3 ways to leverage National Pumpkin Day to increase your coffee shop's sales this October 26

With its rich and spicy taste and harvest mood, the pumpkin has become closely linked with autumn. National Pumpkin Day on October 26 celebrates the numerous facets of this cherished symbol of the season. 

Although customers will feature pumpkins in their decorations, include them in pies, and use them as the central focus of Halloween, this is just the beginning of their potential. 

As a coffee shop owner, October 26 represents the ultimate event for you to celebrate the season, experiment with innovative flavors, engage with new and existing customers, and, most importantly, have fun.

1. Solidify your Infrastructure.

Coffee shop payment systems provide the full suite of dedicated tools that can help you to efficiently and securely take payments, track inventory and tips, generate reports, and even cultivate long-term relationships with customers. 

If years have passed since you reviewed the point of sale systems that focus on the needs of shops like yours, your first step should be to evaluate your current set-up, updating your systems to incorporate modern tools and innovations.

Specifically, be sure that your new POS allows guests to pay using their methods of choice, including not only credit and debit cards, but also digital wallets and contactless options. 

You should be able to keep track of stocks, alerting you when supplies start to run low so that you never run out of essentials. You should also be able to easily set up and change your menu on the system and offer various ordering options, including mobile, from the table, and contactless.

2. Create buzz.

Although people generally associate pumpkins with fall in general, and Halloween in particular, not many know about the significance of October 26. 

This is where your social media can work to your advantage, creating awareness and providing incentives for customers to depart from their normal routine to order from your shop on that day.

Your profiles on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X are canvases that you can use to get the word out about your special pumpkin-related promotions. 

You could create videos about how your pumpkin lattes are crafted, host a jack-o-lantern photo contest with free coffee for a month for the winner, reward customers for posting reviews or referring their contacts, and provide links to your products page. 

This directs visitors right to your website, providing them with additional ways to connect with your brand.

3. Invest in a branded app.

National Pumpkin Day only comes once per year, but it could motivate you to leap into the mobile app universe. 

Connecting your shop to an app gives your business year-round credibility and furnishes added convenience and flexibility to your customers.

It also interfaces with your smart payment terminal so that all loyal customers are rewarded for their visits and purchases. Using the system’s reporting capabilities, you can keep track of buying behaviors and preferences for individual guests or segmented groups of customers. 

People can also use the app to select their drink choices from your seasonal pumpkin selections and pre-order from the convenience of their mobile phones. During what will hopefully be a very busy National Pumpkin Day, the app will also minimize foot traffic by facilitating pre-ordering.

Celebrate the nostalgia and spicy tastes of the season by making National Pumpkin Day an annual tradition at your coffee shop. 

Once you do, you will be rewarded with happy customers, boosted sales, and a lift to your spirits.