Russian Consumers' Perception of the Coffee House Brand: the Case of Surf Coffee

Based on a study of the consulting company «Knight Frank», the coffee market has not yet exceeded the saturation threshold; according to the study, in 2019 the saturation level is 7.6 times less than its maximum level, with extended coffee houses occupying a large market share, while a small and new market participants are quite difficult to develop. The research problem connects with discrepancy between the understanding of brand perception by the consumer, which entails costs and disruption of communication between the consumer and the company. The purpose of this study is developing recommendations for improve a brand management strategy for Russian coffee houses (using the example of Surf Coffee) By analyzing the data obtained, the results will be applied at the «Surf Coffee» coffee shop, after which recommendations will be generated. To achieve the goal of the study, it is necessary to solve a list of problems: The subject of the research is the brand of the coffee house «Surf Coffee» The object of the study is the consumer perception of the brand of the «Surf Coffee» coffee house. This study uses methods such as: analysis of academic literature, interviews, survey of respondents, studying the brand structure of «Surf Coffee» coffee shop. Interviews with specialists will allow to adapt the list of identified brand’s factors to the consumer in Russia. In the theoretical part, the basic concepts of terms were given, as well as the constituent factors of the perception of the coffee house brand were identified using the method of analysis of academic literature. The questionnaire was based on the identified brand factors. In the practical part, semi-structured interviews of specialists of the studied research field were used to adapt the list of constituent perception factors to the Russian consumer, survey respondents, as well as analyze the data obtained, which made it possible to determine the most important constituent factors of the coffee shop brand, as well as the consumer’s identify the relationship between socio-demographic indicators and the assessment of the priority of perception factors. As a result of the study, the following recommendations were generated for Moscow coffee house brands: 1. Maintaining a high level of service 2. Develop own blend of coffee beans 3. Attract attention on environmental concern 4. Seasonal menu update Recommendations were also made for the Surf Coffee coffee shop: 1. Opening of specialized points with many seats and space for work 2. Introducing more healthy snacks into the menu 3. Updating promotional offers