A Perfect Blend: Data and Growth Strategies at ZUS COFFEE
Since its launch in 2019, ZUS COFFEE has transformed the coffee experience by offering specialty coffee as a daily necessity, rather than an occasional luxury.
With millions of cups served and more than 900 stores across Southeast Asia, ZUS has rapidly expanded by prioritising convenience and quality for its customers. However, scaling such a vast store network in diverse markets presents significant challenges.
To ensure every new location thrives, ZUS relied on data-driven insights from GapMaps to build a market planning strategy that optimises site selection processes to enable strong growth with minimised risk, supporting consistent growth.
From Growth Challenges to Data-Driven Clarity
Rapid expansion brings complexity and risk. Initially, ZUS targeted areas with high foot traffic. But as the brand grew, a more advanced approach was needed to identify high-potential sites, reduce risks, and optimise performance.
Expansion into new markets like Singapore and the Philippines added further complexity, requiring insights into local market dynamics, consumer behaviours and demographics, and competitive landscape.
To meet these challenges, ZUS sought a reliable location intelligence service provider to assist with developing a location strategy and provide the data required for the successful execution of the strategy. They chose GapMaps.
Brewing Success with Location Intelligence
ZUS harnessed the GapMaps’ location intelligence platform to make informed, data-led decisions around store selection and performance optimisation.
By tapping into detailed demographic insights, consumer spending data, and competitor mapping, GapMaps provided a comprehensive and trusted understanding of market opportunities.
Key features in GapMaps used by ZUS included:
● Demographic Insights: Granular data on population density, income levels, and age distribution to identify customer hotspots.
● Consumer Spending: Consuming class segmentation provided a layer of precision to pinpoint viable locations in catchments with established spending on discretionary retail products and services.
● Competitor Mapping and the Retail Hierarchy: Visual overlays of competitors to assess market saturation and whitespace opportunities. This includes retail hierarchy insights identifying the full range of retail centres from clusters of shops in the neighbourhoods to the largest shopping malls in the urban centres.
● Sales Performance Analysis: Integration of internal sales data with GapMaps analytics to improve underperforming outlets.
Results with GapMaps
1. Pinpointing High-Performing Store Locations
GapMaps enabled ZUS to target high-traffic areas with favourable demographics, ensuring new stores had strong potential from day one. Proximity to the target segment informed each site selection.
2. Local Market Intelligence for Regional Growth
Entering new markets require granular understanding. GapMaps helped assess per capita spend and population trends in Singapore and the Philippines, allowing the team to tailor strategies to local consumer behaviour.
3. Fine-tuning the Existing Network
By overlaying sales performance with location intelligence, ZUS identified underperforming stores and implemented data-backed improvements to strengthen overall network efficiency.
4. Accelerating Smarter Decisions at Scale
Previously reliant on fieldwork and manual analysis, ZUS now benefits from rapid, confident decision-making. GapMaps shortened planning cycles and helped the team stay agile and ahead of the competition.
“As the coffee market evolves, digital tools like GapMaps keep us agile and proactive. Their accurate insights are crucial for strategic location selection as we scale to even greater heights,” says Tony Thein, Co-Founder, ZUS COFFEE.
Turning Insight into Impact
GapMaps delivered a powerful combination of simplicity and insight, helping ZUS scale intelligently. With visual, accessible data at their fingertips, the ZUS team gained clarity and confidence across all phases of expansion. Outcomes included:
● Expansion to more than 900 stores across Southeast Asia, with GapMaps insights guiding expansion.
● Improved performance of existing outlets through demographic and competitive analysis.
● Faster, more confident decision-making to support rapid scaling.
Looking Ahead: Scaling with Confidence
Looking ahead, ZUS aims to deepen its footprint across Southeast Asia and explore new markets. With urbanisation and digital convenience continuing to drive demand, GapMaps will support future efforts in catchment analysis, emerging hotspot identification, and delivery zone optimisation.
ZUS is a standout example of how data-driven decisions can fuel sustainable growth. With GapMaps as a strategic partner, the company continues to redefine coffee culture, making quality coffee both affordable and part of everyday life.
