CASE STUDY · COFFEE · MESA & PHOENIX, AZ

The Human Bean

8,501 new app users in 6 months with targeted direct mail

We targeted new residents, Starbucks enthusiasts, nearby businesses and full neighborhoods around their drive-thru. 8,501 new app users signed up in 6 months.

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See How It Works

The Human Bean drive-thru coffee stand in Mesa, Arizona

6

MONTHS

8,501

NEW APP USERS

11.3%

RESPONSE

5,610

CAME BACK FOR 3 CUPS

Mesa & Greater Phoenix, AZ · Drive-thru coffee · Targeted, neighborhood and new mover mail · 6 months

8,501 new app users in 6 months!

The Human Bean built a branded app so their customers could order drinks, save their special orders and pay right from their phones. They could also send messages to app users based on what each coffee drinker usually buys (or hasn’t bought lately).

The best part? Once the app is on someone’s phone, it never costs another penny to reconnect with that customer again. In marketing that’s called a one time acquisition cost, and it’s a beautiful thing.

The Problem

They didn’t have many app users.
They had big, big competition, and not the budget or the brand awareness to outspend them.

How We Helped

We needed people who lived close enough to the drive-thru to stop by a few times a week on their way to work or to drop off the kids. And we needed coffee lovers. We all know that person who has to have that cup every morning and a pick me up in the afternoon. That’s who we were after.

So we mailed four audiences:

Neighbors: every home within two miles of the drive-thru. Easy peasy.
Starbucks fans: people known to be Starbucks enthusiasts within a 7 minute drive. (Yes, we know this. Call me, I’ll tell you how.)
New residents: people moving into the area who are looking to replace the favorite coffee stand they just left behind.
Businesses: every business within half a mile, plus businesses with 10 or more employees within 2 miles.

The Results

All in all, we reached just over 75,000 people.

Within 6 months, The Human Bean had 8,501 new app downloads, an 11.3% response rate. Every one of those people can now get a message from The Human Bean anytime, without another dime spent on mail.

Of those 8,501 people, 66% (5,610 new customers) came in for all 3 of their free cups of coffee. Well on their way to becoming regulars!

1 in 9

people mailed downloaded the app

66%

of new app users came back for all 3 free cups

Questions Owners Ask

Can you really find people who already buy from a big coffee chain?

Yes. We can target households known to buy from a specific brand, like Starbucks, within a short drive of your location. Those people already pay for their coffee out. You just have to give them a good reason to try you.

Why send people to an app instead of a regular coupon?

A coupon gets you one visit. An app download gets you a customer you can reach again and again without paying for it twice. Every free drink was claimed through the app, so every response was tracked.

Should a coffee shop mail businesses too?

Yes. Offices near your drive-thru are full of people who need a coffee run every day, and one happy office can send a whole team your way. That is why local businesses were one of the four audiences we mailed.