ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN ATTRACTING AND RETAINING CUSTOMERS: A CASE OF PAK TAM CAFE

Abstract

Pak Tam Café (PTC) is a business organization which provides food and beverage services including restaurants, cafés, catering, bakeries, retail shops and food truck businesses. PTC retains their value through customer relationship which serves one client at a time. PTC also fulfils customers’ needs by providing good services from the food service and accommodate food tastes. PTC has its own signature food as Mee Rebus Pak Tam, Nasi Bukhara, Pak Tam bread and Pak Tam coffee which offers enjoyable cuisine experiences for all customers. With expertise in Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western cuisines, and unlimited food choices offered, it grew to be a successful business. PTC also obtained halal accreditation from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM). The company has a potential to expand, but it struggles in attracting new customers and retain the existing customers, especially with its increasing number of competitors. As for today, there are many returning customers to this café, but only in the North and South Rehat dan Rawat (R&R) Tapah branches. Other branches show a decreasing number of customers, especially during weekends and weekdays. Therefore, the aims of the study is to determine the best marketing strategy to be implemented by PTC in future on how to remain existing customers and at the same time, to attract new customers.