Learn how to successfully sell coffee beans in your specialty coffee shop with these tips and tricks, including focusing on price perception, stocking whole beans and grinding on request, upselling with drinks and food, committing to a retail display, offering information and options, investing in a quality grinder, and creating a feeling of abundance.
Selling coffee beans in a specialty coffee shop can be a great way to build revenue and attract a regular customer base. However, it requires the right strategies and approach to be successful. In this post, we will provide you with some tips and tricks to optimize your display, offer information and options, and invest in the right equipment to sell coffee beans in your specialty coffee shop.
Most countries do not have sales tax on coffee beans, making it easier for retailers to focus on the customer's perception of price. Coffee wholesalers usually offer at least a 20% discount on retail coffee, making it a cost-effective product that requires little workload. By focusing on the customer's perception of price, you can increase sales and attract more customers to your shop.
Stocking whole beans and grinding them on request is essential for a successful coffee bean retail strategy. Surprisingly, 70% of bags are ground for customers, as not everyone has a grinder at home. By grinding the beans on request, you can provide a personalized service and offer customers a better coffee experience. Also, ask customers how they brew their coffee at home and provide brew guides with the beans to help them make better coffee.
Offering drinks and food items alongside coffee beans can increase sales and attract more customers. This strategy can increase a sale of $8 to $12, and as long as the coffee is good and the experience is excellent, the customer is likely to be back the next week when the bag runs out. By keeping your bean-buying customers happy, you can retain them for life.
Displaying coffee beans for sale is essential, and a retail display can make all the difference. Routinely display about 100 bags of coffee in your shop at any one time and make it easy for customers to see and touch the coffee. Avoid leaving the beans on a shelf behind the bar, as this can make customers feel awkward or unwilling to commit to a sale. Remember, people are always more likely to buy something if they can touch, feel, or smell it.
Offering customers information about the coffee, such as how you grind it, your favorite blends, or what kinds are available, can help strike up a conversation and lead to a sale. Give customers at least two options to choose from, such as a solid, chocolatey coffee or a zingy, complex and challenging one. By offering options and information, you can cater to different tastes and preferences and attract a wider customer base.
Investing in a quality grinder from day one is crucial for a successful coffee bean retail strategy. A suitable grinder, such as Mahlkönig's EK43, can be used to grind bags, brew filter coffee, and also as an espresso grinder for guest coffees and decaf. By investing in the right equipment, you can provide a better coffee experience for your customers and increase sales.
How you display your retail coffee is crucial. What you want to achieve is a feeling of abundance that attracts customers. Make sure that customers know that you grind bags of beans to order, that there are other options available, and that they can ask questions if they need to.
In conclusion, selling coffee beans in a specialty coffee shop can be a great way to build revenue and a regular customer base. To maximize your success, it's important to focus on the display, make it easy for customers to see and touch the coffee, offer information and options, encourage staff to test boundaries with customers, have the appropriate grinder, and ensure that your coffee beans are of high quality. With these tips in mind, you'll be well on your way to selling plenty of coffee beans and building a loyal customer base.
