While coffee is at the heart of your product offering and customer experience, it’s only one part of the wider coffee experience.
Have you ever thought about why coffee shops almost always have other products available to buy, such as pastries, snacks, takeaway food, other drinks, merchandise, bags of coffee etc.?
This is because profitability is difficult to achieve solely through coffee alone, and each new customer through the door is another opportunity to create profit.
Profitability often comes from identifying upsell opportunities that enhance customer satisfaction, leading to a more memorable experience and greater loyalty.
In this article, we’ll explore key upsell strategies that don’t just drive revenue but also elevate service, allowing customers to discover new favourites and feel more connected to your brand.
How to Upsell
Effective upselling isn’t about pressuring customers into spending more; rather, it’s about making thoughtful suggestions that align with their tastes and choices.
With each suggestion, the aim should be to add value by enhancing their enjoyment and satisfaction. A well-executed upsell shows that you know what they might enjoy, ultimately making the experience feel more tailored.
Where you have the chance to upsell
Identifying potential upsell opportunities can often be done in the spur of the moment, such as when a customer asks for a particular recommendation or shares something they would be interested in trying.
Below are just a few opportunities for upselling that you could implement within your coffee business, along with suggestions and the benefit to the customer.
Flavours and Syrups
Suggesting a syrup or seasonal flavour allows customers to personalise their drink, making each order feel unique. What’s more, offering multiple flavour options for coffee and other drinks allows your regulars to try something new every time, keeping them engaged and increasing loyalty.
“Fancy trying this new hazelnut syrup? It takes our hot chocolate to the next level!”
Adding flavours and syrups to your offering gives customers a chance to explore new tastes, turning their usual order into something memorable and tailored whilst providing a stream for additional revenue.
Speciality Drinks
Offering the occasional premium or limited-edition drink introduces customers to something unique, elevating their experience and giving you a means to capture additional revenue. A fantastic option that many of our business partners tap into is our seasonal drinks calendar, providing 12 months of seasonally crafted recipes year round with ingredients and promotional materials.
“For this month only we’re offering a delicious Strawberry Iced Matcha, I highly recommend you try it!”
Offering a seasonal menu of drinks lets customers try something special that they might not have been able to try yet, adding excitement to their visit and encouraging them to return to explore more options.
Cakes and Pastries
There’s a reason most coffee shops offer pastries or cakes, and why many bakeries also have coffee – they pair together perfectly!
A fantastic method of upselling, especially in the morning and around meal times, is to bundle coffee with a cake or pastry for a slightly discounted price. For example, a £5 deal for any coffee and pastry is a great way of increasing customer spend per head above the normal price of just the cup of coffee itself.
To entice customers to crave a pastry, try and bake them fresh each morning to get the smells wafting around the coffee shop.
Food Bundles
Don’t just stop at pastries and cakes.
If your coffee shop has the ability to offer cooked food, or a simple cold takeaway wrap or sandwich, offering food and drink bundles can provide extra value and give customers a complete experience at a lower cost.
A popular option would be to offer a ‘meal deal’ option of a coffee, snack and a sandwich for one discounted price. For example, a £6 sandwich, £2 snack and £3.50 coffee for one discounted price of £10 is a great deal for the customer, but also allows you to increase customer spend by up to 300%.
Bundles create convenience and a sense of added value, making customers more likely to enjoy a longer, well-rounded visit and giving them an additional reason to visit.
Loyalty Programmes
Inviting customers to join a loyalty scheme gives them something to look forward to, increasing the likelihood of repeat visits.
‘Buy 9 get the 10th free’ discount cards are a classic, tried and true method to bring customers back time and time again.
Premium Coffees and Single Origins
Your house coffee blend should be a delicious, well rounded coffee with wide audience appeal such as a high quality specialty medium roast. To tap into a little more revenue, you could upsell your customers towards a seasonal, limited-time single origin coffee with a different flavour profile.
Specialty coffee shops are often able to charge an additional 30p to £1 to swap the house blend for a single origin coffee. This adds a little more to the margin of your coffee, whilst also giving your more trend-conscious guests something interesting to try.
Having a second coffee grinder with a rotating menu of seasonal coffee origins is a great, easy win in terms of upselling.
Sell Bags of your Coffee
Hopefully, your customers keep coming back time and time again because your coffee is the best in the area. However, your regulars won’t be able to visit every day, and they will typically also be making coffee at home.
Being able to offer the same great tasting experience inside their homes by selling your coffee beans in retail bags is an excellent option for increased spend and brand loyalty. Bags of retail coffee range in size and price, but a 250 gram bag of coffee can typically be sold for between £8 – £12.
To truly let your customers take their experience home with them, you may want to consider designing your own private label coffee with your business name, logo and branding on, rather than a third party roaster’s brand. Alternatively, a White Label coffee allows you to package a coffee under your brand name and packaging.
This keeps your brand in mind even when customers aren’t at the café, fostering loyalty and building an ongoing connection whilst offering an additional revenue stream.
Branded Merchandise
Offering high quality branded items such as t-shirts, hats, bottle openers, takeaway cups etc. gives customers a tangible connection to your brand.
If your coffee shop has a particular angle or demographic, such as a biking-themed cafe built to serve cycling hobbyists, your branded merchandise items could tap into the niche such as cycling shirts, helmet stickers etc.
It’s also a great idea to offer branded merchandise that is particularly ‘instagrammable’ and can be used time and time again e.g. “Our reusable coffee cups help cut wastage and save you 50p on each coffee”.
Merchandise provides a practical benefit and keeps your brand top-of-mind, encouraging regular visits and promoting brand loyalty.
Training your Staff to Spot Upsell Opportunities
Upselling should be subtle, friendly, and considerate of each customer’s preferences. Train your team to make suggestions based on orders rather than pushing sales on every customer.
A thoughtful upsell is one that feels like a personal recommendation, making customers feel valued rather than pressured.
For example, if a customer orders a double espresso, your staff could be trained to offer an exclusive single origin coffee that offers something different and costs slightly more than your standard house blend.
This interaction not only captures more revenue, but is done in a way that makes your guest feel seen and valued whilst improving their experience.
By focusing on customer satisfaction, your upselling strategy can enhance both the quality of your service and your café’s profitability. Thoughtful, value-driven upsells create a stronger customer connection, increasing the chances they’ll return again and again.