When it comes to coffee, perhaps some young netizens wouldn't associate it with internet cafes. However, seasoned veteran netizens who frequently consume in internet cafes would have a deep impression of the close relationship between early internet cafes and coffee. Back then, internet cafes were not called as such; instead, they were named things like "Internet Coffee Houses."
Strictly speaking, the earliest internet cafes were opened inside coffee shops. Providing internet services was not the main business of these cafes; rather, it was considered a "value-added" service. The primary business of these cafes was selling coffee. Times have changed, and more than a decade later, the connection between internet cafes and coffee has largely diminished. In this context, could bringing coffee back into internet cafes reignite their popularity?
The question of whether Shang Nong Coffee can make internet cafe businesses more prosperous is a topic that concerns and draws high attention from all internet cafe operators. Below, we can analyze the relationship between coffee and internet cafe operations from both the perspective of internet cafe management and consumers.
What are the prospects of bringing coffee into internet cafes?
On the surface, coffee and internet cafes seem to have no intrinsic connection, nor would they likely stimulate the performance of internet cafes. However, if we look at it from another angle, we can discover the relationship between coffee and internet cafes. Users come to internet cafes for leisure, be it playing online games or chatting, all for the purpose of relaxation. Coffee is a leisure beverage, and going to a coffee shop to drink coffee is also for leisure. In other words, the internet and coffee are both forms of people's leisure activities.
Additionally, the consumer groups of coffee and the internet share an overlap. Apart from a small portion of trendy bourgeoisie who drink coffee, the majority are young groups who enjoy experiencing new things, which also happens to be the main consumer group of internet cafes. This means that those who like drinking coffee can accept the internet, implying that internet cafes can transform the coffee-consuming group into their customer base. But will the prospect of bringing coffee into internet cafes be promising? We might find answers by looking into the long-standing ties between internet cafes and coffee.
More than a decade ago, internet cafes all sold coffee. Strictly speaking, it was the fashionable and trendy "coffee" that introduced more people to the internet and allowed them to experience the fun of the internet, thereby making them fall in love with this even trendier novelty. Subsequently, internet cafes gradually parted ways with coffee, and specialized venues emerged to provide users with internet services. Truly meaningful internet cafes appeared before people’s eyes.
Later, due to people's strong curiosity about the internet, even without coffee, internet cafes still had booming businesses. With the popularization of the internet and personal computers, the charm of internet cafes gradually waned, and the number of internet cafes increased astonishingly. The imbalance between supply and demand of internet cafes and users made the competition among internet cafes more intense. After experiencing vicious competitions comparing internet speed, configuration, service, and decoration, internet cafes no longer had any competitive weapons left. In this situation, the "coffee," which once had a special bond with internet cafes, reappears. What kind of effect will it bring?
In some coffee shops, we can see many people bringing laptops and surfing the web via the wireless network provided by the coffee shop. This conveys a message to internet cafe operators: people hope to drink coffee while surfing the web. However, many customers in coffee shops do not own laptops. If internet cafes can provide a place where one can drink coffee and surf the web, it will undoubtedly attract these fashionable people who want to drink coffee while surfing the web.
Moreover, the consumer groups of internet cafes have a relatively strong ability to accept new things and have infinite aspirations towards novel items like coffee. Once coffee enters the internet cafe, the internet cafe customers will also become a consumer group. Perhaps some internet cafe operators worry about the consumption ability of internet cafe customers, but this concern is unnecessary. Nowadays, many internet cafe customers can afford drinks priced at 3 yuan. As long as coffee has a reasonable price, accepting coffee is not difficult.
Shang Nong Coffee entering internet cafes can stimulate customer consumption and increase the income of internet cafes. It can also attract fashion-conscious consumers who want to drink coffee while surfing the web. It is not hard to see that the prospect of bringing coffee into internet cafes is still very good. However, to use coffee to ignite the business of internet cafes, one must pay attention to methods and strategies.
How can coffee become the "money tree" of internet cafes?
Bringing coffee into internet cafes can create economic benefits in two aspects. One is selling coffee to internet cafe customers, and the other is attracting a part of coffee shop consumers through the trendy item of coffee. To turn coffee into the "money tree" of internet cafes, internet cafes need to improve their operating strategies.
