A recently opened café in Stockton-on-Tees was already trading successfully, but was keen to get our feedback on the instore experience.

Most things about the business were excellent, but we suggested ways of improving customers’ first impressions by softening the somewhat austere interior, including dressing the tables, and using the blank wall space to communicate the business’s values and heritage through words and graphics.

We also recommended displaying the addresses of the café’s social media accounts, so that customers could engage while they were there, and leave reviews.

Connected to that, we realised that the business had not claimed its TripAdvisor listing, with several reviews – both positive and negative – awaiting a response.

We helped the business claim its page, encouraged it to reply to all the reviews, and were delighted to see its ranking improve from 40th to 9th in a matter of weeks.

At the business’s request, we made several return visits over the following months, to check on progress, discuss new ideas, and generally act as a critical friend and business mentor to the cafe’s owner.

Can we help your shop or cafe?

Sometimes a single visit from our canny business experts is enough to inspire new ideas and make sure your shop or cafe is on the right track – and improved trading means that you can soon recoup your investment in our time.

Visit our store visits and feedback page to find out more about how we can help, or drop us a line.