# Know your target market (and adapt to suit)



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Whilst sat in a 'child-friendly' cafe recently I was saddened (but also mildly amused - I'll come to that later...) to see families struggling to get into the cafe.

This struggle was not caused by space inside the cafe (there was ample space), available of tables (an almost empty cafe), staffing (plenty of staff), but more fundamentally, they could not get in the door !

Why? because the doorway was too narrow to allow a buggy access.

Despite their being a large window with a great view of the local park, and outdoor seating (limited, and the wind whistles up the road), the cafe owners had not invested in an adequate entranceway to meet their clients needs.

2 of the most popular makes of prams / child buggies could not get through the door and I saw a number of couples literally give up, and only a handful of the remaining punters decided to venture inside to make a purchase, leaving their partner / friend outside looking after the children and pets.

There is no doubt in my mind that this cafe is losing business due to the width of the doorway, although there is visual evidence that some people make an effort to try and get in - just check out the door and supports and you will see the gouges and scuff marks caused the the buggies that 'just' made it through.

Once you are inside, the atmosphere is great for little tikes, with plenty of activities for them, crayons and paper, as well as newspapers and magazines for the adults, and even decent bathroom and changing facilities.

I was amused, watching the struggling parents, desperately trying to get in the door, eager to purchase / drink the reasonably priced coffee (that was well made I must add) and food on offer. My mind said get up and help them, but I knew it would be a pointless exercise (and a short term fix).

The management of this establishment should have considered the width of the doorway and altered the entrance to accommodate their target market.

A few thousand pounds worth of masonry and building work would see an increase in turnover and goodwill which I would hope would translate into profit.

Obervation over and now time for reflection - what could you do to better serve your target market?


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## ffd (Jun 29, 2009)

That's brilliant. Who would have thought of something like that though in the beginning.

A place a few miles from me does story time on their quiet day (Wednesday) which attacts lots of mothers with children meaning their quiet day is now a busy one.


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## Condyk (Jan 9, 2011)

Useful post ... and internal flow and attention paid by staff to helping folks once through the door is all part of it. Similar applies to ensuring disabled access and paying attention once inside.


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