Maximising Revenue from Your Most Loyal Coffee Drinkers

Phil Ingram
Nov 26
3 min read

If you look at the queue snaking out of your door at 8:30 am, it looks like a single mass of customers. But from a business perspective, that queue is not uniform. It is divided into two distinct groups.

There are the transients: the people who are there because you were closest, or open, or they had a voucher.

Then, there are the anchors: the people who walked past two other coffee shops to get to yours. They come 3-5 times a week. They know your menu. They trust your brand.

Most coffee shop marketing focuses on attracting the transients (the new faces). But the real profitability—the hidden goldmine—lies in the anchors. According to the Pareto Principle, 80% of your future revenue will likely come from just 20% of your existing customers.

The strategic goal, therefore, isn't just to keep these regulars; it is to maximise their "share of wallet." You want to ensure that every dollar they spend on caffeine and snacks is spent with you.

Here are three business strategies to unlock more value and maximise revenue from your most loyal customers.

1. The "At-Home" Conversion (Capture the Whole Habit)

Your best customers love your coffee. They drink it 5 times a week in your shop. But they probably drink coffee 7 days a week, often multiple times a day. If they are buying their weekend beans or their home-brewing equipment from a supermarket or Amazon, you are leaving money on the table.

The Strategy: Turn your shop into their exclusive supplier.

Educate, Don't Just Display: Don't just put bags of beans on a shelf. Train your baristas to bridge the gap. "If you love the fruity notes in this Pour Over, you should try this bag of Ethiopian beans at home."
The "Grind and Go" Service: Remove the friction. Offer to grind the beans for their specific home setup (French Press, Moka Pot) right there at the till.
The Subscription Model: Offer a simple "Coffee Club" subscription where regulars can pick up a fresh bag every Friday for the weekend.

2. Strategic "Day-Parting" (The Second Visit)

You likely own their morning routine. But do you own their afternoon slump? Many regulars visit at 8 am, then head to a vending machine or a competitor for a 2 pm pick-me-up.

The Strategy: Create a compelling reason for the "double dip."

The Receipt Bounce-Back: A classic tactic. "Show your morning receipt after 2 pm and get 50% off any espresso-based drink."
The Afternoon Exclusive: Create a product that is specifically designed for the afternoon—like a "Coffee & Cake" pairing or a smaller, cheaper "piccolo & pastry" deal—that targets the 3 pm sugar crash.

3. The "Premium" Upsell (Habit Stacking)

Your regulars are creatures of habit. They order the "usual" without looking at the menu. This speed is great for throughput, but bad for Average Transaction Value (ATV). They stop noticing your new pastries or seasonal specials.

The Strategy: Break the autopilot with "Habit Stacking."

Sampling: Don't wait for them to ask. Cut your new banana bread into bite-sized samples and place them right at the POS during the morning rush. The conversion rate from "tasting" to "adding to order" is incredibly high.
The "Regulars" Menu: Launch a high-margin seasonal drink (e.g., a "Spiced Maple Oat Latte") and frame it as a recommendation for your regulars. "I know you usually get the flat white, Dave, but you have to try this today."

The Final Step: Sophisticated Tracking with meed

These strategies rely on knowing who your regulars are. But in a busy cafe, faces blur. You can't rely on your baristas to remember every customer's buying habits or who bought beans last month.

Paper cards are useless here. They track volume, not value. They can't tell you who your "bean buyers" are or who visits twice a day.

This is why implementing meed is the ultimate revenue-maximising tip.

meed gives you the digital infrastructure to execute these strategies with precision.

Target the "Bean Buyers": You can set up a specific digital stamp card for retail coffee bags (e.g., "Buy 9 Bags, Get the 10th Free"). This specifically incentivises the high-value "At-Home" conversion.
Automate the "Afternoon" Nudge: meed can send a push notification or coupon at 1 pm to your morning regulars: "Need a boost? 50% off coffee for members this afternoon."
Identify the VIPs: meed’s dashboard highlights your top 10% of customers. You can then send them an exclusive, high-value reward (like a free bag of beans on their birthday) to lock in their loyalty for life.