Coffee machines are a very popular small appliance at this time of year. The Easter Long Weekend is popular with timepoor customers that finally have a spare moment to buy the latest mod con and Mother’s Day is not too far on the horizon (Sunday 10 May 2015, to be precise).

Here are some expert tips on how floor staff can best sell coffee machines to interested customers.

Understand the trends…

It is important for retail staff to understand current industry trends to ensure they can provide thorough information to their customers. Aesthetics and convenience continue to be a growing trend in the lifestyle space, especially as entertaining at home is becoming more popular and kitchen appliances are chosen for their design, appeal and functionality. Nespresso continues to offer consumers a variety of stylish machine colours, fitting with the most recent fashion and furniture trends.

…with John Ciaglia from Nespresso

Ask about beans…

A great opening question is, ‘Where are you going to buy your fresh beans?’. It’s proven to be an excellent way of quickly gauging a shopper’s level of experience with coffee machines. If the answer is their favourite café or roaster, you know they’re serious. If their answer is a supermarket, either attempt to educate them about the virtues of freshly roasted beans, or steer them towards an entry level model.

…with Tom Douch from Breville

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Track the coffee journey…

Identifying where the customer is positioned on their coffee journey is key to matching them with the correct coffee machine to suit their needs. As consumers develop their taste for coffee, we can see the progression from the convenience of capsules and pods, to manual espresso machines offering a little more of a hands-on experience, to supreme customisation with fully automatic machines. De’Longhi has a product solution for consumers at any step of their journey.

…with Helen Finlayson from De’Longhi

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Bust those myths…

There is a misconception that manual machines are difficult and timely to use. This is definitely a myth. Manual machines are easier to use today than ever before. The best way to dispel this mistaken belief is to show the consumer when they walk into your store just how simple the machine is to use. That way consumers can graduate from an automated machine to a manual with ease as well as providing a solution to those who are making this purchase decision for the first time.

…with Tim Anderson from Sunbeam

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Create pride in ownership…

Selling a premium brand is all about emotions. In most cases purchase decisions are not made as a result of rational considerations, but a gut feeling. It’s the brand that creates a sense of pride of ownership, the feeling of ‘I want that’. That is why it’s important that the point of sale creates an atmosphere where the product can be emotionally experienced rather than merely explained in technical terms. Here are five tips for selling premium coffee machines:

  1. The customer should be able to see the design of the machine.
  2. The customer should be able to prepare a speciality coffee for themselves at the touch of a button.
  3. The customer should be able to hear how quiet the machine grinds and brews.
  4. The customer should be able to see for themselves how coffee specialities are created: the layering of a latte or the crema of an espresso.
  5. Above all, the customer should be able to smell and taste their favourite coffee. This gives the customer a taste of the pleasure of owning the product at the point of sale.

…with George Liakatos from Jura