Ignoring the Benefits of Coffee Shop Apps Is A Major Mistake — Here's Why.

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Ignoring the Benefits of Coffee Shop Apps Is A Major Mistake — Here's Why.

September 23, 2024

Coffee shop mobile apps have been around for over a decade.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, their origins trace back to everyone’s favorite two-tailed, coffee-drinking siren.

In the spring of 2008, Starbucks launched “Starbucks Card Rewards,” an online-only rewards program offering customers perks like free refills and complimentary customizations.

One year later, after millions had shown interest via loyalty registrations, Starbucks took its online rewards (and its tech) to the next level. In 2009, Starbucks launched its brand-new mobile app, simultaneously debuting an upgraded, “app-only” rewards program — the “My Starbucks Rewards” program we know and love today.

As news of Starbucks’ gold-starred mobile app success spread, other coffee shops started hopping on the tech revolution train, too.

And, the result?

An absolute explosion of coffee shop mobile app launches lasting over a decade.

2011 → Krispy Kreme app launch
2012 → Dunkin’ Donuts app launch
2013 → Tim Hortons app launch
2015 → Caribou Coffee app launch
2018 → The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf app launch
2021 → Dutch Bros Coffee app launch

Coffee Shop Mobile App Launches

New coffee shop apps are still coming out regularly, even in 2024; New Brunswick's favorite Neighbourly Coffee just launched its mobile app three weeks ago!

But, while Starbucks might have inspired the coffee shop industry’s 15-year mobile app revolution back in 2009… what’s sustained it for so long?

Well, to put it simply — success has.

Five Benefits of Coffee Shop Mobile Apps

You don’t have to look hard to see the success mobile apps can generate — and have been generating — for coffee shop and café operators alike.

Just look at Starbucks (again).

Their mobile app has been downloaded 1.3 million times, boasts over 33 million active users, and facilitated a record-breaking 30% of transactions in Q1 2024. The brand’s exclusive, in-app features contribute impressive amounts to their sales figures, too — annual revenue from custom beverage modifiers amounted to over $1B last year alone!

But that’s not all.

The best part of this whole “mobile app success” thing is that it’s not limited to giant, multi-national coffee chains like Starbucks.

No matter how big (or small!) your coffee shop is, a custom-branded mobile app can offer tons of game-changing benefits to you and your customers — and here are five of the greatest ones.

1. Convenience

One of the greatest benefits of a coffee shop mobile app is convenience — in basically every sense of the word.

From an operator’s perspective, a mobile app makes keeping up with menu changes and promotions a far lower lift. So, the next time you’ve got a new menu item or a promo, you won’t have to physically change a menu board or white out your paper menus. Tap a few buttons, make a few clicks, watch your menu update in real time… and that’s it.

A mobile app helps your customers experience the same level of convenience too.

Mobile ordering means your customers can order from anywhere at any time, whether they’re placing an order for their commute to the office or getting their caffeine fix before a weekend road trip. Plus, customizations are quicker-’n’-easier through a mobile app, helping you put the power of a perfectly customized beverage back in your customer's hands (literally).

Starbucks Mobile App Pickup

2. Loyalty & Community

The second benefit of mobile apps is that they make building a community of loyal customers easier and more effective.

For example, mobile apps make a great foundation for coffee shop loyalty programs.

Loyalty programs are a great way to reward your most devoted customers and incentivize them to come back more often… plus they’ll reward you right back. McKinsey & Company suggests loyalty programs can boost revenue by up to 25%!

And, for your customers, the most obvious benefits are the tangible rewards and the low-lift effort to get them. You offer your customers free items and discounts in exchange for visiting their favorite coffee shop — something they’re probably already doing!

Loyalty programs can also create a sense of exclusivity and community for your customers, leading to a stronger sense of brand loyalty. And, considering that 7 in 10 consumers buy more from the places they’re most loyal to, that’s good news for your average order value (AOV), too!

Which online ordering platform offers the best loyalty features? Our guide has the answers.

3. Enhanced Customer Experience

A third benefit of coffee shop mobile apps is how much they improve customer experience.

Personalization — or a lack thereof — can make or break your customer experience, especially if that customer is a Millennial or Gen Zer. But, with a mobile app, personalization is simplified and automated; in-app recommendations and customized deals are only a few clicks away.

Mobile apps also improve the ordering experience for your customers.

Not only does a mobile app reduce the time your customers spend waiting in line, but it can also empower them to make the experience their own. Whether they need to order ahead because of a jam-packed schedule or ask for an anxiety-inducing number of allergy modifications, a mobile app gives them the power to create their own top-tier experience.

Plus, a better customer experience translates to a better bottom line for you, too — Sips Coffee, for example, sees a 20% higher AOV in the app versus in-store!

Give your guests the VIP treatment they deserve. Our Online Ordering Guide sets the foundations for you.

4. Increased Brand Visibility and Engagement

A fourth benefit of coffee shop mobile apps is their ability to increase brand visibility and foster engagement from your customers.

Since mobile apps are typically custom-branded, one app download means your brand’s colors, logos, images, and menu descriptions instantly earn a valuable home screen slot on your user’s phones. And, considering the average American spends ~4.5 hours a day on their phones, that’s plenty of opportunity for your coffee shop’s app to flash across their screens and minds.

Engaging your customers — and keeping them engaged — is easier with a mobile app, too.

Take push and in-app notifications, for example. These app-based notifications are a great way to capture customers' attention while advertising the promos and discounts your customers crave (plus the 90% deliverability rate push notifications have doesn’t hurt, either). You can also leverage the power of personalization with app-based notifications, using data like order history and preferences to segment and tailor your messaging.

Craver Push Notifications

5. Informed Business Decisions

The fifth (and final!) benefit we’ll share about coffee shop mobile apps is how they can better inform business decisions.

When you create your own, custom-branded mobile app, you gain access to a wealth of customer data that third-party apps don’t share; order history, customizations, purchasing trends, AOV, and more. And, when you’re equipped with a regularly updated stream of customer data, you can make more informed business decisions about… well, everything.

Take purchasing history and customizations, for example. You could look at customers' in-app purchasing history, pinpoint your busiest days and times, and use that information for dynamic pricing experiments. Or, you could look at the number of customizations that excluded cutlery, using that data to inform new sustainability efforts.

Customers benefit from better-informed business decisions, too.

Whether you’re using their app data to inform loyalty program upgrades or new-and-improved menu items, you’re giving them more of what they already love… and who wouldn’t want that?

Start Your Own Coffee Shop Mobile App with Craver

At this point, your brain is probably stuffed to the brim with thoughts about mobile apps.

The benefits, the proven successes, the opportunities for growth and revenue…

It’s a lot to take in — especially since we haven’t shared how you actually get a mobile app, yet.

Don’t worry, though.

The whole “custom-branded mobile app” thing is easier than you think with Craver.

Our coffee shop mobile apps are completely tailored to your brand, taking everything your customers love about visiting you in-store and translating that into an online experience.

With Craver, you can finally say goodbye to Frankenstein-ing a million different solutions together to get everything you need. Our customizable, integration-friendly platform combines all the benefits your coffee shop could want in a neat-and-tidy package, including: