Happy customers means more business - a comparative study of a global food chain in COVID-19 endemic era

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing the happiness of customers of two global coffee food chains through qualitative research in the post pandemic era. Unlike existing studies, this study will compare and examine the differential points between two global coffee food chains so that others can improve their strategies to improve their competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachIt is qualitative research employing sentiment analysis through “Sprinkler Software” to assess the sentiment of customers of Starbucks and Barista followed by focus interviews through the same customers who have visited both Starbucks and Barista.FindingsThe results showed that most important factors which motivate customers and make them happy to go for “Starbucks” or “Barista” are ambience, store location, quality of product offerings and service quality. Value for money, quality of products and service quality are the top three variables affecting the customers and have rated Starbucks better than Barista on these parameters. The happiness level of the same customers who have visited both the coffee chains is more with Starbucks compared to Barista.Originality/valueThis research contributes to better understanding the effects of different marketing strategies adopted by coffee chain stores and can provide direction to Barista and other coffee chains. The stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model in coffee chain store application is an additional contribution to existing knowledge.Highlights Most important factors which motivate customers and make them happy to go for “Starbucks” or “Barista” are ambience, store location, quality of product offerings and service quality.Value for money, quality of products and service quality are the top three variables affecting the customers and have rated Starbucks better than Barista on these parameters.The happiness level of the same customers who have visited both the coffee chains are more with Starbuck compared to that of Barista.This is significant and can give direction to Barista and other coffee chains through learning from this research.Using the extended SOR model, we explain the variation in response in the happiness level of customers of two coffee chains.In order to give an insight into the strategies adopted by Starbucks and Barista in emerging markets, a comparison of the happiness levels of clients of both coffee chains is presented.This original research can help coffee chains improve their return on investment.The SOR model in coffee chain store application is an additional contribution to existing knowledge.