Turning your love for coffee into a business isn’t just about putting out a few chairs and tables, serving your favorite brew, and hoping that customers come back. Capturing your target market in this competitive industry maybe quite a challenge, but if you have these basics down pat, you may turn those one-hit customers into loyal patrons.

Perfect your core product. There’s nothing worse than a coffee shop with weak or awful coffee—that’s a surefire way to keep customers out the door.

It goes without saying that creating your best brew is the cornerstone of your entire business. Chit Juan, director of ECHOcafe and has 25 years of experience in the coffee shop industry, cannot stress this enough.

“A steady stream of loyal customers will come in if you have a good, consistent product offering. You need a standard menu or recipe for each drink to make this happen. What you promise is what you deliver.”

Provide free and stable Internet connection. Customers are more likely to post positive reviews of your establishment if you give them this sought-after perk: free Internet access. Strong, fast, and stable WiFi connection will make you the top-of-mind choice of customers who are looking into getting some work done or holding a meeting at your café, giving you potential loyal patrons. What do you get in return? Free marketing as your customers post their photos while at your café, tagging you in their selfies and getting the word out there.

Internet Lite with WiFi Hub offers two kinds of WiFi access to patrons: time-based, where there’s a set limit of time your guests can use the Internet (say, for only two hours); and bandwidth-based, where guests are limited to a certain bandwith (only 500Mbps, for instance). There’s also premium Internet service that comes with free CCTV, so you can monitor your shop remotely and conveniently using your smart phone.

Know your target niche. A coffee shop can be many things, depending on the target market you want to attract: it can be a quiet place perfect for working or reading a book, a venue for business meetings, or a location for impromptu get-togethers. Big coffee chains can be all these things at once, but if you’re a new player who has a modest floor space, it’s important to know who you want to cater to.

If your niche is more into quaint, private spaces, be that place. If you prefer to be a family-style café, have roomier tables and perhaps even a play area for children. Those touches and attention to detail will be greatly appreciated by your patrons.

Be professional. Efficient service will always be remembered. If you want to be on top of the daily operations of your business, make use of tools that can help you manage daily tasks more effectively like Restograph. Short for Restaurant Data Analytics, Restograph gives you reports about your restaurant operations in real time. It also offers real-time data from existing point of sale (POS) machines, which allows managers to better monitor what’s happening and provide value-added tasks.

Reward them for their loyalty—and make it achievable.When you’ve captured your market and see customers frequenting your café, give back by rewarding their loyalty. Offer perks that are easily achieved, and do away with complicated mechanics that seem like rocket science. RUSH Rewards lets you design a reward system the way you want it. It gives you instant insights about your market—from their feedback to valuable data you can use to improve your business. Auntie Anne’s, for instance, offers free pretzels for corresponding points earned. Rewards programs that offer immediate gratification works best and will definitely be popular to customers.

Anyone can open a coffee shop, but it takes a determined entrepreneur to sustain it and loyal customers to make it successful.

To know more about tools that can help you run a successful café, visit Globe myBusiness Academy and Globe Business.