| Summary: | 碩士 === 逢甲大學 === 建築學系 === 102 === The impact of Western culture has led to a gradual transformation in the lifestyle of Taiwan’s citizens. People in Taiwan have come to attach more importance to leisure, and growing numbers of people have got into the habit of visiting coffee shops as a way to relax and unwind, either alone or with a group of friends. Today, besides providing a wide range of different types of coffee and other beverages, coffee shops in Taiwan also rely heavily on their décor, style and atmosphere to attract customers. In particular, those coffee shops located in their own detached buildings (as opposed to being located in a shopping mall, department store, etc.) have sought to create a unique visual appearance, and to provide an environment in which consumers can relax and enjoy a get-together with friends, which in turn leads customers to spend longer inside the building. This study constitutes an in-depth examination of the factors affecting consumer behavior in such detached-building coffee shops.
Coffee shops located in detached buildings constitute the largest share of the Starbucks branches in Taichung City (in Central Taiwan). The questions addressed by this study include: What common features do these detached-building coffee shops share? What impact does the existence of the coffee shop have? Which aspects of the coffee shop’s spatial layout help to attract customers? How does the spatial layout affect customer behavior? Taking those Starbucks coffee shops in Taichung City that are located in detached buildings as the object of its research, the present study collates information regarding the spatial layout of each individual coffee shop, and explores consumers’ consumption behavior and usage needs in relation to these coffee shops; the study also seeks to analyze the relationship between consumer perception and consumer satisfaction. The research findings and the study’s recommendations can be summarized as follows:
1. Consumption behavior: The most commonly used means of transportation employed by consumers to travel to a coffee shop is a motorcycle or scooter. It is suggested that coffee shop operators may want to consider increasing the number of motorcycle parking spaces that they provide.
2. As regards what changes consumers wished to see in the external spatial environment of coffee shops, the most widely reported wish was for coffee shops to increase the area outside the store given over to plants and flowers. The next most widely-requested change was an increase in the number of car parking spaces provided. It is suggested that coffee shop chains might be advised to implement coordinated, consistent improvements to their greenification of the exterior of each coffee shop, and to the provision of parking spaces.
3. The aspects of the coffee shop interiors that consumers felt could be improved included the following: Consumers felt that the number of seats provided was too small, and that coffee shops should install more low partitions and more charging stations near customers’ seats; consumers also suggested that coffee shops could create areas within the coffee shop where the seats have more privacy from other customers; in addition, given the high penetration rates of mobile phone and smartphone usage in Taiwan today, it was suggested that coffee shops could install more charging stations in specific areas of the coffee shop.
4. The majority of visitors to coffee shops are female, usually in the 21 – 30 age range. The biggest single need expressed by consumers in this category was for more individual seating (for one or two people only). Coffee shop operators may wish to consider improving their interior layout planning to meet the needs of this customer segment.
5. The aspects with which, on average, consumers expressed the highest level of satisfaction were, in order of the degree of satisfaction: The cleanliness of the coffee shop interior; the lighting; the ventilation; the degree of safety; convenient access (in terms of transportation). These are characteristics that appear to be shared by all Starbucks coffee shops in this region.
6. The aspects with which, on average, consumers expressed the lowest level of satisfaction were, in order: The location of magazine racks within the coffee shop; the location of eating utensil shelves and other shelves and stands within the coffee shop; the location of stands displaying items for sale within the coffee shop; the external views from inside the coffee shop; the location of outdoor chairs and tables outside the coffee shop; the number of parking spaces available. It is therefore suggested that, when planning the location of their racks, shelves and stands within the coffee shop, coffee shop operators may want to consider moving them to locations where they are more easily seen (in so far as this is possible without obstructing movement or spoiling the visual impact of the interior), which may involve adjusting the entirety of the internal spatial layout.
Keywords: Starbucks; detached building; coffee shop chain; consumer behavior
; IPA analysis
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