REGIONAL UPDATE
Coffee shop websites BY ED AVIS
Websites are a great way to show off a shop's style, provide lots of detailed information and drive sales. Here are fi ve shops around the country that use their sites for all of the above.
W
ebsites have been a marketing tool for coff ee shops for well over a decade now, but innovation still thrives.
SOUTH
Cafe Cohen Lafayett e, La.
the case at the web site for Cafe Cohen in Lafayette, Louisiana, www.cafecohen.com. A rotating series of big, bold, full-frame photos of coff ee beverages greet site visitors at the homepage. Simple messages in white type over a black bar, such as "Fall in Love with Coff ee all Over Again" and "Th e Simple Th ings in Life,
Sometimes a big photo tells the story best. Th at is clearly
than an understated script logo and simple white-type links to interior pages. "We wanted the site to be big-image driven, so before
" are the only other adornments on the homepage, other
people enter the building they would have an idea of who we are and what we do,
gorgeous photos of coff ee beans, equipment, and interior shots of the space. Th e site was designed by Cruce Design in Lafayette. "We gave them ideas," Cohen explains. "We wanted something that was clean and integrated our social media, and was easy to update.
Th e interior pages of the site also feature prominent, " says owner Jason Cohen. "
photos. In a previous career he was a wedding and commercial photographer, so he had the skill and equipment to create the images that dominate the site. As Cohen wished, the site meshes well with the company's
While Cruce did the design, Cohen himself provided the
social media eff orts. Th e shop's Twitter feed automatically fl ows into the site, and a link to the shop's Facebook site keeps that traffi c moving. A blog connects with customers who can't get enough info from the rest of the shop's interactive eff orts. "Th e social media is for everyday updates,
"Th e website is the most comprehensive source of information about us." Cafe Cohen is located inside a bread store, Great Harvest
Bread Company. "We took over the space that had been their espresso bar,
" Cohen observes.
" Cohen explains. Th e business has been open just 27
