If you are a coffee shop owner or you are simply a barista, you will get to meet and deal with different kinds of coffee customers every day because they are simply coffee drinkers who go to grab drinks. There are coffee customers that will put you in a bad mood the minute they walk into the coffee shop while at the same time, other customers with contrasting characteristics can lift up your mood just by the way they talk to you.
How customers treat you does not matter though but how they behave towards them back is the key to attract them to your coffee to buy your drinks. That is why many coffee shops focus on only not the quality or taste of the drinks but also the good service that they can provide to the customers too.
Therefore, you need to identify and know how to treat them in accordance with their characteristics. Being able to observe and notice how your coffee customers behave is very crucial for it can help you to maximize their satisfaction every time they go to your coffee shop. Whether you can obtain them as your daily customer or lose them instantly revolves around how you can serve them by looking at what kind of person the customer is.
According to research, there are a lot of types of coffee customers you will meet but I will only bring 7 common types of coffee shop customers who you will inevitably meet at least once.
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1. The Nerdy or Workaholic
Have you ever noticed the coffee shop customers whom you always see holding books, kindle, or laptops and order a cup of coffee while holding those things?
This kind of coffee shop customer is obviously nerdy or workaholic. It is quite easy to spot this kind of customer. You can instantly point out since they will just go to the counter quietly and order their favorite cup of coffee or drink and go back to their table and start to work on their laptop or write down something on their notebooks.
This kind of coffee shop customer prefers going to a coffee shop because of one main reason. It is the design of your shop that creates the environment that boosts their work productivity more than when they stay at home. The environment does not only refer to the design but also the quiet atmosphere and the good service you provide to them.
When you already notice that this kind of coffee shop customer is the nerdy and workaholic type, what should you do to keep attracting them to your coffee shops?
- Play slow and relaxing music. This will help to bring the mood that lessens the pressure or stress of the consumers’ mood while they are working. A quiet and slow music helps them to concentrate and enjoy their work better. Definitely, this kind of customer will come to your shop again next time.
- Since they always bring laptops to work or books to read and write, you need to find convenient space like bigger tables and comfortable seats for them to sit so that they can enjoy doing their things without them asking you for it first.
2. The Daters
As a matter of fact, we all acknowledge that coffee shops are known as a popular place for dating whether it is for couples who have been together for a long time or people who just have their first date there. Especially for people who are in the phase of getting to know each other, going to a coffee shop is the best and popular idea among not only young adults but also old people.
Dating at a coffee shop will allow people who go on dates to spend little money while at the same time, showcase their coolness or attraction by just ordering a matching latte or a cappuccino with love on it.
Not to mention how they can leave a strong first impression if their dates are coffee lovers. Thus, a coffee shop with a good atmosphere is surely an awesome stepping stone for daters.
When you already detect love birds in your coffee shops, what should you do to make them also fall in love with your café too?
- The establishment of the trend of romantic and cute designing vibes like adding pink lighting, cute light bulbs which creates the mood for the love birds
- Again, play good music but not too loud. Turn on the maximum volume in case there is an awkward silence between the couples or the almost-couples. After a while, they might come up with topics that allow them to keep their conversation going.
- Another benefit that might come with good music is that it sparks the good feelings between the daters especially if they are music lovers.
3. The WiFi Hunters
I am sure that these kinds of customers are very common. So, you always encounter them at your café. You can immediately recognize them because first, they would look around whether there are any wifi passwords written somewhere next to the shop’s menu while ordering their coffees. Some might just ask you impatiently for the wifi password.
These kinds of customers include internet addicts, freelancers, and employees who need an internet connection to work on their electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, and so forth. Thus, the main purpose of going to the coffee shop for these customers is because their internet connection at home is not stable and as fast as the wifi at the coffee shops.
Furthermore, these kinds of customers are very sensitive especially when the wifi gets cut off for just a few minutes, they will make a fuss and get all anxious and ask you what the reason is. For example, especially during the period when they watch their favorite shows or just scroll their phone on social media platforms and then the wifi goes down.
How to serve the WiFi Hunters better if they are in your store you might ask?
- Make sure you fix your wifi router right away when you notice the internet does not work in order and inform them that you are fixing it so you can keep them drinking coffees in your store. Because you know, once the wifi does not work anymore, they have no reason to stay in the shop. Plus, they will doubt if they should come to your store again witnessing this kind of wifi issue.
- Another effective method to keep them as your regular customers is to come up with creative ideas such as designing cute little cards that have wifi password on them. Once you notice they come to the counter to order their coffees, you can just give out to them without them asking. Another way is to write the wifi password on the receipt or on a certain place on your store’s menu.
4. The Chatters
Here comes another familiar group of customers whom you will inescapably make contact with. They are called the chatters. Just like the term implies, this kind of customer thinks of the local coffee shop as the best place to chat and enjoy talking with their friends.
Therefore, they usually spend their weekends out of the house at the coffee shop. They will bring a lot of topics to the table such as politics, sports, and just their lives in general.
All you need to expect from this kind of coffee shop customer is to see them sit and talk for hours while consuming their cups of coffee which they have ordered a few hours ago.
How to maintain the chatter type of customer to come back to your shop with their big group of friends constantly?
- In this case, it is very important to just simply focus on the convenient space for them. Whenever they come in with a big group of friends, you should always be ready to arrange a large table for them. On the other hand, if they come only with a few close friends of theirs, find the most private space for them. They might want to talk about things in the most secretive way possible.
