One of the coffee shops down the road gives everyone a “buy 10, get one free” card.
This rewards loyalty, and helps to create lock-in through habit (“cue, practice, reward”).
This is double edged. We think we like it, but it also hangs over our head like a weight… We need those last three coffees to get a reward. In today’s world, a lot of us don’t really appreciate obvious lock-in either.
The next place has a sign out the front that has great slogans. You know the ones, you’ve seen it 100 times: “But First, Coffee!”
This starts to “humanise” the place. We like the recognition of being addicted and enjoy the humour. We appreciate the effort they put into creating the signs.
The last place though knows my favourite order. They knew it within two visits: Banana-chocolate shake and an espresso on the side.
We joke as to whether the shot should be in the shake or not. The jury is still out.
On quieter days, I’ve seen their staff chat with other customers about their gardens, or their grandkids…
Yes the coffee is great, but more than that, the service is incredible. They over-index on “humanising” the space.
The coffee is expensive, there are no discounts, no “buy 10, get one free,” and there aren’t even any fun slogans…
But for their specific niche, their humanised touch hits the nail on the head. Their tables are almost always full.
At the end of the day, all three examples are marketing and it’s worth remembering that how we show up day to day is often the most powerful of the lot.
