Hong Kong digital firms, from insurers to coders, connect with customers over coffee
- Opening coffee shops will help companies build strong trust among customers, City University of Hong Kong assistant professor says
- Virtual businesses can seem intangible and vague, but our coffee shop ‘makes our brand more human’: Bowtie co-founder
On a busy street in Hong Kong’s Central district, a shopfront sticks out. Painted on its pure white exterior are the words “How’s your coffee today?”
The shop, Preface Coffee, is one of two concept stores operated by Preface Coding, a digital education company with no physical campus. “The coffee shop is our physical classroom,” said Tommie Lo, the company’s founder and chief executive.
“Opening a coffee shop will not increase their sales to a great extent, but I think it will help companies to build strong trust among their customers,” said Jane Jeongin Park, an assistant professor of marketing at City University of Hong Kong. The communal and warm environment of a coffee shop can make brands viewed as cold and analytical more accessible, she added.
“It’s a clever idea, because it removes some of the things that scare off people. Customers voluntarily enter a coffee shop, which makes them feel more open to new ideas and new brands,” Park said.
01:27
International coffee brands brew up new business in China as demand grows among young generation
Preface Coding is a trendsetter, having opened its first coffee shop in 2018. It opened another this year in Tin Hau, with a third due this summer. The seats at its coffee shop in Tin Hau are placed in a podium setting. Open seating benches, movable tables and sockets as well as projection screens make it easier to hold regular free workshops.
