Offering free Wi-Fi can get a cafe more customers, and they’re browsers, not table-hogs, according to a study of Paris coffee shops.
The study tracked Wi-Fi usage at five Paris branches of coffee chain Columbus Cafe over three months.
According to the chain’s Wi-Fi provider Free-HotSpot.com, the sites attracted three to five times more users per day than paid-for rivals, but those users stayed online for less time on average than paying users. ^
Simple business logic: people don’t want to have many accounts to manage, as with each account they have, they increase their risk of getting victimized or simply paying for something that they cannot get organized to use.
So pay Wi-Fi, unless there’s an AOL for it — or one company that works across the globe in most coffee houses — is going to fail.
Free Wi-Fi attracts a diversity of users. Some are jerks who want to leech; others are normal people who are popping in to check email. Still others are the target audience: people who want a neighborhood haunt.
A haunt is a place you go when you have no other ostensible activity. It’s a place you feel comfortable, and you feel comfortable spending money. It’s also a place you go to when home is too lonely, or too busy.
If you want return customers… make yourself a haunt. That means spaces that allow different activities, both noisy and quiet. Unobtrusive music and staff. Maybe some books, comfortable seating. Be friendly to those who are coming for meetings, especially those who are relatively broke.