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Running a cafe or a coffee shop can be a hugely rewarding business. It’s one of those jobs, after all, where you get to add something special to a person’s day, simply by serving them a delicious cup of freshly made coffee or a slice of cake when they’re needing it the most. However, ask any cafe owner and they’ll also be quick to tell you that the business does have its downsides, too as when it comes to high street enterprises, coffee shops can be exhausting to run, and there’s a massive amount of competition out there to contend with. Think about it for a moment. On your local high street, just how many places are there at which you could buy yourself a cup of coffee and a snack? The chances are, there are two, three, maybe even four or five to choose from. That means – by no uncertain terms – that each business owner must strive to stand out from the crowd, and either offer something unique and distinctive through their products and services or find some way to outstrip the competition by promoting loyalty in their customers. The Power of Customer Loyalty Consumer loyalty is something that simply cannot be underestimated. It’s a powerful force, which has the potential to either make or break a business, and companies ranging in size from the very, very small to the world-beating and international put huge efforts into promoting loyalty among clients and consumers. Why? Because with loyalty comes a sense of belonging, a protectiveness, and the suggestion that there is a close and direct link between the business and the customer and all of that results in greater revenue and profits. Loyal customers of coffee shops won’t just come each and every morning for their cappuccino; they’ll also get to know the staff, spend longer in the cafe and spend more money as a result, and introduce their friends, family, and colleagues to the business, too. They become cheerleaders for your brand and spread those all-important word-of-mouth endorsements. There are many, many ways in which a cafe or coffee shop can increase customer loyalty and revenue, and there are dozens of fascinating business models that cafe owners could look into. However, one of the most popular methods doing the rounds at the moment (and indeed, one of the most effective and inspirational) is with the use of a smartphone app. Apps for coffee shops are big news at the moment, and every week, yet another cafe seems to be launching its own app, with a plethora of cool design points and features. It’s not difficult to see how an app can increase and enhance customer loyalty for cafes, either – the apps we choose to download on our phones are a reflection of our favorite brands and businesses, and also a reflection of our lifestyle in general. If your regular coffee shop asked you to download their app and promised that it would enhance your customer experience, it’s hard to imagine saying no to such a request. How Coffee Shop Apps Increase Business There are a number of features out there that can be included in apps for cafes and coffee shops, and the precise nature of each one depends primarily on the business itself, and the kind of service they are trying to promote. However, there are some fundamental features that are adopted more or less across the board, simply because they enhance the customer experience, and add to that sense of loyalty, efficiency, and keeping the customers’ best interests at heart. Let’s take a look at these in turn. Cutting Waiting Times This is the most obvious and perhaps the most beneficial feature of all. Generally speaking, people don’t like waiting in line… and especially not if they’re in a rush to get to work, and need their morning caffeine fix. By creating an app feature that allows someone to avoid queueing for their coffee, you’re immediately increasing the positive experience of visiting your cafe and removing a potential source of stress and frustration from your clients’ day. Virtual queuing and pre-ordering apps have been around for some time in the catering business and in other industries, too, and this particular feature can be very simple to set up, and highly effective once established. How it increases customer loyalty This app feature clearly increases customer loyalty, simply because right now, not a huge number of coffee shops and cafes have this kind of option for their clients. What’s more, if you’re a regular customer of a coffee shop, app features like this allow the client to have something akin to a ‘VIP’ experience – there’s a sense of exclusivity that comes with not waiting in line, and this is something which always goes down well with the public. Loyalty Programmes Lots and lots of coffee shops have had loyalty programs for years. They generally involve little cards, onto which the vendor puts a stamp or a signature each time a hot drink is bought. Collect nine stamps (or however many the policy states as adequate), and the next drink is on the house. It’s a simple, effective idea, and one which does a huge amount to promote customer loyalty. Nowadays, we’re living in a digital age and the era of cardboard-based loyalty programs feels increasingly like a thing of the past. After all, what if your customer forgets their loyalty card at home? Or it gets lost, or put through the laundry by mistake? They could be missing out on a free coffee as a result – and nobody’s going to be happy with that! By moving your loyalty card onto an app, and allowing it to be automatically updated with each purchase, you can make the whole process more streamlined, more reliable, and a whole lot more contemporary. How it increases customer loyalty Everyone appreciates a freebie, and an automatically-updating loyalty card as part of a coffee shop app will encourage your customers

