Workers pick Wi-Fi over the quality of coffee, new research shows
Professionals are looking for free a Wi-Fi connection and an office away from the office when they are deciding which coffee shop to frequent, so a study from electronic giants Samsung states.
Over a third of those polled said that the availability of Wi-Fi was a primary reason in determining where they would head. 60% of the people polled admitted that internet access to the internet was an ‘important’ factor when it came to choosing where to go for a cup of coffee.
“Through this research we wanted to get to the bottom of the technology issues of mobile working,” said Mark Ash, the general manager of print at Samsung UK. “The trend of working remotely in coffee shops has been steadily increasing for a while now; our research found the availability of Wi-Fi is no longer enough to satisfy customers”
The survey also found that nearly half would like to see dedicated working environments installed, a notion that will surely find support from the other side of the divide.
From Isaac Asimov and his visions for 2014, to the New Yorker’s cartoon and countless other sources, over the decades, common calculations have been that the future – or our present – will be filled with interconnected technology, and that reality is being born out for this current generation of on-the-go professionals.
What does this mean for coffee shops?
Initially, we assume, not very much. Global chains are expanding at a rapid rate and are continuously expanding their selection of beverages – some are even venturing out, tapping into new, non-traditional revenue streams. Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, smaller, independent stores are enjoying increased exposure and recognition and many are slipping into the mainstream. It seems that both the second and third waves are cresting concurrently.
The current desire for coffee from all corners of society suggests that the phrase ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ should be applied when it comes to the basics of a coffee shop: serve coffee, offer seats, create an environment that straddles the spheres of work and home neatly but, there could be a split further down the line.
A self-titled ‘soonologist’ working with telecommunication company BT has predicted that the coffice will be the future; this portmanteau will provide all the resources of an office with the comfort and leisure of coffee shop.
So is the concept of the third space dead?
Whilst we may be a number of years away from seeing the ‘coffice’ come to fruition as a recognised concept, the survey by Samsung did throw up and a further interesting figure: only 8% of coffee shops questioned could offer a dedicated working area.