5. The Fashionistas
You will be put in awe every time the fashionistas walk into your coffee shops. Judging by their trends, they look like celebrities, don’t they?
The fact is they are just ordinary people who love to wear trendy clothes, classic black sunglasses, and shiny jewels on their bodies which make them look extremely stand out among the crowds.
However, they visit the coffee shop just for their daily dose of caffeine only before they start off with their work. Not to mention some of them might possess picky personalities too. This makes them absolutely picky with their coffee orders too, just like how they pick out the clothes with a style they wear on their bodies.
How to make Fashionistas often drop by your shop for the drinks?
- Well, they are dressed up for reasons. The little thing that can brighten their moods for the whole day is being able to hear positive comments or compliments on their choice of clothes or fashion in particular.
Giving out a few genuine compliments will not hurt, right? As it will not only make you become a good person as well as increase your business sales with a smart and nice marketing strategy effortlessly.
- As a barista, pay attention to what their orders are so as to not disappoint them and of course, your coffee shop must have a specialty coffee or signature coffee of the shop in case they ask for one. Since they are trendy people, they might also prefer the coffee trends as well.
6. The True Coffee Lovers
To begin, this is the most common coffee drinker I am sure you always meet and need to deal with at your shop. These customers cannot go on a day without a cup of coffee in their hands as they consume caffeine for their daily routine. If they are the regulars at your shop, you either see them walking in the shop at 8 am or a certain time of the day.
Additionally, they are exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to various coffee types and probably even the source of the original coffee. That is why they are labeled as “Coffee Lovers” for this major reason. Since they have done a lot of research on or have tasted a wide range of coffee types so they can sort out a few specific kinds of coffee to their likings such as cold brew, latte, cappuccino, espresso, hot or iced coffee.
Whether or not you can identify coffee lovers, one simple point is that they will order the coffee in perfect order. They will tell you the exact amount of milk they prefer in their coffee or any other ingredients without you asking them first.
Another point for you to clearly spot the coffee lovers is that they might ask you unexpected questions like where do the coffee beans your shop bring from? Or whether you know how many types of coffee there are. This might get you flustered if you do not know the answer. What to do if you are in such a situation? Watch the third solution below which will help you get out of trouble and put you at an advantage.
Any ideas to impress coffee lovers and make them your daily customers?
- First of all and most importantly, make an effort to note down or observe their favorite coffee orders so that these coffee drinkers feel that you actually pay attention to what they love to drink. As a result, they will keep visiting your shop.
- Be meticulous when you brew their favorite coffees, careful not to pour any of the ingredients too much in the coffee. Why? As stated, they are coffee lovers so they immediately know if the coffee taste suddenly changes. And they can be sensitive about this issue!
For this reason, if you mess up when making the coffee, just simply brew it again to maintain the taste if you do not want them to complain. It is quite a basic method if you are barista, if the drinks do not come out as they order, do it again!
- If you live a life by having a job as a barista, you definitely encounter coffee lovers as your customers, do some research on coffee if possible. If you are able to answer their questions, you will keep them entertained and interested in your shop.
- In another sense, if you are already a knowledgeable barista when it comes to coffee, you can recommend the “True Coffee Lovers” type of customers to try out new coffee recipes according to the seasons. For example, during the spring season, what type of coffee that they should taste and will give them the new taste experiences which is totally different from their daily coffee they have always ordered.
7. The Normal Drinkers
What do I mean by Normal Customers? Do I refer to those customers who do not act crazy or be all loud when they visit the coffee shop? Probably, I do or I do not.
In this context, I do not. The Normal Drinkers here touches on those drinkers who do not only visit the coffee shop just to drink coffee but to drink a certain beverage that they like at your shop as well. Those beverages include popular drinks such as passion or strawberry smoothies, lemon tea, so on and so forth. Hence, sometimes they do not even know how to drink coffee.
The Normal Drinkers love to explore different coffee shops mainly because of the shop’s cool design, delicious drinks, good food as well as sweets there. On the other hand, the Normal Drinkers can also be those people who love to take photos. That is one of the main reasons why they keep going to different shops with amazing decoration and style just to capture the beautiful things.
Transform the normal drinkers into the regulars?
- Very simple. Make sure your coffee shop is filled with the kind of unique and fresh vibes, decoration as well as ornaments. This surely does not only magnetize the Normal drinkers but customers in general. It is true that the decoration is very crucial as you already know many coffee shops spend a lot of money just on decoration alone in order to attract the customers to their shops.
- Another basic way is just to ensure your shop can make an attractive menu as well as have a lot of delicious drinks and food. They will definitely visit your shop more often than you thought they would.
- Giving out free coupons is the key to win their heart. For example, if they purchase more than 10 drinks, they could win free lovely gifts such as keychains, tumblers, and other inexpensive things.
All in all, either you are a coffee owner or a barista, remember that you do not simply serve customers with their coffees on the table.
It is necessary for you to be observant of people’s various personality traits so that you can maximize their satisfaction every time they visit your shop. If you can do this well, grab a chair, sit, and watch your sales increase if not dramatically but surely gradually as time goes by.
Now that you know what to do. Do not wait and try your best to identify and put those customers into different categories. It is especially relevant for those who have just opened their coffee shops or get their first new job as a barista.
TYPES OF COFFEE SHOP CUSTOMERS By Melissa Kathleen