Unique Things You Can Sell in a Coffee Shop

Unique Things You Can Sell in a Coffee Shop

Unique Things You Can Sell in a Coffee Shop

If you are starting a coffee shop, the chances are you will be focused on two things:

• Who your target market is and
• How will you differentiate your coffee shop from your competition?

These two questions ultimately combine into one question: What are you going to sell in your coffee shop?

Fortunately, when it comes to selling things in a coffee shop, the sky’s the limit!

Things to sell at a coffee shop include coffee, of course! But we’re talking bags of whole bean and ground coffee, too. While your customers may order a coffee and muffin, they can take a bag of whole beans home with them. By offering whole-bean coffee to take home, you can increase your sales and keep your coffee inventory fresh.

Aside from whole bean coffee, other essential items you can sell at your coffee shop are various teas, smoothies, healthy drinks, seasonal drinks, alcoholic beverages, to-go snacks, merchandise and souvenirs, local art, plants, and coffee brewing systems.

What Should You Sell In a Coffee Shop?

Unique Things You Can Sell in a Coffee Shop

Everything Coffee-Related Can Be Sold

As you brainstorm with your coffee menu, don’t take any products off the table yet.

We say this with two important caveats. First, you want to understand your target market. Second, you don’t want to overwhelm your customers with too many items, or your sales could dip. Too many things for sale can lead to shoppers’ paralysis.

However, you want to entertain useful and unique items to sell in a coffee shop that appeals to your specific customers. Additionally, what you sell at your coffee shop may require specific permits and licenses. 

We recommend that you take some time to study your target market, the local competition, and other demographic information that may help you decide on what to sell at your coffee shop.

Things to Sell in a Coffee Shop:

Make Your Customers Happy, Maximize Your Profits, & Have Fun Exploring

Whole Bean Coffee

Whole bean coffee offered by the pound or kilo is essential to upsell at every coffee shop sale.  Before you ring up every sale, consider asking: “Would you also like to take a bag of our amazing Guatemala coffee home with you?”

Not only does this help generate more significant sales per customer, but it also enables you to move your coffee inventory. Moving your coffee inventory helps keep your coffee on hand fresh.

Teas

Aside from coffee, teas are consumed quite often at coffee shops. You might estimate that 15% to 20% of all of your orders will probably contain a tea purchase. That is, a family of three might order two lattes and a London Fog, featuring Earl Gray tea.

Therefore, you want to make sure that you have unique teas available – herbal, caffeinated, or medicinal. Fortunately, some wholesale tea suppliers can quickly ship right to your coffee shop.  Besides providing hot fresh tea for your customers, consider offering your customers tea to take home as well. You might have readily made bags of loose tea to sell by the ounce. Of course, this helps if your teas are unique and hard-to-find.

Smoothies

Smoothies are a significant source of revenue for many retail businesses. With the incredible variation and endless possibilities of ingredients, the great news is that smoothies can appeal to nearly everyone, including your coffee shop customers! Offering smoothies can boost your income and be a unique and easily customizable product for your customers.

Learn How to Start a Coffee Shop Successfully

Healthy Items

In addition to smoothies and teas, you can serve other healthy drinks like pure, freshly squeezed orange juice. Additionally, you can offer freshly squeezed wheatgrass, aloe vera juice, and chia seed drink, among others. There are plenty of menu options to provide for your customers to drive sales.

In addition to healthy beverages, you can also offer various unique products, such as milk substitutes. These may include soy milk, hemp milk, almond milk, and oat milk. You should strongly consider adding gluten-free products, vegan items, Kosher items, and nut-free items to your coffee shop menu board.

Seasonal Drinks

Special drinks during specific times of the year can boost the holiday spirit as well as your bottom line. The great thing about offering seasonal drinks is that your customers will gravitate to what’s new.  An inherent scarcity is built into your seasonal drinks that propels people to buy them as they know that these drinks will be unavailable soon.

