The State of Reputation: Overview of Reviews in the Coffee Shop and Dessert Sector is a groundbreaking survey in Brazil, conducted by Harmo. We collected and analyzed over 160,000 reviews published in 2023, from more than 4,000 locations across 46 chains, featured on Google Business Profiles.
Reviews express the experiences and opinions of these companies' customers, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, reviews play a fundamental role in consumers' decision-making process.
The report offers a detailed view of the online reputation of these establishments, based on the voices of their own customers. Our goal is to provide the market with the first industry benchmarkbased on public reviews, allowing companies to compare their performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and strengthen their business strategies. The State of Reputation Restaurants report does the same benchmarking for the restaurant industry.
We hope that managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, and organizations in the sector can use this material to transform their businesses, promoting increasingly appropriate and personalized experiences for their clients and partners.
This report is an essential tool for understanding the current market, identifying opportunities for improvement, and strengthening the online presence of companies in the sector, considering the opinion of those who matter most: the customer.
Brands analyzed
Forty-six networks were analyzed, divided into four categories: açaí, coffee shops, desserts, and ice cream parlors. The majority of reviews came from the South and Southeast regions, accounting for almost 85%, with a balanced distribution between men (50.7%) and women (49.3%).
Demographic data from the report
The Southeast region concentrates the largest number of locations, representing 59% of the total, followed by the South (20%), Northeast (9%), Midwest (8%), and North (3%) regions.
Despite representing only 20% of the total locations, the Southern region stands out for the number of reviews, concentrating 27% of the total. Notably, the three Southern states have the highest average number of reviews per location, with 48.3 reviews per store, compared to 35 reviews per store in the Southeast.
The states in the Central-West region have the highest proportion of assessments with text (48.4%), followed by the Southeast (45.8%), North (41.9%), Northeast (41.7%), and South (37.5%) regions.
Together, the Southeast and South regions account for approximately 80% of all locations and 84.6% of the volume of reviews. The Southeast contributes 49.5% of the responses to reviews in Brazil, while the South contributes 37.4%. However, when analyzing responses within each region, the Southeast accounts for 25.8% of its reviews, while the South accounts for 41.2% of customer comments. The State of Reputation report for pharmacies provides the same analysis for the pharmacy sector.
Average number of reviews per location
The average number of reviews received per location was only 35, meaning that each location received, on average, only 1 review every 10 days. Of the 46 companies analyzed, only 3 received more than 100 reviews per location in 2023, which is considered low, given the high volume of consumers passing through the stores daily.
Average number of reviews per location by category
Among the categories analyzed, the açaí category stands out with the best average number of reviews per location, at 48, while the dessert category has the lowest average, with only 21 reviews per location.
Response Rate
The average response rate was 30%, with only one brand achieving the ideal response rate above 80% (Café Cultura).
Sentiment Rate
The reviews were categorized as positive, neutral, and negative. The segment average showed 86.2% positive reviews, 4.6% neutral, and 9.1% negative. The category with the highest rate of positive reviews was Açaí, with 93.2% positive reviews. And the category with the highest rate of negative reviews was Desserts, with 12.64% negative reviews.
Overall Segment Note
The average rating for the brands analyzed was 4.5, which signifies an area of excellence and a high level of competitiveness among companies in this sector. To compare with another food service segment, check out the study on bars and restaurants on Google.
Conclusion
The study reveals that the coffee shop and dessert sector is experiencing strong growth, driven by the solid reputation of the brands, reflected in an overall rating of 4.5 stars. This scenario is essential for the sector's economic performance, considering that 92% of consumers would only visit businesses with at least four stars, according to Exploding Topics.
The economic impact is also noteworthy. Between 2019 and 2022, the number of açaí franchises in Brazil grew by 200%, with significant expansion in the number of establishments and revenue, according to ABF (BrazilianFranchising Association). This demonstrates the correlation between a good reputation and economic growth: brands that prioritize quality and satisfaction attract more customers and ensure loyalty.
Categories like ice cream parlors and açaí shops stand out even more, with average ratings of 4.6 and 4.7 stars, respectively. These ratings not only indicate an excellent level of quality and service, but also translate into more frequent visits and an increase in business volume. Even the coffee shop and dessert categories, with ratings of 4.4 and 4.5, have the opportunity to enhance their reputation by leveraging customer feedback to continuously improve their services.
Furthermore, 85% of consumers leave reviews to help others or businesses, making feedback essential for improving operations. Actively managing responses is crucial: 88% of consumers prefer businesses that respond to all reviews, which can improve sales and customer loyalty.
In short, brands that understand the importance of a solid online reputation and actively work to improve the customer experience are better positioned for growth, both in terms of the number of locations and revenue. The connection between reputation and growth is not just a trend, but a reality that is shaping the future of many retail companies. This connection also appears in the list of nominees for the Reputation Awards 2027, Harmo's awards for the retail networks with the best reputation.
Case studies of participating brands
Frequently asked questions about the State of Reputation of cafeterias
The State of Reputation Cafeterias is Harmo's survey on the reputation of the coffee shop and dessert sector on Google. The study analyzed more than 160,000 reviews published in 2023, from more than 4,000 locations across 46 chains, divided into açaí, coffee shops, dessert shops, and ice cream parlors.
The average rating for the analyzed coffee shop and dessert chains was 4.5 stars, a zone of excellence with high competition among brands. Açaí shops lead with 4.7, followed by ice cream parlors with 4.6, desserts with 4.5, and coffee shops with 4.4. At this level, only small differences in rating separate the brands.
Each location received an average of 35 reviews in 2023, which equates to one review every 10 days. Of the 46 chains, only 3 exceeded 100 reviews per location. The South has the highest average, with 48.3 reviews per store, compared to 35 in the Southeast. For the daily traffic of these stores, the volume is still low.
The average response rate for the sector was 30%, and only one brand, Café Cultura, exceeded the ideal rate of 80%. The South region responded to 41.2% of the evaluations, and the Southeast region to 25.8%. Responding has a direct impact on the choice: 88% of consumers prefer companies that respond to all evaluations.
