Brand cafes: less about coffee or income, more about the selfie?

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From Chanel to Vivienne Westwood, fashion and cosmetic retailers are attempting extending brand experience through cafes

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Cafes are relatively low-risks business that help big brands build awareness, particularly in the digital era. Photo: SCMP

Yifan YuandCeline Ge

Published: 10:31am, 25 Jun 2017Updated: 10:31am, 25 Jun 2017

In today’s consumption environment that is driven by selfies and social media, a brand cafe is the ultimate playground.

Look no further than Chanel’s pop-up beauty themed Coco Cafe which opened its doors on June 10 in Causeway Bay. It has been attracting long lines that stretched down the block, with more than 30,000 posts with “#cococafe” hashtag on Instagram.

The popularity of brand cafes is not completely new but consumers’ increased revolvement of their daily activities around social media has given the concept another jolt. On top of that, there is the millennial angle.

“All brands want to catch the millennial. And millennials are very experience-driven and social-driven group.They like to hang out in person and are more easily drawn into a shop by a concept instead of products,” said branding consultant Jacqueline Alexis Thng, partner at Prophet.

Brands say the “eat, drink, play, shoot, and post” habit of young consumers has helped raised awareness of products and services in the social media platforms. Photo: AFP

The coffee shop or cafe’s social function, combined with the brand’s personality would feed the younger crowd’s needs.

“I think the trend [of cafes] is more customer-driven, as customers are looking for more experiences,” said Mariana Kou, the Head of China Education and Hong Kong Consumer at CLSA.