In the evolving world of coffee culture, the key to thriving as a coffee shop lies in building strong customer relationships, embracing technology, and finding creative ways to stand out. With big brands like Starbucks setting the standard for convenience and engagement through mobile apps and loyalty programs, independent coffee shops must adapt to these industry trends to remain competitive. This guidebook will provide a comprehensive roadmap to help coffee shop owners drive awareness of their order-ahead mobile apps, market their shops traditionally, and embrace the power of digital marketing to foster growth.
The coffee shop industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, driven largely by technological advancements and changing consumer preferences. Customers today want convenience and personalization, and order-ahead apps are a big part of meeting these needs. Consider these key industry trends:
These trends present an incredible opportunity for independent coffee shops to use Espressly’s custom-branded appsto compete with larger chains, enhance customer convenience, and drive loyalty.
To maximize the impact of your order-ahead app, you need to ensure that all of your customers know it exists and understand the benefits. Here are some strategies for driving awareness:
While digital marketing is critical, traditional marketing can still be highly effective for coffee shops.
Digital marketing, especially through social media, is key to reaching new customers and keeping your existing audience engaged.
Espressly’s order-ahead apps are designed to make both customers and coffee shop owners’ lives easier, bringing a host of features that drive engagement, loyalty, and sales.
Each coffee shop gets its own custom-branded app, complete with the shop’s logo, colors, and unique identity. This makes the app feel like a natural extension of your brand, helping build a stronger connection with your customers. Unlike generic third-party platforms, Espressly ensures your brand stays front and center.
For shops already using Square, Espressly provides seamless integration. This means orders placed through the app are automatically synced with your existing POS, simplifying order management, inventory tracking, and payment processing. This integration reduces the workload for baristas, eliminates errors, and keeps everything running smoothly.
For coffee shops that prefer not to use Square, Espressly also offers a freestanding solution. This version of the app is independent of a POS system, giving shop owners the flexibility to manage orders and customer interactions directly through the app’s intuitive dashboard.
Espressly’s apps offer customers the ability to save their favorite orders, allowing them to reorder their usual drinks with just a tap. This feature is incredibly popular—60% of all orders placed through Espressly apps use saved favorites or easy reordering. By simplifying the ordering process, this feature keeps customers engaged and encourages frequent visits.
Loyalty programs are a proven way to drive repeat business, and Espressly makes this easy by integrating with Square Loyalty. Customers can earn points for every purchase, and these points can be redeemed for rewards. Loyalty rewards are visible directly in the app, making it easy for customers to track their progress and stay motivated to return.
Push notifications are a powerful tool for keeping your customers engaged. With Espressly’s apps, you can send targeted messages to customers to promote special offers, announce new menu items, or remind them of upcoming loyalty rewards. These notifications provide a direct link to your customers, driving engagement and encouraging immediate action.
Espressly integrates with Apple Sign-Up and Apple Pay to make the entire process—from signing up to paying—as smooth as possible. Apple Sign-Up allows customers to create an account with just a few taps, while Apple Pay ensures fast, secure transactions. By reducing friction points, these features help drive app adoption and customer satisfaction.
Email marketing remains a powerful way to keep customers informed and engaged.
Push notifications are an essential part of your marketing arsenal, allowing you to communicate directly with your customers and encourage engagement.
One of the reasons Starbucks’ app is so popular is the ease it provides through saved favorites and fast payments. Espressly’s app makes ordering easy for your customers:
It’s important to track your success so you can adjust your marketing strategies accordingly. Use analytics to determine:
Community engagement is an essential part of building a loyal customer base. Your coffee shop is more than just a place to get coffee—it’s part of the local community. Here are some ideas to foster community connections:
For many busy people, visiting their favorite coffee shop is an essential part of their daily routine. Whether it’s the morning rush, a midday pick-me-up, or an afternoon break, customers crave convenience, reliability, and familiarity. Having a reliable, branded, order-ahead app is now something they expect from any coffee shop they frequent. This routine of ordering is what Starbucks has banked on, and independent coffee shops across the USA can tap into this same powerful habit.
The success of your coffee shop in today’s competitive market relies on embracing both traditional and digital marketing strategies while leveraging cutting-edge technology to meet evolving customer expectations. With Espressly’s order-ahead mobile app, you have a powerful tool that not only enhances customer convenience but also helps foster loyalty, streamline operations, and build lasting connections within your community. By utilizing in-store promotions, engaging social media content, targeted push notifications, and integrated loyalty programs, you can ensure that your customers feel valued and keep coming back for more. Embrace the convenience, personalization, and community-focused approach that Espressly offers, and watch your coffee shop thrive, one cup at a time.
