Process in Retail Shops

Purchasing Process Flowchart

The organization is classified as a small business retail business in the beverage and food industry. Specifically, the business is an independently owned coffee roaster and coffee shop. The products sold by this merchant include coffee beans roasted in-house, hot and cold handcrafted coffee beverages, pastries, and hot and cold sandwiches. The target market for this business is primarily the people who work in the downtown area where the shop is located. This means that the target market accesses the products and services mainly during the weekdays when they are at work in the urban area characterized by mixed-use development. One target market segment lives and works in the urban area, while another major target market segment commutes to the urban area for work and may occasionally visit the museums, theatres, restaurants, and bars after hours or on weekends. The market niche that supports this business is Millennials who seek the hip urban atmosphere and either live in the downtown area or aspire to do so.

The business process selected is in-store products sales.

Description of Business Process

The in-store process for customer purchases consists of four basic stages: Point of sales readiness; customer entry into the shop; customer selection making actions; and customer leaving the shop. The actions that support the point of sales readiness include opening the register and till, and ensuring that a cashier is in place at the register. The actions that signaling customer intention to make a purchase include approaching the product display counters in the store, and reviewing the products available for purchase -- either in the display cases or on the beverage listing boards above the display cases. The behaviors that signal the customer is ready to complete a purchase include taking product selections to the register, paying for the selections, taking the food products purchased, and waiting for any beverages ordered to be made by the baristas. The stage that entails the eventual exit of the customer from the shop includes taking the prepared beverage from the counter where it was placed by the barista, and can also include the customer taking the purchased products to the service area in the shop and sitting at a table. Or this stage can move from the customer taking the purchased products and leaving the shop immediately afterward.