Why is it popular to put “water bowls” at the entrance of Shanghai coffee shops recently?

“So cute!”
There is a community caf é in Shanghai, which has been popular on social networking platforms for a whole year due to the slogan “Big Friends Drink Coffee, Little Friends Drink Water” and the two water bowls at the door.
Walking on the streets of Shanghai, I found that putting a pet water bowl in front of the store has become a “routine operation” in coffee shops, and pet friendly coffee shops have begun to rise across the country, even allowing “half price dog brushing”.
Can this become a good idea for community cafes to attract customers?
1、 This coffee shop has been on fire all year because of two “water bowls”
“Big friends drink coffee, children drink water.”
Due to this slogan and two “water bowls for children”, CAN Company, a Shanghai coffee shop, has been popular on social platforms for a whole year.https://forum.stoneitech.com/
“Every time I open Xiaohongshu, I can see the shop exploration notes about it. In each note, I can see the” figure “of the pet water bowl, and many netizens exclaim that” I have been so cute! “”
My little friend and I went to take a special look. This cafe is located on Yanping Road in Jing’an District, and it is a “pet friendly” community store.
Standing in front of the caf é door, you can see at a glance two metal colored water bowls on the steps for drinking water for pets. On the wall next to them, there is also a green sign that reads “Big Friends Drink Coffee, Little Friends Drink Water.” (Finally, I saw the legendary “Net Red Water Bowl”).
The small act of placing a water bowl has formed a spontaneous spread on social platforms, and CAN Company has therefore reaped many fans around it.
Walking around the streets of Shanghai, I noticed an increasing number of cafes displaying pet water bowls at the entrance. On social platforms, “pet friendly cafes” have sprung up across the country.
For example, Xiamen PAWLAB COFFEE has placed free pet diapers, gloves, and garbage bags in the store, as well as a special shelter for “social phobic pets”;
Chengdu CP COFFEE&FOOD has specially set up a “pet rest station” for Mao children outdoors; There are also many cafes promoting activities such as “bringing pets to the store, getting American style for 1 yuan”, and “20% off coffee”.
Chain coffee brands are also making pets friendly: Seesaw Chengdu Rubik’s Cube Store offers a discount of 8.5% when bringing dogs to the store. MANNER also opens a pet friendly store in Shanghai with a hidden menu for pets and a small counter dedicated to making food for pets.
People bring “hairy children” to meet in cafes, have a cup of coffee, and feel connected. This may be a new way for cafes to retain customers – to handle their hairy children.
2、 “Pet friendliness” may be a topic that community stores cannot avoid
The essence of community cafes is actually doing business between people.
From Huang Xuezhen Coffee to create a “noodle shop style coffee culture”, to Bajiao Cup to help community residents walk their dogs, buy and receive express delivery on behalf of others, and become a “good neighbor” image, successful community cafes can’t escape the human touch and social interaction.
Judging from this attribute, dealing with Mao’s children may be an inextricable topic. When opening a store in a community, who hasn’t met customers with pets?
More importantly, pet socializing has a high affinity with coffee shops.
Pets are a natural topic for connecting people and allowing communication to flow. The existence of pets can quickly complete the “ice breaking” between strangers, making the panic crowd instantly turn into a social bull.
In fact, this “pet friendly” coffee shop has developed very mature in foreign countries. Almost every community coffee shop allows pets to enter, and it also helps prepare basic travel supplies for Mao children, providing pet food, etc.
However, there are not many pet friendly stores in China, and there are no unified norms and standards. To be a pet friendly coffee shop, it is necessary to consider food safety and other customer feelings.
Solutions to these problems can be found at Starbucks’ pet friendly store:
（1） For example, putting pet space outside the store
Set up a special pet rest area in the external position, with traction rope hooks and water bowls to ensure that pet lovers and ordinary customers have independent space.
（2） Set up a pet toilet area and a dedicated trash can, and post reminders
At the same time, it is required that excrement removal officers manage their pets well to ensure that they do not obstruct or harm others.
（3） Set pet specific menu
Provide drinks and refills for pets, creating a comfortable experience for pets as well.
Two water bowls and an outdoor rest area can make young people who love pets praise them endlessly.
Today, with the prevalence of the pet economy, serving young people well as “family members” has become a low-cost way to attract customers and maintain consumer stickiness.
3、 What other “careful thinking” can help a coffee shop retain customers?
（1） Take care of pets, help the elderly, and play the role of “good neighbor”
A good emotional experience is the key to building customer loyalty in community stores.
Compared to the investment in hardware, working hard on human relations maintenance is also one of the ways to achieve low cost and good results. The Hangzhou Coffee Brand Bajiao Cup in the community is a good example.
This coffee brand was once known as “Community Light” by netizens because of its “Lei Feng behavior” of helping out residents take care of their pets.
Last year, they also officially launched the “Little Lamb Helps You” service:
Help the elderly and people with inconvenient lives, buy daily necessities, medicines, and send, receive, and distribute items;
Fostering and feeding pets and taking care of “hairy children”:
During the epidemic, send love coffee to community workers;
In summer, prepare ice water for the takeout boy;
……
These service inputs, which are not too costly, have established a strong connection between the coffee shop and the surrounding residents, retaining consumers with a human touch.
（2） Make punch points with floor standing cards and regularly replace them to maintain freshness
In addition to the service, set up one or two strongly styled “punch points” in the store, and with a little guidance, you can obtain a wave of natural traffic.
On social platforms, the popularity of CAN COMPANY landing and standing is second only to Maohaizi Water Bowl.
A silver mirror floor standing sign is placed at the door of the store, echoing the strong metallic feel of the store, with a strong style. The slogan on the sign, “Coffee is available today,” also fits the aesthetic of young people.
Netizens love the “space for taking photos” brought about by mirror facing billboards. The zebra stripes, tree shadows, and sunlight reflected by billboards, coupled with unique slogans, can all become a reason to make friends, virtually strengthening the brand sense of coffee shops.
I have also noticed that CAN COMPANY regularly changes slogans, such as “Yanping Forward, Kangding Left, Coffee Inside”, to maintain consumers’ freshness.
（3） Everyone has a “collection addiction”, and the collection method is never outdated
There is a lemon tea shop in Chengdu, where a “mahjong” is stuck on the lid of each cup of lemon tea. Only when you turn it over can you know the colors. Therefore, many people have bought many cups continuously to make up for it.
Like the popular “electronic stamp collection” of the past two years, it essentially takes advantage of people’s “collection addiction” and the “sense of accessibility” brought about by low exchange standards.
4、 Conclusion
A qualified community caf é with warm service is the top priority.