The Coffee Studio

It’s been over two years since The Coffee Studio in Chicago launched their mobile app with Pepper - giving customers the option to order ahead, skip the line and earn points on their orders, with just a few taps on their phone.

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With the pandemic hitting in 2020, it was a crucial time for them to adopt a mobile ordering solution. The majority of businesses in Chicago were forced to close, but The Coffee Studio was able to keep trading, using the order ahead function on their app.

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Now with stores open again and normality returning, over a third of their orders are placed through the app; which means that ‘the app remains a very effective sales channel for us’, Miguel commented.

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Miguel also said that Coffee Studio did ‘shift customers to ordering remotely very quickly, and the uptake has been stronger than we might have imagined.’ The app gave Chicago’s coffee customers an easy and rewarding way to order on the go.

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Improved customer journey

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Miguel highlights that digital ordering has allowed Coffee Studio ‘to offer convenience to customers - which is highly valued during their busy mornings’ and helps them to ‘efficiently manage the morning rush.’

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As people return to their day-to-day routines, like picking up a coffee and an award-winning croissant on the way to work, the order ahead function has helped alleviate long queues, and makes a staff member's job easier and more focused, enabling them to fulfil more orders and provide great customer service.

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When ordering ahead, customers’ orders are printed on a ticket which goes on a little stand next to the person’s drink in the pick-up area, so that they know that that’s their order and it’s got their name clearly on it ready for them.

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'Convenience wins, and once people experience it, they can see that it’s adding value to their life.' It’s also easy for customers to see on the app how many points they’ve earned, through their integration with Square, so that they know how far away they are from earning a free coffee or pastry.

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‘Having an app on the app store put us on more of a level playing field with chains like Starbucks,’ Miguel explained. ‘It also gives us a platform to communicate with our customers and feature items, as well as provide a means for placing orders quickly and redeem rewards.’

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Also adding the ability for customers to pay by ApplePay was a very welcome change - making the checkout process even quicker and easier, and further improving the customer journey.

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Higher order value

Miguel commented that with the app, it’s easy to add on items when ordering, and for some customers, it encourages them to add on items that they didn’t even know were on the menu. As a result, The Coffee Studio have found that the average transaction value for a mobile order is 10% higher than that of an in-store customer. And with over 50% of customers consistently ordering via the app, that adds up to considerable incremental sales.

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Miguel finished by telling us that “We were always looking for a way to do mobile ordering, and Pepper’s was the right solution at the time.’

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‘The app has been a key part of our ability to pivot our operations very quickly, and we are certainly thankful for it.’

We would like to thank Miguel for his feedback, and we are excited to see what 2022 holds for The Coffee Studio!

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