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8 top coffee subscriptions that are waking up the industry (in 2020)

8-top-coffee-subscriptions-that-are-waking-up-the-industry-(in-2020)

 

If you’ve had a subscription-based business idea percolating for some time, you’ll want to check out these eight top coffee subscriptions that are giving the industry a wake-up call.

What is a coffee subscription? It’s no different than subscribing to your favourite magazine, beauty box, or TV streaming service. Just like the service offered by a Vietnamese coffee brand such as Cafely.com, is a convenient way to ensure your favorite coffee is delivered to your doorstep monthly, eliminating the hassle of finding your preferred blend sold out at the store. It’s a simple, worry-free solution to always have your beloved coffee on hand.

If you’re thinking about selling coffee online, or starting your own subscription business, here are 8 delicious examples of the best coffee subscriptions for inspiration:

1. Atlas Coffee Club

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These worldly brewers give coffee lovers a chance to try amazing coffee from around the globe. Their brand offers coffee drinkers an international experience in their morning cup of joe, as well as those who want to sample and explore new tastes. atlas-coffee-subscription-onboardingOnboarding is a big part of selling a successful subscription product, and Atlas do a great job walking customers through each step of the process without being overwhelming. atlas-coffee-subscription-onboarding-quantity

Once shoppers select their bag size and duration, they can pick their roast preference. In the spirit of trying new varieties, customers can pick “all roast types” for an element of surprise in their coffee subscription. Once they select “whole bean” or “ground” they are ready to check out and start receiving delicious coffee from around the world, delivered right to their doorstep.

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Key Takeaway: Atlas combines strong brand messaging and an easy-to-navigate onboarding experience with a value proposition as bold as their coffee. 

2. Industry Beans

Anyone who works in an office or grinds out a freelance living from home knows the importance of a strong cup of joe. Australian roasters Industry Beans have branded themselves as high-quality coffee makers who pour professionalism into every cup.

Their top-rated subscription offering is as simple as picking your grind, size, and delivery duration. It’s perfect for the busy person who doesn’t have time to sift through too many options or scroll through an in-depth onboarding process.

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With sleek, modern packaging and attractive minimalist design, Industry Beans are the best coffee subscription for any startup, home office, or growing company. They have taken the idea of a coffee subscription to a whole new level, with their Industry Beans Espresso Club.

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That’s right, they hook customers up with a fancy espresso machine. Talk about a high-end coffee subscription service. Just $25 per week over 24 months puts the user in the shoes of the barista. This particular offering truly sets Industry Beans apart by encouraging their customers to skip the coffee shop and take matters into their own hands.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when planning your subscription product. Just look how it’s paying off for Industry Beans.

Looking to learn more about the different kinds of subscription businesses? We’ve created a free ebook just for you: 7 subscription models to master. 

3. Little Wolf Coffee

This Ipswich, MA, coffee company started with a passion for coffee and the local community. Today Little Wolf Coffee sell their home-roasted beans across the country. And talk about a smooth onboarding experience. Their website is designed to make the process of signing up for a subscription feel more like a conversation. Before you get down to the beans, you are asked what kind of subscription type you are looking for:

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Rather than having to sort through recurring options when you are just looking for a gift or prepaid purchase, this step determines what you see next so you aren’t overwhelmed with questions that don’t apply to your order. Next you pick your frequency:

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The logical flow of their onboarding experience gives customers an experience more akin to walking into a small shop. You wouldn’t walk into your neighborhood roaster and be asked if you’d like a 2 lb. or a 5 lb. bag before they even knew what you were looking for. Everything is cool, calm, and conversational, supported by delightful and minimalist layout and design.

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Key Takeaway: Little Wolf’s onboarding experience is a smooth way to bring in customers without overwhelming them. Check out our ultimate guide to subscriptions onboarding for more specific examples of subscription merchants who do onboarding well.

Check your subscription business health with our LTV calculator

4. Perky Blenders

Who doesn’t love a great coffee pun? UK coffee aficionados Perky Blenders have invested in strong and distinctive branding, and it pays off.

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Customers pick from options like coffee blend, grind, and duration in an easy to navigate no-fuss user interface. Small perks like letter-box friendly and biodegradable packaging sweeten the deal, as customers are prompted to a single upfront payment so they won’t have to worry about it down the road. Screen Shot 2020-07-07 at 8.33.40 AM

Free shipping is a great value proposition for any subscription product, as customers want to feel like they’re saving or getting a deal by agreeing to subscribe rather than buy one at time. Customers will be much more likely to subscribe long-term if they feel there is some added value in doing so.

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Key Takeaway: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to have successful subscription product. Perky Blenders get the job done with sharp branding and a product that walks the talk.

Find out 3 things winning subscription stores understand

5. Rave Coffee

Good coffee and good copy make a great match. These UK-based bean roasters claim to “actually like their stuff,” a refreshingly honest take. Pay a visit to Rave Coffee for loads of witty banter and quirky colloquialisms:

“At this point we could rave about company pedigree and vision for the future (blah blah yawn) but that’s simply not our way. Much better that you get to know us – we’d love for you to come in and let us show you how committed we are to a better coffee experience.” 