In the fast-paced, on-demand world we live in today, the relationship between coffee shops and their customers has been undergoing a dramatic transformation. For years, coffee shops have relied on the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, personal relationships, and cozy environments to keep customers coming back. But with technology rapidly changing the landscape, there’s a powerful new tool that’s helping coffee shops engage their customers even more effectively: push alert messages.
Espressly provides independent coffee shops with the kind of advanced, white-label mobile apps that were once only available to big chains like Starbucks. These custom-branded order-ahead apps are seamlessly integrated with Square, giving coffee shops the power to stay connected with their customers in innovative ways. Among the most effective of these tools are push alerts, and in this blog post, we’ll explore just how impactful these messages can be for creating stronger relationships and driving increased sales.
Push alerts are short, direct messages sent to users through their mobile devices. They are powerful tools that allow coffee shop owners to inform their customers about upcoming promotions, special events, and new offerings at just the right time. When a customer has downloaded your app and allowed notifications, push alerts provide a direct channel to their attention—a valuable way to build excitement and loyalty.
Imagine being able to notify all your customers that a new seasonal drink, like a Pumpkin Spice Latte, is now available, or informing them about an upcoming happy hour with discounted drinks. The magic of push alerts is that they arrive instantly, cutting through the clutter of email inboxes or social media feeds to deliver your message when it’s most relevant.
The key to the effectiveness of push alerts lies in their immediacy. In a study on mobile marketing, it was found that push alerts can boost app engagement by up to 88%. For coffee shops, this translates into more visits, increased loyalty, and higher sales. Here are some specific ways in which push alerts make a difference:
Espressly’s white-label apps are designed with the individuality of each coffee shop in mind. Your brand, your identity, and your customers are at the core of what we do. But in a world dominated by big coffee chains, having powerful tools like push alerts makes all the difference.
Unlike traditional advertising methods that are costly and impersonal, push alerts are direct, personal, and hyper-relevant. They cut through the noise, giving your shop a powerful voice in the crowded marketplace. This personal touch makes customers feel like they’re part of an exclusive community, especially when they know they’re getting the latest news or promotions before anyone else.
Let’s explore some real-world examples of how push alerts can transform customer engagement for your coffee shop:
The power of push alerts lies not only in their ability to drive engagement but also in their direct impact on sales. By leveraging the immediate, personalized nature of push alerts, coffee shop owners can turn each message into a call to action that directly leads to revenue.
For example, sending a push alert during an afternoon slump offering a limited-time discount can quickly turn a slow hour into a bustling one. Similarly, exclusive promotions to celebrate events like National Coffee Day encourage customers to choose your shop over competitors.
Starbucks has mastered this tactic, using push alerts to inform customers about new drinks, reward milestones, and promotional offers. The impact of their push alert campaigns is evident—driving loyalty and turning casual customers into habitual ones. Espressly’s solution aims to bring this level of customer engagement to independent coffee shops, giving them a competitive edge with the kind of technology typically reserved for big chains.
Espressly’s mobile apps are more than just a branded interface for your coffee shop—they are seamlessly integrated with Square for easy adoption and management. This integration means that coffee shop owners don’t have to worry about a difficult setup or managing multiple systems. Instead, it’s all part of one cohesive platform that makes running promotions, processing payments, and engaging customers easier than ever.
With push alerts tied directly to order history, loyalty points, and favorite items, Espressly’s system ensures that every message feels relevant and timely. This is the kind of personalized experience that customers now expect—and independent coffee shops can finally meet those expectations without the complexities of managing new technology.
To get the most out of push alerts, it’s important to remember a few key best practices:
Push alerts are a powerful tool in the coffee shop owner’s toolkit. They have the potential to keep customers engaged, informed, and excited to return for their next cup of coffee. By offering timely promotions, highlighting new products, and celebrating customer loyalty, push alerts create a direct connection that fosters deeper relationships.
With Espressly’s white-label apps, independent coffee shops can take advantage of this technology to drive sales, boost loyalty, and create an experience that rivals even the biggest chains. Whether it’s promoting seasonal favorites, driving afternoon sales, or making every customer feel special, push alerts are key to transforming customer engagement.
If you’re ready to give your coffee shop the power to connect directly with your customers and take your business to the next level, visit us at espressly.co or email us at info@espressly.co to learn more.
