coffee

How sensorial marketing is used by Nespresso and Lavazza?

Nespresso was really the first to experiment sensorial marketing in its strategy. When the brand decided to establish shops, the aim was also to give attraction to the coffee: the atmosphere can create a purchase behavior whereas the website couldn’t transmit all the senses that coffee can reflect.   

So, they implement “bar-shop” concept where all the senses are used for the customer experience: colors, smells, tastings, music... Coffee pads are integrated on the walls in order to create multicolored painting, even seats make customers think about pads. The atmosphere respects all the characteristics of Nespresso values: luxury, calm, design, excellence, style in particular.  Moreover, shops are only set up in some specific towns to create a feeling of rarity. They also are developed in the same way, they all have been planned by the same architect Francis Krempp. He created three different spaces in each shop: one with the machines, one for the coffee pads and one for the coffee bar.

When customers go in a Nespresso shop, they enter into the universe of Nespresso, they cannot deny they are in a Nespresso shop. Before selecting a new coffee, they can try it in the coffee-bar and share it with other consumers of Nespresso coffee. The aim is to match with the high positioning and the luxury image of the brand.

This sensorial marketing had positive effects on the sales: in 2010, there has been an increase of 22% of the sales.

Lavazza started the sensorial marketing later, but now the brand is also developing this concept and tries to work on coffee-bars. The firm does not want to copy on Nespresso so they set up coffee-bar instead of coffee shops. Those ones are nomad and ephemeral. That is to say the brand realizes a tour in shopping centers through different countries to meet espresso amateurs. In France for example, the tour took place from the beginning of September 2012 to the 13^th of October 2012 in 6 shopping centers. The concept consists on improving consumers ‘knowledge about coffee (where it comes from, how to do coffee, how to recognize different types of coffee...) with a “barista”, coffee specialist. At the end of the learning route, customers can taste a Lavazza coffee.  This promotion has already been tried by Lavazza in 2011 with ephemeral bars in hypermarkets where clients could have had a break during their shopping to get a coffee.

Imane Bennis, marketing manager for Lavazza explained in an interview in April 2012, that Lavazza will develop those bars and be present in 175 shopping centers by the end of 2012.

The difference with Nespresso is important, indeed, Lavazza wants to be accessible for all espresso consumers and doesn’t want to give an image of exclusivity. Nespresso works on exclusive marketing with rare and specific shops whereas Lavazza plays the accessibility card.