Blue Team

Caribou Coffee Web Analysis

1. What is the value proposition of the site? What type of e-commerce site (e.g. B2B, B2C, etc. )

  • Caribou Coffee’s web site over arching value proposition is that they travel the world sampling a variety of coffee beans and only the select the most magnificent coffees to bring to their customers. The web site also claims that they have very high standards for quality in the production of their coffee. This allows them to deliver the freshest coffee to their customers. Caribou’s web site offers a unique blend of coffee to their customers. For the socially conscious customer Caribou stresses their commitment to their “DO GOOD” strategy, which source coffee in an “environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable manner”
  • The Caribou Coffee site is a B2C site.

2. Who are their primary competitors? What is their revenue model?

  • A direct competitor with a very similar model would be Starbucks Coffee. Starbucks offers similar coffee products, stresses freshness, variety and is socially responsible to their suppliers and community.
  • Starbucks Coffee’s revenue model makes drinking a cup of coffee an experience. Anyone can get a cup of coffee anywhere, but Starbucks markets it coffee products as an experience or lifestyle.

3. How does the website integrate with other channels?

  • Caribou Coffee has a link on its web site for customers who are interested in receiving offers via email.
  • There is also a link to a section on Caribou’s site for wholesalers. The wholesale link on Caribou’s site gives Grocery and Retail stores, Offices and Food services companies the opportunity to sell Caribou’s products.

4. Who are the intended customers for the website?

A typical 1 lbs bag of coffee costs approximately five dollars more when compared to the equivalent on the Dunkin’ Donuts site. Therefore, we can conclude that the customers who are interested in purchasing coffee from Caribou are willing to spend more money to get a higher quality product. These customers may not only drink coffee to stay awake, they may also drink coffee when they socialize with friends and family, they may also savor the flavor of a special blend of coffee.

5. How does the site market and advertise in order to attract consumer interest? (Attract)

Caribou Coffee’s web site attract new customers by offering seasonal blends, an example of this would be their Pumpkin blends for the fall season. Even more interesting is their Gourmet Coffee of the Month Club. Potential or existing customers can sign up for two options when they join. The first, offers coffee delivery in two 1 lb bags of coffee per month or two 24 pack K-cups per month. They also entice new customers with a free gift when they initially sign up along with a 15% discount on shipping plus exclusive club promotions. The second offer is the same as the first, with the exception that you can personalize your coffee selection and arrange delivery on your schedule.

6. How does the site attract different types of customers such as impulsive, patient and analytical buyers? (Attract)

  • For the impulsive, the site presents a “LIFE IS” link upfront and present to the customer viewing the site. Clicking on the link redirects the customer to a map with Caribou’s coffee shop location in your immediate area, in case you are having a craving for a cup of coffee. Immediately following the store location link is the seasonal blend offering I mentioned earlier.
  • The patient and analytical customers will tend to follow the “Coffee of the Month” link because it offers them the ability to take the time to customize their orders. Analytical customers may also be interested in the “Menu & Nutrition” link. The FAQ section regarding online shopping, discounts cards and gift cards might also be of interest to the analytical customer.

7. What types of tools and features does the site provide to enhance customer experience? Consider how the site applies web 2.0 tools and personalization. (Interact)

  • Caribou Coffee home page presents a sliding picture of four main categories, they include the “LIFE IS” for instantly locating a shop in your area, “IT’S PUMPKIN SEASON”, “BREAKFAST IS SERVED” and “COFFEE OF THE MONTH” club. Each category is accompanied with a picture relevant to the category and the user can click on the picture if it interests them.
  • Another interesting feature under the “SHOP ONLINE” link is a slider that allows you to slide between dark or light roasts.

8. How does the site process order placement and payment? (Act)

  • Caribou’s web site seems to follow the typical placement procedure, you select your coffee add it to the shopping cart and proceed to checkout. However, in addition to selecting the size and quantity of your order, you can also select the grind which ranges from whole bean to espresso. As you continue the checkout process the sites also offers you the opportunity to purchase Caribou branded accessories to go along with your purchase. It must be noted that a valid login is also required in order to process an online order.
  • Payment option seem to only be visible with a valid login, perhaps it’s buried somewhere on the web site, but it was not visible anywhere on the home page.

9. How does the site handle delivery, shipping and returns? (Act)

The site answers some questions with a FAQ under the “CUSTOMER SERVICE” link. However, details regarding shipping and returns were either not present or vague. Payment options for credit cards we not present for new customers, I’m assuming this option becomes visible during the online account sign up process. The site offered a telephone number to call if the information in the customer service section did not answer your question.

10. How does the site maintain customer service and support? (React)

As mentioned in question 9 there is a customer service link, that link provides a series of FAQs for categories ranging from Caribou coffee products, Online accounts, Locations, Ordering and tracking etc. If you do not find the answer or support via this link then you can also call an 800 number for customer service between 8am and 4pm CST

11. How useful is the site’s special interface feature and arrangement of content?

Caribou Coffee’s web site is clean and clear, it is relatively easy to find what I wanted and begin the ordering process. In regards to arrangement of content, the site did a good job of placing their current choices to the customer’s front and center, with links to other sections of interest above and below the main attraction for that day or week.

12. Describe how the site provides a utilitarian and hedonic shopping experience.

Caribou Coffee’s web site is mainly utilitarian; the layout primarily focuses on the consumer that already knows what they want to order or consumers that are searching to find the best coffee. There was only one section that may attract the hedonic user, which was the “Daily Trivia”

13. What are some possible improvements or enhancements you would recommend in order to improve customer loyalty?

Adding discussion forum for users to share information about their experience with the various flavors of coffee, recommendations for desserts to accompany various coffee flavors and recipes that are based on coffee.

References

Hendricks, Mark. “The Starbucks Business Model Entrepreneur: What can you learn from how Starbucks brews success?”Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media, Inc., 31 January 2007. Web. 25 September 2013. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/173256>.