How Coffee and Cafe Brands are Marketing in Japan
Coffee and cafes play a big part in many people’s lives in Japan, and it’s been that way for a long time. In fact, it was Japan’s kissaten coffee culture that inspired Blue Bottle Coffee founder James Freeman.
Looking around Japan, like many other countries, there seems to be a lot of coffee shops popping up. The truth is however, that the number has actually been decreasing over the past decade according to the Japanese government’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Despite this and other changes in the market over the past several years, Japanese consumers are spending more on coffee than ever.
Average annual spend on coffee per person in Japan
This is led by the under-30 year old demographic.
Prices at chains such as Starbucks and Ueshima have gone up, but that’s not the only reason for the increase in spending.
The majority of coffee, 6.54 cups per week, is actually not consumed at these chains but rather in the home.
Even though the number of coffee shops have decreased and consumers in Japan are spending more than ever, there is another battleground that wasn’t as big before: The digital space.
Coffee is a commodity, which means branding and marketing are more important than ever.
Yes, the beans, the drinks, the locations, the prices, online availability - these all matter and contribute to the success of a coffee or cafe business.
If we take a look at the coffee and cafe-related brands growing and succeeding, they have the same thing in common: Purposeful branding and marketing.
This goes beyond having a cool name and running Facebook Ads.
It’s a mix of tactical implementations that help build a relationship with potential customers and gain their trust - something of utmost importance when it comes to selling anything to Japanese consumers.
Together with my colleague Takumi Kishimoto, we compiled a brief that takes a look at the latest information around coffee and cafes in the Japan market, and then dove into what a few successful ones are doing marketing-wise to help them grow.
If you or someone you know is looking to grow their coffee or tea brand, cafe, restaurant or eatery in Japan, this might be interesting.
You can find the download link on our agency post here, or feel free to contact me and I can send it over to you.