Coffee shop apps are really taking off right now. Up and down the country, and elsewhere around the world, savvy cafe owners are exploring the possible potential of offering their customers an app with which to enhance their coffee experiences and reaping the rewards which come with them. Simple, elegant, logical, and effective, they’ve become a key trend in the cafe and services industry, and it has been more than exciting to see them develop and turn into something of a groundbreaking movement in this business type. There’s little wonder why coffee shops are leaping on the custom app bandwagon. One of the key aims of any cafe is to increase customer loyalty (and boost sales and revenue as a result), and apps are one of the most effective ways of developing a sense of belonging and community among their clientele. With a custom app, coffee shops are able to reward their customers, speed up proceedings (which is a surefire way of keeping clients happy), and keep in touch with their clientele to develop the communal feel of the business. There’s no limit to the possibilities open to cafe owners when it comes to custom apps. The number of features available is countless, and the fact that each app can be customized to feature the company branding, colors, and themes allows the brand to go further and increase its marketing reach also. While there are a plethora of features out there to choose from, there are five key features that no coffee shop app should be without. Here at Messapps, we’ve worked on a number of apps for cafes, and have successfully identified the bare essentials which coffee shop owners should be aiming for in their custom apps. Let’s take a look through those key criteria one by one. Pre-Ordering Coffee Nobody likes waiting in line when it comes to getting their morning caffeine fix. In fact, the number one factor which puts clients off when visiting a cafe is seeing a long queue… after all, there’s bound to be another cafe around the corner, which may well be much quieter. By including a pre-ordering feature in your custom app, you essentially allow your clients to jump the queue and have their coffee steaming hot, ready, and waiting for their arrival. This is a key factor for boosting that all-important customer loyalty, as a pre-ordering feature makes the customer feel like a VIP or exclusive client, who need not wait in line with those who haven’t taken the time to download the app for themselves. It’s also something which works well for the coffee shop staff, too. Pre-orders can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently by a dedicated team member, which offers the possibility of speeding up processes, making more money, and keeping more customers happy. App Payments in Store As we move further and further towards a cashless society, apps that allow customers to make online payments are becoming increasingly popular. It isn’t difficult to see why: app payments don’t require you to have the right cash on you, nor do they require you to search through your wallet searching for the right debit or credit card. They’re fast, efficient, and simple, and streamline actions as basic and essential as getting your morning cappuccino before heading to the office. Again, app payments in the store are also another thing that can boost that sense of customer loyalty and community. Offering this option to your customers shows that you – as a business owner – care about making things easier for your clientele and that you’re actively exploring ways to streamline your services. It also shows that your cafe is taking steps to stay on top of the latest technological developments and that it’s keen to gain the edge over the competitions… and that’s something that today’s coffee-drinking generation simply can’t get enough of. Find Location This one is mainly relevant for chain companies and coffee shops which have outlets in various locations across the country, or internationally. Your loyal customers love your coffee, go into raptures of delight over your cakes and pastries, and have decided that your company best reflects their own values and preferences. As such, when they’re traveling for business or pleasure, or are simply spending time in another city, the chances are they’d prefer to get themselves a coffee from your coffee shop than from any other. How useful it is, then, for your app to have a location feature! By opening their custom app on their smartphone, they’ll be able to see whether or not your coffee chain has a cafe in their immediate vicinity, and there’s little doubt they’d even go a bit out of their way to get their favorite drink. Even for coffee shops with just a small number of outlets, a location finder can really help – your loyal followers will be keen to tell their friends, family, and colleagues about your company, and the map function will be useful in spreading the word about what makes your coffee shop so unique. Rewards Program If you’re looking to really boost customer loyalty and revenue, then a rewards program is an essential feature you simply cannot do without. Each time your customers buy a coffee, they can receive a virtual ‘stamp’ on a digital rewards card. Collect a certain number of stamps (most coffee shops will ask for seven or nine), and the next coffee comes completely free of charge! Rewards programs on custom coffee shop apps are a fantastic idea, as they remove the risk of losing or forgetting to bring a physical card to the cafe, and ensure that for every drink bought, a stamp is provided. This scheme massively boosts loyalty, as it encourages the customer to only drink at your cafe and keep track of how many points or stamps they’ve collected. News Feed One of the keys to building customer loyalty, and one of the ways of taking your app further than ever, is by