At her coffee shop, Harbour Grind in Whitstable, Zanya Omer has seen continued strong sales. She describes the recent performance as “good.” She understands that many things influence sales. Surprisingly, inclement weather has a significant impact on daily customer footfall and spending behavior.
Zanya Omer launched Harbour Grind in the busy Whitstable market — a community hub and a must-visit for any Kent tourist. She told me how young families will price shop down the market strip, making an immediate environment unfriendly for her business. Now as competition heats up between coffee shops in the region, Omer has struggled to keep her customers coming in.
“It’s hard to compete with other coffee places in Whitstable because there are a lot of them,” Omer stated. Even with all of that hyper-competition, she’s taking her business in new directions based on shifting consumer habits.
To encourage more cash purchases, Omer’s also implemented a modest discount for cash clients. This step seeks to increase overall spending and make up for the climbing cost of card transactions. She continued that unseen expenses like fees on card machines have further squeezed her pricing plan. These charges increase the cost of each coffee sold by around 10 pence. Consequently, she has to adjust her overall pricing approach to product bundles.
As economic conditions continue to change, Omer has noticed her customers re-prioritizing their spending habits. She has witnessed a dramatic decrease in food sales at her café. That’s almost the whole market gone, with many patrons now opting to take their lunch with them when visiting the famous Kent seaside town.
“I’d put myself out of business if I increased my rates,” she said. She understands that if she goes too far with profitability, she risks losing the price point that works for families on a day out.
Omer’s experience is illustrative of a trend impacting small businesses everywhere, especially in tourist communities, where changing customer behavior can have an outsized impact on revenue. The heavy reliance on good weather has called attention to the kind of volatility that comes with running a seasonal business.