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6 Holiday Marketing Tips for Coffee Shops

Brewing Up Success

Steaming mugs of holiday cheer are synonymous with the festive season, and coffee shops have a unique opportunity to not only warm hearts but also boost their business during Christmas. For Ripples customers, the art of marketing is as nuanced as crafting the perfect cup of coffee. Here, we’re sharing six marketing tips to help you make the most of the holiday season.

1. Serve up a Seasonal Menu

We might as well start with the simplest suggestion. Introduce limited-time holiday-themed drinks that your customers won’t want to miss, and that make you the perfect destination to kick off a day of Christmas shopping.

Ripples Customer Example: Tipo Cafe in Italy serves up a hazelnut latte topped with a sweet cinnamon foam.

2. Host Holiday Activities

Set yourself apart by offering unique events to celebrate the season. Whether a kids story time or a grown-up craft night, you can help drive traffic on less busy nights while potentially attracting an entirely new crowd looking to linger and build community.  Try partnering with a local business in another industry and market to both of your lists to increase the reach and impact of your event.

Ripples Customer Example:  The Palm Cafe near Vancouver will partner with a local farm to host a Christmas Wreath Workshop this December.

3. Decorate Your Way

Holiday decorations can transform your coffee shop int a cozy and festive retreat, but you don’t have to follow the crowd with the same old decorations and color schemes.

Ripples Customer Example:  Pink Dot Cafe in Greece sets itself apart with its own unique and stunning take on Christmas decorations, extending their cheerful pink feminine branding into the holiday season.

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A post shared by pinkdot.gr (@pinkdot.gr)

4. Sell Seasonal Merchandise and Gift Sets

An exclusive holiday gift set is a way to build excitement for your merchandise, boost your brand identity, and offer loyal customers a way to share their support while at the same time getting an easy gift option for themselves or a loved one.

Ripples Customer Example:  Joffrey’s Coffee in Florida sells a limited holiday gift set that customers “look forward to buying every year.”

5. Offer a  Giveaway

A holiday contest is the perfect way to inspire good will towards your brand while boosting your social media engagement for the year ahead.

Ripples Customer Example: Cafe Lola in Las Vegas offered up all kinds of goodies for their 12 Days of Lola celebration. With each friend @tagged counting as an extra entry, and offering extra points for everyone who shared on stories, this trendsetting coffee shop perfectly positioned itself for increased customer interactions online.

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A post shared by Café Lola (@ilovecafelola)

6. Close Your Doors

Show gratitude to your customers and especially to your team this season by closing on the holiday. Your customers will value and appreciate that your staff has time off to celebrate with their loved ones. Just make sure you announce this early, though so no one thinks you’re open and goes traipsing through the snow.

Ripples Customer Example: Last year Wild Oak Cafe in California made this lovely, gratitude-filled video to announce their Thanksgiving hours.

Conclusion

The holiday season is a unique time of year for coffee shops to blend festive joy with increased sales opportunities. We hope you can put the above tactics to work to create customer experiences imbued with holiday magic.

Rebecca Connors
Rebecca Connors - November 13, 2023