How can Coffee2Go businesses best respond to consumer demands for sustainable practice, environmental action and health conscious choices?
We shine a spotlight on these issues and take a close look at how they’re influencing consumer trends in Coffee2Go.
Sustainability: Integrated Strategy vs Hollow Buzzword
Sustainability has become a seriously overused buzzword, not just within the coffee2go marketplace, but in every industry. Consumers, however, are increasingly demanding more than lip service from businesses when it comes to sustainable issues.
Increasingly, consumers are asking for transparency around the quality and origin of the coffee beans and tea leaves they’re drinking. When we hear our end consumer ask questions, we turn to our partner brands and echo those same questions. Their answers didn’t just tick boxes, they truly inspire us.
Wide-reaching projects like The Lavazza Foundation shows consumers Lavazza are actively driving sustainability in their sector. That level of commitment demonstrates leadership, which in turn earns consumer trust.
For eXpresso PLUS sustainability has been an important and impactful part of our growth strategy from day one. To us it’s about planning for the future. The future of our planet, our people and our industry.
Environmental Awareness is Changing Consumer Habits
Over the past five years we’ve seen environmental issues inform consumer choice more and more. While the government may be undecided on whether to implement a ‘latte tax’, consumers are putting their money where their mouth is.
In December 2017 Argos sold 537% more reusable cups than the previous year. That’s a pretty monumental leap in sales but it comes as no surprise to us. We’ve been tracking these consumer trends for years and in response we’ve been steadily working towards an exciting breakthrough.
This month we launched our new range of reusable cups! What’s especially innovative about this project is each one of our eXpresso PLUS R-Cups is made from six used paper cups. So we’re not only reducing tomorrow’s waste but also upcycling today’s rubbish.
Our prediction for the next five years? Reusable coffee cups will become the norm and the high end coffee-to-go machines will offer a rinse facility so customers can clean their cups before re-filling!
What Do Health Conscious Consumers Want in Their Take-Away Coffee?
This accelerated move towards reusable cups is clearly driven by a wider trend towards a higher level of consumer awareness.
As people become ever more health conscious, consumers are demanding greater choice and, crucially, more information about what they’re eating and drinking. We’ve seen the on-screen nutrient information feature go from ‘added extra’ to ‘essential’ for many of our customers.
Furthermore, these health-conscious consumers are increasingly choosing milk alternatives, such as almond, oat and soya milk, for their coffee. The alternative milk sector in the UK is predicted to soar by 43% over the next four years. Our higher end machines already have the capability to offer milk alternatives and display their allergen and nutrient information on screen. There’s no doubt we’ll see this concept rolled out even further over the next five years.
Meanwhile, 6% of eXpresso PLUS customers now have a stand-alone PG Tips or Yorkshire Tea machines. We’re also seeing a healthy uptake in non-caffeinated and fruit & herbal teas.
According to Mintel research on tea and hot drinks in the UK, 37% of young-ish Brits (25-34 year olds) are being adventurous with their tea nowadays. About half drink a variety of herbal, fruit, specialty and green teas. Interestingly, over half are choosing flavoured teas as a replacement for sugary drinks.
For Coffee2Go businesses it’s clear that sustainability must be an integrated strategy. For us at eXpresso PLUS this means staying alert to consumer trends so when those trends become consumer demands, we can deliver meaningful results.