Finally, your customers expect seasonal beverages to be offered, and they will be ready to make purchases. For example, around the Fall or autumn, they may be interested in pumpkin-spiced lattes. In the winter months, they may want peppermint or cinnamon lattes. And, of course, you will be getting lots of requests for cold brew in the summer months.

The variety of seasonal drinks throughout the year still makes each product unique to sell at your coffee shop.

Things to Sell at a Coffee Shop

(Continued Below)

Energy-based Drinks

Energy-based drinks are indeed a sales-boosting item to sell at your coffee shop. Aside from coffee, people come to coffee shops to get their daily boost in other ways. Trendy energy drinks like Red Bull or Monster are standard. However, other plant-based energy drinks can create unique coffee shop beverages for your customers to enjoy too. Additionally, these drinks have a wide variety of flavors, higher-than-average profit margins, and could bring repeat business.

Alcoholic Beverages

Alcoholic beverages in individual coffee shops and cafes can undoubtedly bring in a whole different target market. This is especially true if your coffee shop is open later in the day or into the evening.

Alcoholic beverage brings a whole different concept, marketing, and operational configuration to your business that you will want to explore in-depth. Still, adding alcoholic beverages to your coffee shop menu is one great way to offer unique items to sell at your coffee shop.

To-Go Snacks

The name of the game in most coffee shop businesses is convenience. Many of your customers will be in-and-out in minutes. While many would love to stay, sit, and chat, plenty of customers will have to take their coffee on the run. To sell more items at your coffee shop, you will need to offer convenient choices that are appealing. You may provide snacks that are individually packaged. Just be sure that they are high-quality items. Your customers will feel better if they don’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience.

Learn How to Start a Coffee Shop Successfully

Merchandise

Selling t-shirts, coffee mugs, thermoses, or baseball caps with your traditional coffee shop items can be a big sales booster. Additionally, your merchandise is a unique item that your coffee shop customers can’t get anywhere else.

What’s excellent about selling merchandise is that it affirms customer loyalty, brings in revenue, and develops great brand awareness. If you are a board game coffee shop, you can sell games.

Finally, with your unique coffee shop merch on hand, you can work to develop your coffee shop website too. In addition to selling coffee online, you can also offer special branded items on your website.

Souvenirs

Depending on your location, your coffee shop could be an excellent place to offer tourists unique local souvenirs. Unique souvenirs for visiting customers could drive customers and improve sales.

Coffee Brewing Systems

f you run a coffee shop, the chances are that most of your customers are brewing coffee from home. Selling brewing systems or devices can be a unique product offering that could improve your sales as well. While you might not sell large espresso machines, you may consider selling pour-over brewers, Aeropress devices, and cone filters, for example.

Local Art

Selling art items at your coffee shop does a few essential things. Art items are among the unique items you can sell at your coffee shop. They can also bring in significant revenue, attract new customers, and provide your coffee shop with a uniquely changing ambiance.

Plants & Flowers

Plants and flowers can make a lovely product line addition to your coffee shop. With various plants and flower options, you can drive sales skyward. It's easy to start small, too. Simply put out a shelf outside with buckets of bouquets or potted succulents and small plants.

Unique Services

Selling unique items can also move into unique coffee shop services. There are plenty of exceptional services that you can provide in your coffee shop business. You can offer a coffee and food delivery service. You can work with your local university or poetry groups to host a poetry night.

In addition to poetry, you can offer a movie night, open mic night, or music concert and charge at the door. Finally, you may add some basic groceries to your product offerings. All of these ultimately depend on your location and customers' needs, particular zoning issues, and the terms of your lease.

What Should You Sell In a Coffee Shop?

Your Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy

All of your product offerings could play a role in your overall coffee shop marketing strategy. Your menu items will be key elements in your effort to differentiate your coffee shop from the competition. Each product should affirm your overall coffee shop brand, customer service, and even your barista hiring choices.

For example, if you decide to serve freshly baked items, this should be embedded in your marketing and promotions. If you serve alcoholic beverages and host open-mic nights, you may promote your coffee shop differently.  Start with your menu if you are wondering how to market or promote your coffee shop.

