Nestlé will trial a concept coffee shop for its Nescafé brand in Canada that invites consumers to bring their own sachets of Nescafé coffee.
Described as ‘a coffee shop that doesn’t sell coffee’, the new Nescafé Coffee Taproom will feature all the things consumers like about coffee shops – including comfortable seating, fast wifi and good music – but without the expensive prices and waiting in line.
Essentially, the taproom is a marketing ploy for Nescafé’s Sweet & Creamy coffee sachets. It will last until the end of June – initially in Toronto – though Nestlé has not ruled out extending the project to other cities across Canada.
Nescafé Canada senior marketing manager Deana Zaghloul said: “Our customers like Nescafé Sweet & Creamy because it’s a simple way to make a creamy and delicious cup of coffee at home, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to hang out in a coffee shop sometimes. Now the perks of Sweet & Creamy include a coffee shop that they’re free to use whenever they want.”
To get into the taproom, consumers have to scan a sachet of Nescafé Sweet & Creamy on an iPad to receive a special code, which will allow them entry. The pop-up is filled with hot water dispensers and rows of cups with mis-spelled names, like ‘Leesaw’ (Lisa) and ‘Raychill’ (Rachel) – a nod to other coffee retailers, like Starbucks, that ask ordering customers for their names and rely on baristas to hear the response correctly.
Nestlé will also merchandise against the concept store by selling the cups online. The campaign builds on Nescafé’s global tagline, It All Starts with a Nescafé.
Watch: Nescafé’s concept store in action
Nescafé is not the first coffee company to open a concept store like this: last May, Costa Coffee opened a tropical-themed concept store in the UK to mark the start of summer and the launch of Costa’s new summer food and drink menu.
Also in May 2016, the French Cheese Board opened a cheese concept store in the US that allowed visitors to discover more about French cheeses and France’s cheesemaking culture through a set of interactive tools.
The idea is gaining traction among marketers, with consumers increasingly valuing the experience of out-of-home dining over the food and drink itself.
The brand has previously embarked on a 24-hour live Facebook stream, which invited consumers to share a clip of themselves enjoying their morning coffee, in aid of International Coffee Day 2016.
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