cheat sheets for this, and can provide help if you need it.
Keep It Fresh
Like your bar, keep your retail shelf clean. A cluttered or dusty display can be a real turn-off, even if your coffee and service is spectacular. Remember less is often more, especially when you’re selling a curated range of speciality products. Whatever you decide to stock, make sure you have an abundance of each product on the shelf; psychologically a fully-stocked shelf makes products seem popular, and customers are more likely to buy them.
Don’t forget to refresh your display every once in a while. Regular customers will become accustomed to it and stop noticing your products, so change it up seasonally with some new products and layouts.
Simple lighting changes can make your retail display pop. Soft, warm light works well to create an inviting atmosphere, but don’t overlook the impact of a well-placed spotlight, especially for very limited-run coffees or unique brewing accessories. Highlight these items at eye level, so they immediately catch a customer’s attention.
Browns of Brockley Van
Conclusion
A well-planned and executed retail shelf can elevate your customers’ experience and increase your revenue, it’s also a great way to communicate your brand identity and values. If you make it easy for customers to choose the right product, train your team effectively, and keep the display interesting, you should see a tangible difference in both sales and customer satisfaction.
Key Takeaways
- Highlight your house coffee.
- Book an Origin Characteristic training session.
- Utilise the skills of your staff.
- Organise shelves by flavour profiles and brew method.
- Bundle products together to increase average order values.
- Ensure shelves are well stocked.
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