Interview
Overcoming Difficulties
The career of being in charge of Blue Lamp Cafe isn’t an easy job for Mr. Kuo. Whatever it takes to keep the business going is really exhausting because a large number of people who visit the store each day come from far and wide. Besides, the business differs due to the season, and how to keep the food. fresh is another serious problem. Blue Lamp Cafe has experienced 7 years of all these crises, including the COVID-19 for about 3 years. Still, it successfully overcomes all the difficulties that it faces.
How Blue Lamp Found Their Own Unique Style
Blue Lamp is not your typical “traditional” ice cream shop; rather, it’s an innovative Korean shaved ice store that takes into account modern trends, consumer preferences, marketing strategies, and unique specialty items. The owner of Blue Lamp insists on strict quality control of ingredients to ensure customers enjoy the best ice treats.
Business and Customer Situation
Customers often come to Blue Lamp Cafe after being attracted by photos and marketing efforts, with most visits concentrated on weekends. Sustaining a traditional ice cream shop can be challenging; many such businesses close down within a few years due to low individual sales and consequently low profits. This is particularly evident in areas like old streets, where you might occasionally find Taiwanese-style ice cream shops that have been running for over a decade, although they are rare.
In modern times, consumers generally prefer innovative, foreign-inspired ice cream options. This makes it even harder for traditional ice cream shops to stay afloat, as observed by the owner who has seen many similar shops shut down early on. Furthermore, factors such as food safety concerns, seasonal shifts, and pandemics greatly impact the business of traditional ice cream shops.
Storefront
The interior of the store predominantly features white tones, maintaining a clean and tidy environment. The space is relatively spacious, with not all tables and chairs fully occupied, aligning more with modern aesthetics and providing a cleaner feel, which may entice customers to enter.
The owner has designed the store with an open-concept counter, allowing for a transparent view of the production process. This transparency in the production environment may instill a sense of confidence in customers regarding the items they order.
Marketing Strategy
In Taiwan, high-priced ice cream shops are a rare sight, especially those situated within coffee shops. The owner seized this unique positioning as the entry point for their entrepreneurial venture.
Establishing the shop’s visibility is crucial, and prior to our visit, we conducted searches for blog reviews from other patrons, as well as customer comments and photos on Google Maps.
The owner also emphasized the presentation of the ice cream and focused on maintaining product quality. Therefore, considerable effort was invested in the aesthetics, plating, marketing, and quality maintenance of the products.
The shop features some distinctive items designed to attract customers, such as the popular Mango Cheesecake Ice Cream. This unique combination of mango and cheesecake is not commonly found in the market, making it a standout offering within the store.
Conclusion
After this interview with Mr. Kuo, we noticed some of the most important tips for an ice store like this to survive throughout different conflicts. We need to be sure about our ice’s specialities and quality of it. Also, the type of ice and the design of the store needs to fit the customer’s preferences. In conclusion, a store’s key to be stable on surviving is to stand out from other ice stores, and always stay remarkable about the store.
Store Information
Store name：那間賣冰的咖啡店 Blue Lamp Cafe
Address ：No. 10, Linkou Road, Linkou District, New Taipei City 244
Interview date：October 18, 2023
Respondent：Store owner老闆 郭東翰(Daniel Kuo)