coffee shop takes digital path to woo customers

Golden Cream, the operator of Caffe D'Oro, has developed digital solutions for its coffee shops as part of its efforts to boost its members and sales amid the difficult economic situation.

It has already set up the software to develop the management and the administrator system that would enable D'Oro Coffee shops to serve customer orders in a shorter period of time.

Besides the administrator system, D'Oro will also install wireless broadband Internet in the shops for its customers, said executive director Niramon Srisurin.

The company has launched its digital cash card D'Oro smartpurse, in cooperation with Thai Smart Card, to tap a new generation of coffee lovers and has received good feedback.

"We can sell 5,000 cards as the target, and this will contribute 15 per cent of total sales revenue for the whole year," she added.

The digital cash card will also boost its members. The company hopes that members will increase to 30,000 by the end of next year. She said the company had focused on customer relationship management (CRM) as its main strategy. The company will communicate with customers by sending them news via e-mail, giving vouchers and taking customers to visit D'oro coffee agriculture in the North. Moreover, the company can record both traffic and sales volume from the member data base. The company can also launch marketing activities in response to the need of customers.

D'Oro plans to open five new coffee shops next year, of which three will be located in community malls and the rest in office buildings. Under the plan, D'Oro coffee shops will have 75 branches by next year.

"We will open new shops in line with the expansion of community mall in order to tap the new generation lifestyle," she said. However, coffee shops in gas stations, which account for 70 per cent of sales revenue, remain its main revenue source.

In general, D'Oro sales revenue will grow by 20 per cent, but this year the growth would be only 15 per cent.

The company targets sales revenue to grow by 15 per cent next year, up from the expected sales revenue of Bt150 million this year.