In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is paramount. Coffee shops, the haven for many in the midst of bustling lives, are increasingly seeking ways to enhance the customer experience. Order-ahead mobile apps have emerged as a game-changing solution, particularly when integrated with popular payment systems like Square. This white paper delves into the transformative power of these apps, building on insights from Espressly, an innovative player in this domain.
As a coffee shop owner, you understand that your business isn’t just about serving beverages; it’s about delivering an experience. The morning rush, the mid-day pick-me-up, or the late afternoon lull — each visit presents an opportunity to create lasting connections. But in a digitized era, how do you maintain this connection without physical presence? The answer: Order-ahead mobile apps.
Traditional walk-ins are still a substantial part of the coffee shop model, but the digital realm is expanding rapidly. With over 80% of Americans owning a smartphone, the move towards mobile ordering isn’t just inevitable — it’s already here.
Benefits:
Many coffee shops use Square for its robust POS and payment solutions. Marrying this with an order-ahead app amplifies its potential. Here’s why:
Espressly stands out in the realm of order-ahead apps. Their emphasis on creating tailor-made apps for individual coffee shops ensures a personalized touch, strengthening brand identity.
Notable Features:
Lucky Finn Cafe, with its three locations, exemplifies the success of integrating an order-ahead app with Square. Their collaboration with Espressly led to:
As the lines between the physical and digital blur, coffee shops must evolve. An order-ahead app, especially when integrated with trusted platforms like Square, isn’t just a trendy addition; it’s a necessity.
The transformation is more than just about sales. It’s about staying connected in a digital age, enhancing the customer experience, and ensuring that every cup served, be it in-shop or ordered ahead, is a testament to the coffee shop’s commitment to its patrons.
For those looking to embark on this digital journey, Espressly serves as the ideal partner, bridging tradition with innovation, one order at a time.
Now, you might be wondering, “How can my coffee shop offer a similar experience to Starbucks?” Enter Espressly, the solution that’s tailor-made for coffee shop owners looking to level up their business.
Espressly allows your customers to place their orders and make payments directly from their smartphones. With its user-friendly interface, customers can browse your menu, customize their drinks, and place their orders effortlessly. This seamless ordering process eliminates the need to wait in long lines, keeping your customers satisfied and coming back for more.
Espressly is designed to integrate seamlessly with Square, a trusted and widely-used payment processing system. This integration streamlines your payment processes and ensures that all transactions are secure and efficient. No more fumbling with cash or cards – everything is handled digitally, making life easier for both you and your customers.
Just like Starbucks, Espressly allows you to implement a rewards and loyalty program for your customers. Reward them for their loyalty with special offers, discounts, and freebies. This not only keeps your regulars happy but also encourages new customers to join your coffee-loving community.
Espressly makes it easy for customers to find your coffee shop. Using location services, customers can quickly locate your nearest café, making it a breeze for them to stop by for their daily fix. This convenience is essential for attracting new customers and ensuring repeat business.
Espressly understands that your coffee shop is unique. That’s why they offer custom branding options that allow you to maintain your individual identity. Your app will reflect your shop’s branding and style, ensuring a consistent customer experience.
In the ever-evolving world of coffee shops, staying competitive means adapting to changing customer expectations. The Starbucks mobile app has set the bar high, but with Espressly, you can offer a similar, if not better, experience to your customers. Mobile ordering, Square integration, rewards programs, location services, and custom branding – it’s all at your fingertips with Espressly.
Don’t wait for the competition to steal your customers. Brew your success today with Espressly, and keep your coffee shop one step ahead of the game. Your customers will thank you, and your bottom line will reflect the positive change. Embrace the future of coffee shop convenience with Espressly.
To learn more about how Espressly can transform your coffee shop, contact us today and take the first step toward a brighter, more successful future for your business.
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Espressly + Square + Coffee Shop not named Starbucks
“Software companies, when integrated together, can act as one, with you.”
We work to help coffee shops drive a sizable sales increase, while seeing bottom line profitability increase…..to ease stress at the store for everyone. Everyone working together to accomplish a task that people appreciate. Byproduct being “making money” in the shop…important of cost….it is a battle out there of course. So be it.
Read below to follow the logic to how we operate at Espressly….loving what Starbucks does as a company with their sales program. The mobile app they have of course is the tip of the spear for their sales program. Naturally…..