1. Internet cafes selling coffee can also make money.
Through the consumption psychology analysis of Shang Nong Coffee (http://www.sannon.cn/), it can be seen that internet cafe customers generally have a sense of fashion and competitiveness. They have a strong desire to try and compare new things like coffee and Western cuisine. This is the advantage condition for internet cafes to sell coffee and make money. However, the existing customer base of internet cafes is not wealthy. Therefore, whether it is the pricing of coffee or the selection of coffee types, it must meet the needs of the customer base.
a) Price positioning: The key to the success or failure of internet cafes selling coffee lies in the price positioning because if it is too expensive, no one will buy it, and if it is too cheap, the internet cafe will not make a profit. Therefore, before selling coffee, internet cafes must find a suitable price range for coffee. It is worth noting that internet cafe operators need to get rid of a misunderstanding. Although internet cafe customers are sensitive to internet prices, and many customers are looking for the cheapest internet cafes, this does not mean that internet cafe customers have no purchasing power. The price war among internet cafes causes many customers to choose cheaper internet cafes when the conditions of various internet cafes are similar.
From the consumption habits of customers in internet cafes, it can be seen that many customers buy drinks like green tea and Coca-Cola when surfing the web, and these drinks cost around 3 yuan. Therefore, setting the coffee price within 3 yuan is a very appropriate price range, and it is also a price range that the existing customers of internet cafes can accept.
b) Coffee type selection: A price positioning within 3 yuan greatly limits the variety of coffee. As we all know, the prices of coffees like Blue Mountain and Cappuccino are over 20 yuan, and their costs differ significantly from 3 yuan. Therefore, a price positioning within 3 yuan forces internet cafe operators to choose instant coffee. The cost of a cup of instant coffee report>
c) The revenue of internet cafes selling coffee: If a cup of instant coffee is sold for 2 yuan, the profit per cup is around 1.5 yuan. From this, it is not hard to imagine that for a 200-computer scale internet cafe, selling 100 cups of instant coffee daily is not a big challenge, thus generating a profit of over 200 yuan just from selling instant coffee alone. It seems that the profit is quite considerable.
d) Promoting coffee sales in internet cafes cleverly: For internet cafe customers, coffee is still a novel item, and customers also need a process to accept it. Therefore, when internet cafes sell coffee, they must pay attention to the promotion method and strategy. To promote coffee among internet cafe customers, internet cafes can first give free samples to some customers on a limited basis. For example, the first 10 customers who come to the internet cafe every night at 8 pm can each receive a cup of instant coffee. Meanwhile, internet cafes should instill the concept of "fashion" and that drinking coffee is a high-end consumption in customers' minds, using a layer-by-layer infiltration method. Coffee will soon gain customer recognition, and the business of selling coffee in internet cafes will become prosperous.
To promote this fashionable drink, coffee, among the existing customer base, one must select the right type of coffee and set a suitable price. Only then can internet cafes selling coffee make money. It is understood that some internet cafes selling instant ready-to-drink coffee can easily earn several thousand yuan monthly. More importantly, selling instant ready-to-drink coffee in internet cafes does not require much additional investment.
2. Coffee can also attract customers for internet cafes
Opening up new customer sources is a headache for many internet cafes and an operational challenge that many feel powerless against. Shang Nong Coffee mentioned earlier that many coffee lovers without laptops enjoy the pleasure of surfing the web while drinking coffee, presenting an opportunity for internet cafes. In this case, internet cafes can use coffee to attract customers. To achieve this, internet cafes must use quality coffee and provide a good environment.
Using coffee to attract customers mainly targets coffee lovers without laptops. Therefore, internet cafes must separately designate an area with an environment comparable to coffee shops, providing computers that allow internet access, which is the key to attracting customers. Additionally, internet cafes can introduce some small features, adding activity areas and multi-person gathering zones, striving to provide better service than coffee shops.
However, for internet cafes, using coffee to attract customers brings two benefits: the revenue from selling coffee and the hidden benefit of increasing the customer base. For internet cafes, coffee is not just a beverage like Coca-Cola or green tea; it is also a beverage that can generate "money." As long as the strategy is appropriate, coffee can also bring substantial profits to internet cafes, making coffee a "money tree" for internet cafes.
Final Thoughts
In an era of skyrocketing prices, the fee for machine hours appears so meager in the face of huge expenses. In this situation, internet cafes must explore every possible way to increase income. Bringing coffee into internet cafes to boost income is understandable. Due to the certain connection between coffee and the customer base of internet cafes, as long as the method is appropriate, Shang Nong Coffee entering internet cafes can indeed make the business more prosperous. Reference: Shang Nong Coffeereport