At first, it may be difficult to forecast your coffee shop sales, but as you learn more about what your customers want, you'll increase your profits.

Unique Things You Can Sell In a Coffee Shop

As you can see, there are plenty of unique things you can sell in a coffee shop. Finding the right one that works for your coffee shop will take a little research. Your offerings may also depend on your coffee shop concept. For example, if you have a mobile coffee truck, you may need to alter your product offerings due to your capacity for space.

Remember:

• Determine who your target customer is
• Know what your customer wants
• Stay true to your concept and branding

We’ve covered many possibilities that you can sell at your coffee shop. We will summarize the things you can sell at a coffee shop below:

• Whole Bean
• Teas
• Smoothies
• Healthy Drinks
• Seasonal Drinks
• Alcohol Beverages
• To-Go Snacks
• Merchandise
• Souvenirs
• Board Games
• Video Games
• Coffee Brewing Systems
• Local Art
• Unique Services
• Delivery
• Poetry
• Music
• Grocery store

What to Sell at a Coffee Shop?

What Your Coffee Shop Customers Need

Study your coffee shop location and target market, and look at the potential customers you’ll be serving. Then, constantly revisit your concept and ask yourself these questions:

• Who will your primary customer be?
• Does this locale support your target market?
• Will the local target market support your concept?
• Where will the majority of your customers be during their day? For example, they may need a quick cup of coffee before starting work, or they may be looking to lounge with friends after work.
• What do your customers want that the competition can provide?
• What do your customers want that the competition can’t provide?

To answer these questions, you might want to visit local coffee shops and other community spots, count customers at your competitors’, talk to local businesses, schools, and neighbors, and even run an online or offline survey (through your website or email marketing).

Understanding your customers' needs will help you determine what you will sell at your coffee shop.

What Your Coffee Shop Customers Expect

As a coffee shop, many customers will have certain expectations about what products you’ll likely have. This would include espresso-based drinks, teas, and hot chocolate.

Additionally, you may have a variety of baked goods, such as muffins, tarts, and donuts.

The concept you are trying to realize in your coffee shop might not resonate with the local customers. That’s why you need to figure out who your target customer is in the first place and find the area populated by your ideal customers. If you are starting from the opposite end – for example, you already own or rent premises in a particular place and want to start a coffee shop there – study the local customers and their needs for beverages and food.

What the Competition Is Doing

It’s essential to understand what your coffee shop competitors offer that might be appealing. For example, will you provide some variety for beverages or food that will compete directly with your competitors or substitute competitors?

It’s probably not a good idea to start a coffee shop in an area with several chain coffee shops and a drive-thru coffee stand. However, if you are sure that your concept will make you stand out in the crowd, you might want to give it a shot. First, you should explain the reason behind higher prices: it might be your superior coffee, service, or pastries that no one else has.

What to Sell in a Coffee Shop

Signature Coffee Shop Offerings

In addition to your basic coffee shop offerings, you may proudly offer your own signature offering: a signature coffee or food item.

This could mean anything from your nitro coffee blend to your famous cherry pies.

You can work with your wholesale coffee roaster to create a signature coffee blend that will only be served in your coffee shop. The same goes for your other vendors: you can partner up with them to create a unique set of pastries, gelato, or chocolate.

You might already have an idea about your signature menu item. However, finding what your customers appreciate might take a trial and error period.

Along with signature items, you might also want to offer seasonal drink and food options, usually great profit boosters.

Your Coffee Shop USP

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is that special thing that makes your coffee shop different. It’s that unique competitive advantage that you have that others can’t really copy – even if they could. Maybe it’s your freshly roasted beans, your mother’s apple pie recipe, or your assortment of gelatos. Whatever it is, your USP sets you apart from your competitors.

Your USP can’t be just great coffee. Your customers should feel that they benefit from your USP. They must see the value in holding YOUR coffee cup or bringing home pastries in a bag with YOUR logo.

High Margin Items

Although coffee is generally known to be a very high-margin product, you can’t expect to live only off that since the costs are high too. Therefore, you will want to add high-margin products to improve your coffee shop sales.