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I go to Starbuck’s every now and then. I use their app a decent amount. It is awesome. The menu looks great….but I do not order in app. I order at drive thru, but I always have them scan my phone so I can pay with my phone. I use the Apple Pay option to buy up Starbucks digital dollars when I do not have enough in the app to checkout. I never pay using a saved credit card. Always by “digital wallet”. They offer me twice as many stars to do this…..so I do it. I appreciate their respect for loyalty. I am literally putting actual cash in their mobile app digital account. It is sort of nuts. I read an article that said they have over $1.4 billion in their digital wallets. That was a while ago. Let’s assume they have over $1.5 billion in those accounts. They pay the customers zero in interest. In the same article that talked about how much money they have in the Starbucks Loyalty digital wallet program, I saw that they have no obligation whatsoever to pay any interest rate on that money. They even tapped into it during pandemic to fund what they had to fund. Totally allowable and well done. Good for them. Great work to the planners and engineers that did that. Starbucks is a solid rock out there in terms of businesses across all sectors. They deal in coffee…and we know how critical coffee is to people….Starbucks is an incredible company.
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Starbucks has their own point of sale system, it seems. It seems to work well for their baristas and other workers. It seems to have tons of items. Cool. It works well with their drive thru. They have a tight flow. It is appreciated by many.
Then…they have an amazing order ahead and/or pay at checkout flow where I can get my loyalty points.
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I make use of the above program because I appreciate what they do to give me some joy as the battle rages on beside me. I enjoy the “non home made coffee” (haha) every now and then. Not all the time…but sometimes.
I value that event…the going to the coffee shop to get a coffee event….whatever it looks like….by myself or not.
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One more thing…..Pup Cups at Starbucks….all coffee shops should have “Pup Cups” on the menu….
My wife and I have a dog. He is sort of crazy. His name is Mando…as in Mandalorian…as in Beskar steel (suppose that my wife and I are Star Wars fans). I have been bringing Mando out for rides with me recently to get him out. He is learning to be good with people around him that he does not know.
He is a good boy.
Anyway, I take him for a treat when I go for a treat at Starbucks. I started ordering a pup cup at drive thru….it is something he can have….first time I got it, I thought I was going to get charged $5.00 for it. It is a tiny cup of foamed milk I suppose…not even sure. It was free. $0.00. I was shocked. I really appreciated that….thanks to the Starbucks workers of course….Keeps him calm and helps us a ton.
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Starbucks does a great thing. Nothing but respect for that.
Nonetheless…..I also appreciate local shops. I go to local shops when I can as well or when I am in an area that has a local shop that we want to try.
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We really need to replicate what Starbucks does….at their awesome company that I am a customer of…..
So that coffee shops not named Starbucks can have a simple buying process for busy folks out there…..
Simple.
This is where Square comes in. Square is the world’s greatest point of sale system that is available to the public to sign up for, for nothing. Zero. You only pay for processing and premium features. You can use whatever device you have now…or you can buy some of their cool hardware. It is 100% up to you…..printers all that jazz.
They get you all the gear you need so you are as close to a clone of Starbucks as possible….
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At Espressly, we make the order ahead mobile app….for iPhone and for any Android smartphone…..ported once to both, sent to the Appstore and to Google Play Store…we get approval….then we share your links to you via email.
You get it tuned up after syncing with Square. Easy. One click.
Takes about 10 minutes maximum to set it all up once you get in the menu editor and settings. Even super complicated needs can be accomplished.
You literally can be Starbucks…on the tech front….
Square makes all that possible.
We are by no means done with all the work we need to do to get to what Starbucks does. We work….one day, then one more…advancing our Starbucks like ordering system….for coffee shops of any size…..single location, many location. Whatever. ALL powered by Square APIs
Orders print to the Square POS system…like Starbucks.
Labels print per the same KDS logic and basic printing logic….all the same. Like Starbucks.
Integration with Square Loyalty means that you have a loyalty system like Starbucks.
I think about how loyal I am to companies that help me great coffee. Starbucks only being one. We then work with other shops….we take this serious. We know what needs to be done. We do our best….but we do it all day and we follow what Starbucks is doing. They are good.
Anyone can get a mockup made. A dark theme. A light theme. We allow full customization….colors, icons, images, etc, etc….we get it just right. In app tipping.
Saved credit cards. Apple Pay. Square Loyalty points allowing you to earn both in app and in store…like Starbucks. I see what all the rewards I can work toward is in app….like Starbucks. I am told how many points I am going to earn if I checkout….I see it on the receipt. Good.
