Holiday Market – Opportunity or Pressure?
Christmas is a golden opportunity for coffee shops to attract customers, especially when consumer demand increases. A beautiful and warm space not only creates a comfortable feeling for customers but also easily turns into an attractive check-in point on social networks, helping the brand spread the natural media effect.
However, the current economic context poses major challenges for the F&B industry in general and coffee shops in particular. Inflation, rising raw material costs, and tight spending psychology of customers make many shop owners have to consider more carefully in investing resources in elaborate, eye-catching decoration concepts. This is a difficult problem to balance between costs and profits, especially if the decoration is just to keep up with the trend without considering long-term effectiveness, or lacks uniqueness, does not match the style of the shop, this investment can easily become a financial burden.
When decoration becomes media
Some restaurants see Christmas decorations not only as a way to beautify the space but also as an effective marketing strategy. Beautiful check-in photos from customers that go viral on social media can bring promotional value far beyond the investment cost. This is why more and more restaurants are willing to spend a lot of money to "transform" their space during the festive season.
Some shops see Christmas decoration not only as a way to beautify the space but also as an effective marketing strategy.
However, focusing on these effects is not always appropriate and effective for every restaurant. Some places focus too much on decoration and forget about the customer experience. For example, a beautiful space but too crowded, inadequate service or unreasonably high prices can make customers feel dissatisfied, leading to a loss of trust in the long run.
Follow the trend or pursue long-term value?
Faced with this question, many restaurant owners choose to follow trends to create instant appeal. Impressive and trendy decoration concepts can bring quick results, attracting a large number of customers to the restaurant in a short time. However, this strategy is often only suitable for restaurants serving young customers who love new spaces and are always looking for unique visual experiences.
On the other hand, pursuing long-term values – such as creating spaces that are aligned with brand identity, investing in product and service quality – brings lasting stability. In a volatile economic climate, retaining loyal customers through a consistent, synchronized experience can be more beneficial than simply chasing trends.
On Le Quang Dao Street, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi, Timi Coffee Shop is an interesting case that illustrates the balance between both strategies. According to the shop owner, with an investment of up to 150 million VND, Timi has created a sparkling space, suitable for customers' needs to take check-in photos. However, instead of organizing more events or promotions, Timi focuses entirely on enhancing the space experience and emotional value of customers. This is consistent with the style of the shop - focusing on intimacy and a warm feeling without focusing too much on commercialization. Although not organizing large programs, this approach helps Timi maintain its uniqueness and retain loyal customers.
With an investment of 150 million VND, Timi has created a sparkling space, suitable for customers' check-in photography needs.
This is one of the development directions in decoration investment that shop owners pursue: investment does not necessarily have to follow trends, but should be based on financial capacity, brand orientation and actual customer needs.
Another case is GreyB at 381 Vu Tong Phan, Hanoi. The shop has decided to invest in decoration this year with the desire to bring a warm and unique experience to customers. The shop space is splendidly decorated with a large pine tree, sparkling lights and delicate decorative details, creating a truly festive atmosphere. In particular, the shop also organizes artificial snow spraying in the morning, afternoon and evening every day, bringing the feeling of celebrating Christmas in a miniature European setting.
GreyB's owner shared: "The shop wants every visitor to not only enjoy delicious coffee but also capture memorable moments through beautiful check-in photos." This investment makes GreyB one of the attractive and ideal places for everyone to enjoy the festive season.
The restaurant space is splendidly decorated with a large pine tree, sparkling lights and delicate decorative details, creating a truly festive atmosphere.
The meticulousness and meticulousness in investing in decoration have shown the owner's vision: decoration is also to bring the most authentic experience space to customers. GreyB focuses on the personal feeling factor through the arrangement and decoration of the shop. It is the attention, not superficiality, half-heartedness in the renovation process as well as clearly defining the psychology and segment of the target audience that the shop is aiming for that GreyB has achieved certain positive effects.
Should you invest in holiday decorations?
The answer depends on each shop’s intentions and desires for different target customers. For shops with a youthful style, targeting Gen Z or customers who love to check-in, investing in Christmas decoration space can bring great benefits, not only in revenue but also in brand value. However, small shops or those without enough financial resources need to consider carefully to avoid falling into a situation of ineffective investment.
More importantly, decoration should be seen as part of an overall customer experience strategy. A beautiful space must go hand in hand with good service, quality drinks and the emotional value that the shop brings. Otherwise, even if a large amount of money is spent on decoration, the effectiveness will still be very limited. In addition, not all shops should apply this method. For shops with different customer groups, such as middle-aged groups or customers looking for a quiet space, a large investment in decoration may not be necessary. Instead, these shops can focus on improving the service process or menu to enhance the customer experience.
Christmas decorations are becoming an important part of many coffee shops, especially those targeting young customers. However, this is not just a trend but also a strategy, requiring careful consideration of finances, style and long-term goals. With the right approach, Christmas spaces can bring memorable experiences to customers and sustainable value to the brand. But above all, the decisive factor for success is always sincerity and commitment to bringing the best to customers.
