Yesterday was a sunny day, so iced coffee was in high demand.
A customer from Aichi Prefecture came to our shop to start roasting and espresso. After we talked, he said he was going to Sumaccino in Shinsaibashi, but we told him that it had closed at the end of the year and showed him another shop.
Shops that are within walking distance include Shinsaibashi Roastery, LiLo Coffee, Streamer Coffee, and MONDIAL KAFFEE.
I wrote down the names of the stores in bullet points. While I thought it was convenient to be able to quickly get around, I realized that none of these four stores existed when our store opened. I was surprised at how many coffee shops there are now.
Now then…
On the same day, we heard that a friend of our client was quitting his job and opening a local coffee shop.
When I think about it from my own perspective, the environment has changed significantly since Usagi and I opened our business four or five years ago, and it's easy to imagine that the hurdles to opening a business have become higher.
There are three things that I feel have changed significantly here.
The number of coffee shops has increased dramatically
It really has increased a lot.
When we opened, the term "third wave" was just starting to appear in Japan, and it was just before coffee features started appearing more frequently in magazines.
Even now, coffee shops are opening one after another, but the boom seems to have calmed down. Large companies are also entering the market one after another, and it seems like the number of stores in urban areas is saturated. Coffee shops have become more common, so I think they're more likely to be accepted, but I also think there's a higher chance that they'll be overlooked.
It would be suicidal for someone without any notable achievements to try to compete on the same stage.
If you want to open a business, I think you should start preparing right away, but I don't think it's a good idea to open one too easily.
The number of magazines has decreased
I feel like there are fewer magazines and cafe books.
Even when requests for publication come in, in order to cut costs, they sometimes just re-publish the same pages that were previously published in the magazine...
I feel that the credibility of the media itself and the effectiveness of advertising are declining.
Things are only going to get worse from here on out, so I think it's best not to dream of being featured in a magazine anymore. I also think it's about time to stop thinking that you can attract customers by issuing a press release or placing an advertisement.
Social media population has increased
I think this is the reason for the decline in magazines.
Thanks to the spread of smartphones, more and more people are using social media. The number of users, the number of pages each person follows, and the number of friends are all different from when we first started.
As the number of people using social media has increased, it has become easier to be seen, but I also feel that it has become easier to get lost in the crowd.
Simply posting is no longer enough, so I feel like I need to be more conscious about it.
In addition, it has become commonplace for individuals and stores (companies) to interact directly, and I feel that the nature of relationships and attitudes have changed.
It seems that more and more customers are coming to stores via social media rather than through search, so approaching stores through social media is becoming more important.
Conclusion…
As a store, we communicate clearly and build relationships with customers.
The content that needs to be addressed hasn't changed much since we first opened, but the approach has changed little by little, and I feel that more skills are required.
We are also exploring how we can change little by little to suit our environment.
I believe that if you are sensitive to changes in the environment in detail, you will be able to predict what will happen in the future to a certain extent and respond flexibly.
I think this is important whether we are opening a new store or continuing to operate the store.
I was thinking about this while listening to the customer's story.
I hope the new store that's about to open goes well.
See you soon.