That is what we do at Espressly. That is precisely what we do. We do not work on anything other than the Square integration because we have chosen them as the world’s best point of sale system….they are that good.
Square sellers should know how respectful they are of developers. It is free to be a Square developer. They provide around the clock support via their Discord server. Bravo for that too. They are leaving Slack…probably something related to the bill being massive for what they needed. Anyway, amazing integration tech. It all works. It all sort of blows the covers off of what other point of sale systems have available for integration tech….only because they have been at it for 14 years.
It takes time to build the team that can accomplish what that software company has done for a long time. It is what they do. They are really good at it and they had a head start when compared with many other point of sale companies.
So ya….we make order ahead mobile apps for people that use Square for their coffee shop. Basically if there is no ask for delivery…and they use Square….it works great. Bakeries, shake shops, coffee shops, bagel shops….that stuff. Order for pickup and you get it when it is done. Simple…but important in terms of having a flow….very helpful.
The apps are integrated with Square Loyalty in so many ways. It is amazing to see that it is sort of like Starbucks….haha. Following along as we go….doing what we can.
I thank you to all the shop owners that have trusted this important task to us. We take great pride in only going as fast as we can go such that we never ever ever ever disturb even a single order. We do not have permission to advance at a rate any other than that. Having messed up orders is unacceptable. We found that delivery does not work. Plain and simple. So….if you really want the experience of some great coffee….a real treat (maybe even with your pup), consider walking or getting in the car…or riding a bike…or whatever….and stop by.
Anyway….we have improved our systems greatly. We are making apps go live. One went live today. That is always exciting to our team. Something special about it.
These are forever mobile apps with a forever point of sale system. Square is a rock. You need to be a rock. Do not look to be moving point of sales systems. You invest years into it. Do not switch over a few points in terms of processing cost……
Get your own app….you need what Starbucks has……if you cannot get what Starbucks has….find someone that can give that tech to you.
Espressly should definitely be in the running for that very specific task…..especially IF you are already using Square….and you happen to be a coffee shop or related business. Add your own app…..we charge no setup fee….zero….you will get your app….your own app, connected to Square in real time….settings in Square controlling the app. Some settings done in Espressly system.
Customers can earn in app or by ordering at the counter.
We can help reduce your labor costs and labor stress.
You perhaps started in the coffee business because you appreciate the ritual that is coffee. It has a special place for you. The path to being at peace in what you are doing is in help from tech. All offered under your name….not some 3rd party thing. It must be a first party order ahead app….like Starbucks.
Know what I mean?
Anyway, check us out at espressly.co if you want.
Go here to signup (this is all we need to start)….we ask for no money or payment method. We make your app…with you. Super easy.
You can scroll up and click the orange button that says “Get Demo”…….of course…..
or you can go to this link…same thing. Fill the form and we have what we need. The form asks the right questions of course.
If you are not using Square yet, here you go:
https://squareup.com/signup/us
All we need to know is when you have a Square account open….we can sync as you click a big blue button in Square that will come up in your squareup.com account portal (for Square)….that page shows that Espressly is looking to connect. It lists what we will have a real time 2 way sync on in terms of data. Then the work that we have done to build on top of Square takes over. Simple. Nothing more than that….you market your app….tell people to download it in the App Store or on Google Play.. It keeps your menu and all settings accurate….like Starbucks.
Making apps for local shops to run businesses that are more profitable…with less labor….to reduce overall stress….we know that we are part of that equation. We do not take our task lightly.
A special thank you to our team and to the folks that have believed in our team for a long time….hammering away. Work to be done. On it.
For those we work with…there is one must have that we should seriously add…..in the app of course….
Pup cups.
Then we would have Starbucks level tech in place to make ordering easy…you then just make your higher quality coffee. Customers will shift from Starbucks if you can deliver the same ordering experience via app. Mando would love a pup cup while out on a ride to get some morning coffee.
That is where we are.
Point of sale is no longer a screen in a store that employees interact with.
The point of sale in today’s busy world is iPhone and Android. Customers are operating the point of sale…we prefer that…it is easier…Easy reorder, saved favorites, saved payment method, digital wallet, in app loyalty….i would rather order in app with all this. I appreciate the loyalty rewards. I do. We all do.
I am going to start ordering in Starbucks app instead of paying at counter. Will see how this goes…I sense I will continue to use in app ordering. Will give it a go….it is compelling. I hope to be able to work with more great coffee shops and with Square and their tech to advance this….