These may include:

• Beer
• Wine
• Spirits and cocktails
• Sushi
• Artisanal pizza

Are you considering selling alcohol at your coffee shop? Read, Should You Sell Alcohol at Your Coffee Shop?

Inventory Management

Your coffee shop inventory management will be vital to understanding what does and doesn’t work at your coffee shop. In addition, the real data from your Coffee Shop POS system will help you monitor top sellers.

More efficient inventory management will help you maximize profits by reducing spending on unwanted items.

Your POS System

You will want to choose a Coffee Shop POS System that processes transactions quickly and helps you keep track of your sales. As mentioned above, your selection of items to sell at your coffee shop and your tracking will help determine which products are winners for your coffee shop. For more information, read our post, Best Coffee Shop POS systems.

Promote Your Items for Sale

Whatever items you choose to sell at your coffee shop, make sure that you promote them. Promote your items through various channels, including interior or exterior signs, create a coffee shop menu board that grabs the attention of your customers, and post pictures on your social media accounts. 

Related Questions:

How can I sell unique items and stay true to my branding?

With so many potential items to sell at your coffee shop, where do you begin? Where do you stop? This is a challenging question for many coffee shop owners.

The first recommendation is to remember three important things:

• Always work to understand who your customer is.
• Sell what your coffee shop customers want.
• Consider your coffee shop branding and mission.

You don’t want to overwhelm your customers with thousands of different products. The more items you have, the higher the risk of customer paralysis, which makes each product offering meaningful.

What are the pitfalls of offering unique things to sell at your coffee shop?

Potentially, the sheer volume of products you have on-hand can also overwhelm you and your staff. So, you will want to find a balance of offering exciting and unique things and products that don’t overwhelm you or your customers. If your customers have too many choices, they may not buy anything at all.

Additionally, buying so many products can tie up a lot of your much-needed cash in inventory. If those inventory items don’t sell, you will likely take a financial loss.

While you might know your customers, it’s okay to order minimal inventories.

Also, consider that you want your non-perishable items to be evergreen. Evergreen items say relevant and have a long shelf-life. In other words, don’t order 1000 thermoses with last year’s date etched in them.

PRO TIP: When approaching vendors, negotiate a small minimum order, especially in the beginning. Tell them that you would like to try out their products and would like to see if they would sell at your particular coffee shop.

Some vendors have certain minimums – it’s how they make money. And that’s okay. But you want to make sure that you don’t end up with large amounts of product that you cannot sell. Therefore, negotiate with them. If they don’t want to deal or can’t offer you other options – like returns or credit – consider other vendors to work with.

Where do I find you unique items to sell at my coffee shop?

Assuming that you have studied your target market and know what your coffee shop customers want, now it’s time for you to search for your unique items.

In addition to a Google search, you can search out some interesting things to sell at your coffee shop on places like Instagram or Etsy. Many creators, bakers, or artists post their items on Instagram and Etsy to drive sales. Contact them and see if you can work with them.

Additionally, look at what other businesses are not in direct competition with you – and see what products they are offering. For example, perhaps a local bakery creates some amazing doughnuts or chocolate you would like to sell at your shop. Ask if they accept wholesale accounts and start the process of negotiating.

Are there such things as “Too Unique” to sell at my coffee shop?

Yes! While it is essential to differentiate yourself with unique products and services, you might risk being too unique. That is, so unique that your customers may look – and admire – but never buy. I met a coffee shop owner who offered great coffee and displayed wild art sculptures that never sold.

While you want to be unique and offer high-margin items, be aware of who your customer is and what they would be willing to buy at your coffee shop.

Is there a surefire way to know that my products will sell?

Yes, one of the sure-fire ways to know that your products will sell at your coffee shop is to ask your customers what they want.

Ask. Listen. Repeat.

Your customers want to be heard, and they appreciate that you value their feedback. Instruct your baristas to write down any feedback or collect suggestions on your website or social media accounts.

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