F&B INSIGHTS FROM A 7-YEAR OLD

It was a beautiful Sunday with cool breeze after a gentle shower around our area.  My 7-year old asked for a croissant soon as her drum lesson ended.  We decided to check out a newly opened bakery, Maison Kayser at our neighbourhood.

I am a huge fan of Asian Nanyang style coffee and toast.  So my regular haunt would be the likes of Toast Box, Yakun or Killiney.  My daughter is a croissant fan and loves that flaky, buttery taste as opposed to kaya toast.

Fortunately for us at our neighbourhood, we have Toast Box and Maison Kayser side by side.  She was excited with the new store (like she is excited with any new things).  We ordered our croissant and coffee and found a nice seat by the full height glass window. 

Out of fun, I asked the little one to go around the store three times and come back to tell mommy what she liked about the shop.  She gleefully took the challenge and came back with these four interesting insights:

“The Seats Here Are Comfy”

So, take note that she was comparing to Toast Box next door as we could see it just opposite from where we were seated.  Maison Kayser has cleverly introduced different layers to the store with 3 types of furniture: comfortable lounge chair, high bar table and stools, dining table with wooden chairs. 

We were seated at the lounge settee which the kiddo expressed as ‘comfy’ compared to the wooden chairs at Toast Box which she pointed to me.  I showed her the other wooden chairs at Maison Kayser (in fact, majority of the chairs are wooden) to make a point that both stores have the same.  To which, she replied “But here we have sofa and high stools, it’s more for the family!”  That’s her perception.

The clever introduction of layers in the design element created a space for everyone and a different perception than just offering a single type of furniture.

“Look!  There Are Stairs!”

She has always been fascinated by stairs (I believe most kids are too), even though at Maison Kayser, there are just 3 steps to go up and down.  Just by merely elevating a small portion of the floor, it becomes a ‘playground’ for the kids. 

The kiddo simply loves walking up and down the stairs. 

“The Food Here Looks Beautiful”

A long line of bakery items is visible on the display case.  From croissants to danishes to sliced cakes and salads, they are beautifully displayed and brightly lit on the service counter display case.  Everything is an eye-candy. 

“Mommy, my saliva came out here!” she exclaimed.  Need I say more?!

“I Can Get Water Myself”

Interestingly she noticed the ice water dispensers around the outlet and pointed out that the self-service is great because “I can get the water myself.  Over there (Toast Box), I can’t get water.”  Not that she likes to drink water, she simply loves the action of dispensing ice water into the glass as it enables her to interact and operate the dispenser. 

Those were the 4 reasons why she preferred Maison Kayser over Toast Box from her perspective.  For mommy, it has to be Nanyang coffee and toasts (just the product)!  Different target audience would require different 4Ps to work.  However, there are certain universal ‘desires’ and ‘preferences’ when it comes to consumers’ expectations which retailers would need to work on to ensure sustainability and loyalty.

This article is personal to the author and does not form any part of corporate or academic views.