Never underestimate the power of strong, relatable, honest branding. There are many great coffee subscriptions to choose from, and sometimes it’s that extra splash of personality that can set you apart.

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Customers choose from Traditional and Discovery styles of coffee. One nice detail that stands out is how they differentiate the two with “drink black or with milk,” and “best drank black.” For your average coffee drinker who doesn’t get much out of the usual jargon, but knows what they like once they taste it, this is a relatable, practical detail that makes their choice easy.

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The onboarding flow make great use of graphics. Customers are prompted to click on large clear icons rather than having to squint to read everything on a drop down menu. Again, rather than confusing the customer with complex jargon they ask you straight up how you like your coffee, making it easy to get to the checkout page.

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Key Takeaway: Your subscription company might be serious business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun. Your customers will be happy to go along for the ride.

On-demand webinar: Uncover winning techniques behind top subscriptions

6. Fire Department Coffee

“Help, our beans are on fire.” That’s something you’ll never hear coming from the kitchen of Fire Department Coffee. That’s because these beans are made by a team of firefighters, both retired and active. And if there’s one thing people who work long and hard shifts know, it’s the importance of good quality coffee.

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With attractive design and packaging and a fun and inspirational brand story, FDC’s coffee of the month club is a hot sell. Pick between whole and ground, the size of the bag, and your delivery duration. Offering 5% off and free shipping adds extra incentive to get people to join the club rather than buying just one bag. And if that’s not a “strong” enough offer, they also sell spirit-infused coffee.

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Nothing takes the edge off a hard day’s work like a splash of something stiff in your coffee. FDC gets the job done for you with their spirit-infused coffee, available in Bourbon, Irish Whiskey, Cinnamon Whiskey and a variety of other deliciously-hard flavours.

Key Takeaway: The best brand stories don’t come from marketers’ imaginations, they’re real. What true elements of your own world can you incorporate into your subscription business?

7. Olympia Coffee

Everyone loves free stuff — especially when it’s delicious coffee!

The folks at Olympia Coffee know they aren’t the only fish in the coffee subscriptions sea. That’s why they begin their onboarding process with an offer that’s tough to refuse:

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Rather than just assuming shoppers are going to subscribe to their product, they use a convertible subscription with a free introductory offer.

These Olympia, WA, coffee-roasters have enough confidence in their well-crafted product to know one cup will leave coffee lovers wanting more.

So how do they get the customer to subscribe once they fall in love with the first couple sips? It’s easy. Because they’ve already signed up to get their free sample, all they have to do is not cancel and their beans will arrive in the mail as planned.

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Key Takeaway: Incentivizing customers to sign-up for a free trial before they agree to a subscription is a great way to get a customer’s foot in the door. Especially if your coffee is one of the best around. Let your customers taste buds earn your trust.

8. Tandem Coffee

With a café and roasterie all under one roof, customers who pop into the Portland Oregon headquarters for an espresso or fresh-baked treat can see the whole show. Their sense of culture and community shines through to the online side of their business, with their Coffee Subscribers Alliance.

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With Tandem Coffee Roasters’ fun options like The Good Thing Vinyl + Coffee club, coffee lovers can tandem their bean order with a vinyl record curated by the folks who roast the coffee they love. After all, good taste is good taste. The also offer a Double Exposure Film + Coffee Club, which packages a roll of 35mm film and a photo zine with your coffee, a great gift for photography buffs who like great tasting java.

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Subscribers who are just looking for a bag of freshly roasted beans can pick their weight, decide if they would like to pickup or get free shipping, then choose the duration of their delivery. They offer some gift options as well — what a great present to give your coffee-loving friend or family member who lives in another city.

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Key Takeaway: The fact that these guys include vinyl records and photography collectables in their coffee subscription shows they have a strong grasp of their target demographic. It never hurts to put a little extra effort into really getting to know your customer.

Coffee Break!

Isn’t it great to look at all the unique and interesting ways these different coffee subscription businesses serve their customers? You might have noticed they all have one thing in common.

They’re all powered by Bold Subscriptions, our popular app for Shopify that lets you turn purchases into recurring revenue faster than you can say “cream and sugar.”

Try Bold Subscriptions now for FREE!

Having a great idea counts, but you also need the knowledge to back it up. That’s why we created this ebook for subscriptions sellers, 7 Subscription mModels to Master. 

In this free ebook, we go over some of the subscription models we touched on today, plus many more, and in greater detail and with dozens of examples. We highly recommend that anyone who downloads Bold Subscriptions use this as their official playbook.

Well, are you ready to become a subscriptions master? Follow the link below:

Get our free ebook: 7 Subscription Models to Master

This article originally appeared in the Bold Commerce blog and has been published here with permission.

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