In 2023, coffee is more popular than it’s ever been. In this guide, you can discover exactly what today’s modern coffee consumers are looking for and how this is ultimately shaping the coffee industry.
According to Drive Research, 3 in 4 Americans drink coffee every single day – which is huge. Furthermore, 49% of people drink 3 to 5 cups of coffee per day too. With statistics like this, it’s impossible not to see that coffee is an integral part of human life. You drink it. Your friends drink it. Your family drinks it. Basically, almost everyone drinks it!
However, despite how popular coffee has become, this doesn’t mean that coffee consumers are easy to please. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. The modern coffee consumer is incredibly demanding and won’t accept any plain old cup of coffee. Nope – they want perfection. So, what exactly do today’s coffee consumers want? Whether you’re a coffee roaster or a coffee shop owner, you’ll no doubt want to know the answer to this. It’s time to take a closer look.
Here Are The 5 Things:
- Specific Roasting
The coffee process begins at ground level. Here, green coffee beans are harvested and then transported for processing. After being processed, green coffee beans are then roasted. During roasting, important factors include the temperature, airflow, and drum speed, as they ultimately dictate the end result.
Roasting specialists will typically purchase coffee beans from green coffee importers, as this enables them to buy green coffee beans in bulk. Some people prefer light roast coffee, while others prefer dark roast coffee. There are even middle-of-the-road consumers who prefer medium-roast coffee.
As the owner of a coffee shop, hotel, or another type of business, it’s important to stock up on coffee beans with different roast levels. This way, you can satisfy customer demand and avoid alienating potential future customers. Remember, everyone is different when it comes to their personal coffee preferences – and this is primarily to do with the roasting.
- A Variety of Flavors
These days, it’s all about offering consumers a wide variety of coffee flavors, they are looking for alternatives to Alkaline Coffee. The more variety, the better.
Some of the most popular flavors at the moment include:
- Pumpkin spice
- Cinnamon
- Peppermint
- Hazelnut
- French Vanilla
Remember, people pick and choose flavors depending on the mood they’re in on that specific day. If you only offer the same run-of-the-mill flavors, your consumers will get bored and try out other suppliers instead – simple.
It’s also a good idea to survey your consumers in order to discover what their current favorite flavors are. You might uncover some interesting trends, such as a sway towards a handful of specific flavors. If so, you’ll then be able to make changes to satisfy demand.
For inspiration, you can look at Starbucks – a brand that knows all about how to satisfy consumer demand. As of 2023, its most popular drinks are the vanilla latte, iced white chocolate mocha, and pumpkin spice latte. These are three types of drinks that are easily distinguishable and offer variety, which is why they’ve been put at the forefront of Starbucks’ marketing.
- Sustainability
In the era of climate change and green initiatives, all kinds of consumers – including coffee consumers – have started to care a lot more about sustainability.
It might come as a surprise to you, but there are actually many different ways that you can make your coffee process more sustainable. This includes:
- Sourcing sustainable coffee beans
- No more single-use plastics
- Composting your coffee grounds
- Supplying consumers with reusable cups
- Using recyclable coffee pods
Introducing green, sustainable practices to your coffee brand or shop is going to help you attract significantly more consumers. This is supported by a recent NielsenIQ study that discovered 78% of US consumers say that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. They don’t want to purchase services and goods that are having a harmful impact on the environment – and this includes their morning coffee!
- Fair Pricing
It’s no secret that there’s a cost-of-living crisis affecting most parts of the world. Unfortunately, this has led to inflation and the cost of many goods rising. Now, coffee shops are charging almost $5 on average for a cup of coffee, which has never been witnessed before. Such huge price hikes in the world of coffee have ultimately led to people having to make cutbacks.
For example, rather than buying 2 cups of coffee today, people are now much more likely to only buy 1. Surprisingly, Starbucks has received backlash for its price hikes and changes to its loyal program, which shows that even the biggest players in the industry are having to make changes.
With this in mind, it’s essential to do everything in your power to provide coffee consumers with fair pricing. Even if it means taking a slight hit to your revenue, fairer pricing will enable you to keep consumers loyal at a time when many are switching coffee brands.
- Loyalty Programs
Buying coffee isn’t something that people do only once or twice a week. Instead, it’s a daily habit. People need their morning caffeine boost, which is why millions of workers go to their local coffee chains before heading into the office.
Because people purchase coffee so frequently (usually from the same provider), they want to participate in loyalty programs. This is something you now see being provided by Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and all of the other major chains.
In a nutshell, loyalty programs enable consumers to collect points and then effectively spend them on freebies. It’s fun and harmless to get consumers more engaged while also rewarding them for consistently using your coffee shop or brand. To get started with a loyalty program, it’s recommended that you contact a web or app developer to get everything set up.
Final Thoughts
Moving into the future, you now know what today’s coffee consumers want. They’re looking for specific roasting, variety, sustainability, fair pricing, and loyalty programs. The sooner you can tick these boxes, the quicker you’ll start to experience increased success, whether you’re a small coffee shop or a growing chain. Good luck!
