Setting the trends for 2020

What does 2020 have in store for your business? Stay ahead of the curve with top tips from the experts on the biggest trends

We all know that coffee is an ever-evolving industry, so how do you go about future-proofing your business by staying on top of the changes? Trends come and go, and it’s not always easy to know which ones to consider integrating into your business that will really make a difference, so we asked four industry specialists what to look out for.

The first trend we uncovered is for cafes to boost their CSR by placing more emphasis on the origin of their coffees. Mary Petit, North American Ambassador for the Global Coffee Platform (globalcoffeeplatform.org), believes that there are widespread benefits for cafes who strive to acquire a deeper understanding and knowledge of origin, and that more coffee shops will start focusing on origins throughout 2020. “From a business perspective, strong knowledge of coffee origins, qualities and sustainability challenges is critical to expand value creation at every link of the supply chain,” says Mary. “Enthusiastic coffee drinkers are more likely to form strong, long-term customer relationships with coffee shops and baristas that can help to continually expand their knowledge and enjoyment of coffee varieties and cultures from around the world.”

Customer loyalty is crucial for cafes, but some shops are now looking to go beyond the standard reward card as a method of driving this loyalty. Kate Nicholls, CEO of trade association UKHospitality (ukhospitality.org.uk), says that more shops will begin using innovative loyalty schemes in 2020 to stand out from their competitors on the high street and offer a more personalised service, such as loyalty apps replacing physical cards. “Hospitality as a whole has had to weather some difficult times and businesses have had to innovate to attract customers. They need to be quick to make the most of new trends and customer demands. Smart businesses will find ways of connecting with consumers and personalised rewards could be the way forward. Some coffee shops have already rolled out click-and-collect features on their apps and incorporating this kind of technology into a loyalty scheme may be a logical next step.”

Another way of helping your business to get noticed is to offer coffees from a variety of different regions around the globe – those outside the ‘usual’ coffee-producing areas. Some venues have already begun widening their coffee-buying map by purchasing from areas including Nepal, Yemen and around Southeast Asia. This can pay dividends and it’s a move that will be adopted by even more venues in 2020, says Sonja Grant, chair of the Coffee Roasters Guild (crg.coffee) and co-founder of Kaffibrugghúsið, a cafe and coffee training centre in Iceland. “Coffees from rare countries are exciting and bring new flavour profiles to the cup, challenging the roasteries. Consumers are also excited to try out new and exotic flavours.”

Wellness is a trend that has already begun to integrate itself into many areas of modern life, and 2020 will see many more coffee shops upping their wellness offering to accommodate increased interest in the topic from customers. Corporate wellness expert Kate Cook (katecook.biz) says that people are spending more and more time in coffee shops, which means that more venues will begin shaping their environments and spaces to offer an improved experience. “Communities can really be built in coffee shops and if people are spending time there, they need to feel ‘well’ and happy. Some customers are looking for an oasis and venues that help provide that through wellness could become trendsetters. It can also help improve the relationship between customers and staff, as opposed to
it being a transient exchange.”

Based on these predictions, we asked four businesses to talk us through how they incorporate these features into their business and why more coffee shops should be following suit in 2020.

To read the full article and meet the businesses reaping the rewards of putting these ideas into practice subscribe