I don’t happen to have a coffee shop within 10 minutes of me that is not named Starbucks…..if I did, and ordering was all done in app like at Starbucks….I would perhaps not go to Starbucks. I don’t know. Maybe I would alternate. Not sure….would love to find out.
I hope that this is what we provide to people out there. I was looking at the order count from customers yesterday. I noticed that someone that uses the Hansa Coffee app has ordered just about 1,500 times…..I think about that….1,500…that is a lot. The only other app I have ordered that much from is perhaps Amazon. Yup, amazon. That customer is amazing. Thank you customer. We are here for you.
I see all the point of sale companies out there. There are lots of good ones.
At Espressly, we endorse Square at the highest level. My advice to any coffee shop is to use Square. I have found a lot of people that say the cost is too great for Square. I hear it. What if you could have a Starbucks like tech experience while you simply continue to do what you do with your Square account….plus a few other new things that are specific to the app? How much would a system that could handle all that stuff be worth to you in terms of sanity in your business? I think in that scenario…when you factor in Square costs….plus Espressly costs……you are in a much, much more favorable position if it can be executed by all parties.
It can be. You can do it easily. We don’t manage any menu level items, categories etc….on behalf of coffee shops at Espressly. The shops manage all of it….occasionally we are called in to help…..we help ASAP….our development list is commonly halted to work on priority tasks for shops that need something that requires custom coding. Of course we do. Once we clear those priority tasks, we just get back to advancing deeper into Square land. Their tech is second to none. The community that they have built for and with developers is much appreciated and respected in the developer world. A respectable company doing good work…..operating at a profit. Making money. Stable.
Remember….Starbucks….very stable….I put money in their digital wallet systems…..like a bank account.
Moving around with point of sale is not recommended. Avoid at all costs. It is focusing on the wrong problem. The challenge is not saving on processing fees. Moving of money is a “race to the bottom” game….they all have the most competitive rates possible……they all want a piece of that pie. Apple is a beast….they want to be Apple. Square’s tech is very Apple like. 14 years cannot be faked. Jack Dorsey as co-founder.
Have or get Square……
then your app.
A forever app….for coffee shops….that is the plan.
– Joe Capone, CEO and Co-Founder, Espressly Inc.
Brewing Loyalty: The Value and Logic of a Punch Card Loyalty Program in a Coffee Shop’s White Label Order Ahead Mobile App
Introduction
In today’s fast-paced world, where coffee has become an integral part of our daily routine, coffee shops have sought innovative ways to build customer loyalty and enhance their overall experience. One effective strategy that has gained immense popularity is the implementation of punch card loyalty programs. These programs, often integrated into white label order ahead mobile apps, have drawn inspiration from successful initiatives like Starbucks’ loyalty program. This article explores the value and logic behind a punch card loyalty program in a coffee shop’s mobile app, emphasizing its ability to reward customers, boost brand loyalty, and provide a seamless ordering experience.
The Punch Card Loyalty Program: A Brief Overview
A punch card loyalty program is a rewards system that offers customers incentives for their loyalty and repeated patronage. In this case, it’s adapted to a white label order ahead mobile app for coffee shops. The program typically rewards customers with points, stars, or stamps for every purchase they make, whether it’s through the app or in person. Once a customer accumulates a certain number of points or stars, they can redeem them for free items, discounts, or exclusive perks, all within the convenience of the app or in-store.
Value and Logic Behind the Program
Conclusion
Incorporating a punch card loyalty program into a white label order ahead mobile app, much like Starbucks’ successful initiative, is a win-win strategy for coffee shops and their customers. It fosters brand loyalty, encourages customer engagement, and provides a seamless and convenient ordering experience. Furthermore, it enables data-driven personalization and word-of-mouth marketing, giving coffee shops a competitive edge in the industry.
As coffee lovers continue to seek their daily caffeine fix, these loyalty programs offer the perfect blend of rewards and convenience, ensuring customers keep coming back for that special cup of coffee and the enticing perks that come with it.
Square is your POS at your cafe. Great decision. This article is for those that have already decided to use Square and have transactions occurring in their Square account.
Starbucks has an app. Their app drives a lot of business and keeps customers coming back.
Your cafe app can do the same.
If you have multiple locations, make sure your app can support the idea that each location could have a different menu. Some items or some modifiers can’t be stocked in all stores. Items run out throughout the day. It is important to be able to mark items as unavailable, whether it be for the remainder of the day, until turned back on, or permanently.
A mobile app experience is an extension of your store operational habits, but it is not exactly the same. For instance, you might want to close mobile ordering 5 minutes prior to in store closing hours. A 10 drink mobile order coming in 5 seconds before closing can certainly be an issue for staff and customers.
There are messages you want to show customers for instructing them on how to pickup their items, whether it is a curbside, counter, or drive thru order. Your app should allow setting these so they show.
In terms of curbside, why not let a customer indicate the vehicle they are going to be arriving in…then give them a chance to confirm or edit that vehicle on arrival. A customer would click “I’m Here” in the app when arriving and this can send a message to your Square terminal so staff knows the customer is there and which vehicle they are in.
One thing that Starbucks has is an in app digital wallet. Digital wallets have become sort of the expected experience with the large corporate chains. You too can have a digital wallet in your app. With a single “points” bucket, you can give customers a Welcome Bonus upon signing up, you can reward them with points as they checkout in your app (2%, 5%, etc), and you can offer an opportunity to deposit $5, $10, $20, etc into their digital wallet. The nice thing with that is the obvious impact seen through multiple orders being placed with the funds, but also, you can save a good amount on processing. If Square charges you 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction, you can now incentivize customers to deposit $20. This $20 could be enough money to place 4 orders. Rather than 4 transaction fees, now you pay only 1 in this scenario.
There are an almost endless number of things know. The point of it all is that a mobile app for your cafe can really help drive sales and retain customers. Starbucks and the other large chains are becoming tech companies in many ways. Your cafe business can have a quality app for customers to use when they order.
Espressly specializes in building apps for cafes and has worked to make the most complete integration with Square as is possible, per what Square makes available to developers.
There is no setup fee and with a simple 4% commission model (or pay $149 per location*), you can get started without much effort.
Fill out the CONTACT form or setup a call to learn more.
*fixed monthly amount requires an 18 month commitment
Battling menu decay
What is menu decay?
You thought managing some basic content and images on a website was bad. It is all too common to see a website of some local business that has images that are clearly very outdated.
Many people that has a cafe or restaurant that offer online ordering can find that things are nice and tidy when they start with a given provider of online ordering. The settings, the hours, the menu item, the modifiers – they all look so great at the start. Then, over time, the menu offered in store or in the POS changes. Prices change. Items change. You name it. It changes. The one known is that there is going to be change. At first, emailing a new menu or emailing to get changes done seems OK. As changes are not properly communicated to the online ordering system, confidence in the system starts to erode. Customers place orders and there are errors. This causes friction for them and for your shop. The problem is that it is really challenging to manage a menu in more than one location. The POS typically has the perfect menu as this drives in store orders. The prices, the addons, etc…they are all correct. They match the menu boards and printed menus. They have to….the effort that goes into making sure they are perfect is worth it. There is no other option when it comes to the POS.
Participating on 3rd party ordering platforms can seem great at first, and it certainly can be forever….but what if the menu isn’t perfect? From experience, we see that many times that errors are sort of “allowed” because “the online ordering platform drives customers to us”. Folks get sold on the idea that it is a necessary problem. There is no way around it.
Accepting menu decay for reason x, y, or z leads to decay and friction in your business. It makes every party involved less excited to come to work or to order from your shop. The online ordering partners ultimately get you to accept it and you deal with carrying the burden – customers are going to have issues and you bear the brunt of it of course, unfortunately.
What if the menu decay that is eroding business was replaced with a shining beacon of efficiency and accuracy? That would lead to lower blood pressure and increased peace for all – maybe.
To achieve this peace, there are some basic requirements.
Now we can switch topics to software providers that are able to deliver this level of peacefulness to your business (regardless of “price” – although important, it is another topic to consider that once again cannot replace the importance of having systems that “work”)
There are 3rd party online ordering partners….but they are not your in store POS.
There are 3rd party online ordering partners that have some basic integration with various POS. Not all “integrations” are created equal. It is not IF they integrate. It is IF the solution allows for managing everything in one location. If you or someone at your company or at the 3rd part ordering company need to do redundant work, menu decay will occur. Humans are humans. It is OK. Mistakes happen. People miss things….this does not change the golden rule: Your menu in your ordering solution must be 100% accurate, all the time.
What it would take is a POS company that has next level engineering infrastructure that would allow the company that exclusively works on web or mobile app ordering to interface with the POS company to deliver a truly connected, end to end synced product. The two function as one solution. Make changes in the POS and the changes are applied instantly to the mobile app or website. Changes must occur for categories, items, variations/sizes, modifier sets, modifiers, hours of operations, open/close status for the week, open/closed status for emergencies that result in needing to turn off ordering, image syncing, description syncing, payment processing using one unified solution, reporting in the POS panel for all orders, refund capabilities, etc. Everything needs to be done from the POS.
If this could be done….then there is a basis for which you can confidently rule out the “menu decay” issue. Customers can get your most current items, prices, modifiers, etc, etc, etc.
From there, the orders placed with this accurate system must of course flow directly into the standard POS terminal for which workers interact with in store. One terminal to handle it all. That way nothing is ever missed and there are no curve balls for the store staff.
Square has this. They have all the tools needed to power such a product. They power it. You power it.
We saw this capability. We see how great Square is as a POS option for cafes, bakeries, donut shops, and specialty shake shops. Square deserves a lot of credit. Shops that have selected Square deserve a ton of credit. These same shops deserve such a solution – one that eliminates “menu decay”…..one that powers peacefulness and efficiency. One that helps retain workers. One that helps them make more and one that helps a shop to be profitable and remain profitable, with order and predictability.
The work carries on. We are pleased to see what Square continues to offer and support and advance.
Also, the mobile app we could make for you only has your brand. It is your app. It is what customers think is a great way to place their daily coffee orders. There is also a reward program to keep them coming back, and yes, that is synced with Square as well. Of course. It has to be.
We do not charge a setup fee.
You connect your Square account with a single click. Easy.
We help with all settings and explaining how to get maximum efficiency and use out of your app and Square instance.
4% commission. No other fees. Cancel anytime. Simple.
Contact us at info@espressly.co to get a demo of the system described above. We are here to help.
With Instagram being one of the most reliable channels to reach existing and would be cafe customers, it is no wonder that we see so many beautiful images of lattes, iced coffees, pastries, and the like. 8 out of 10 Americans consume coffee in some manner and to so many of us, a good coffee can really represent a moment of peace and sanity. We love it. We love great cafes and all the wonderful people that dedicate themselves to getting the job done at these cafes.
In an effort to help connect the Instagram users that see posts that cafe owners publish, we want to point out how using promo codes in Square in conjunction with those same Instagram posts, can drive sales to your business.
Simply login to your Square POS portal at squareup.com. Once signed in, visit the following URL –
https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/6880-create-a-coupon-in-square-online-store
That Square page details the steps for creating a promo code in your Square account.
We have pasted some of the content from that page below:
To create a coupon in Square Online:
You can then proceed to creating your coupon code. Name it whatever you want of course. You can set the expiration and you can decide on redeeming it as a percentage discount or a fixed dollar discount. There is also a setting where you can allow it to be used on any order or you can select specific items for where it can be applied. Square, like always, has done an amazing job with building out the tools that are needed to excite customers of your business.
Create as many coupon codes as you would like. Note that you can even create one time use codes for customer service issues. Once that single person uses that single code, it cannot be used again. These can be handy tools when it comes to keeping the customer journey and experience in line with what is needed in a business. We all love to be taken care of of course with a special discount. Allowing buyers to redeem it in your app is a nice touch.
Once the coupon code is created, share it wherever you want.
In regard to Instagram, we recommend using an app called Text Art. This app will let you start with a solid color canvas or you can upload an image of coffee or whatever. After uploading you can easily insert a layer on the image and you can type your message (including the promo code of course AND the link or steps for how to download your mobile app).
Include some basic text about the promotion details in the image caption and publish. Something as simple as “Search for the XYZ Cafe app in the AppStore and on Google Play. Use our app to order ahead and save on your next visit.”
If you are really feeling wild, take some time to get familiar with the advanced targeting that is available in the Facebook Ads Manager. From there, you can decide on a budget and get your ad seen on Instagram and Facebook by the precise groups of people that can ultimately convert to sales in your cafe. We can give you statistics for app downloads at any time as well.
One big loop of wonderful coffee products, satisfied employees and baristas, marketing where your ideal customers are, a modern app for your business, and savings to be had at the same time. When orders are placed, it can flow right into your Square POS. Rinse and repeat. That way, you can focus on all the other stuff you have going on in your world.
Here is an order in Square showing a promo code as being redeemed (code is Test1). The customer also used Loyalty points ($1.00) and paid the remainder on credit card.
We are here to help. Contact us by completing the contact form HERE at any point if you would like to learn more. Your app awaits. ❤️ ? ☕️