How Ripples Clarified Its Real Value Drivers — and Unlocked New Revenue Across Customer Segments
Background
Ripples is a category-defining beverage tech company that transforms drinks into interactive, shareable experiences. It's used by cafes, restaurants, bars, and event teams around the world.
As the company scaled, it faced an increasingly common challenge: strong adoption in some segments, stagnation in others, and no clear signal on why.
"Before working with Decode, we were flying blind. We didn't know what truly drove our customers to buy. Purchases felt random. Our teams were too close to the process to see the full picture."
The Challenge
Ripples needed to answer two urgent questions:
- What drives consistent usage and retention among coffee shops, bars, and restaurants?
- Why is performance so uneven in the catering segment—and how can we unlock growth?
Sales data and CRM fields weren't enough. They needed unfiltered customer truth—directly from the people using (or not using) Ripples every day.
The Solution
Decode conducted 35 in-depth 1:1 interviews across both segments:
- 20 customers in the cafe/bar/restaurant segment
- 10 VIP catering accounts
- 10 low-performing catering accounts
As an independent third party, Decode surfaced raw, unfiltered insights that internal teams couldn't access. These findings shaped messaging, product, customer success, and revenue strategy across the business.
Key Insights
Segment 1: Coffeeshops
Ripples isn't just a novelty, it's a marketing engine. 75% of customers said Ripples is their "free advertising."
"It's our organic social media strategy. People take pictures of their drinks because it's cool, and it brings in so many people."
"Ripples has helped grow our bottom line, not just because we charge $2 extra for every print, but because it brings in so many people."
"9 out of 10 customers come in because they want an image on their coffee."
Segment 2: Catering Companies
Ripples adds branding and perceived premium value.
92% said Ripples is primarily used to add branding and customization for clients.
"It's a no-brainer. It adds branding, it's fun, and it drives more revenue."
"Ripples makes it feel like a premium brand activation, not just coffee."
What Changed
The insights prompted:
- Revised Message → A compelling value proposition that represents customers' exact desires
- Clear differentiator → Clarity on exactly what makes Ripples different and unique
- New website → new messaging and positioning to align with Ripples’ core value
Impact
Ripples has seen their highest year of revenue growth to date.
"This changed the way we speak with existing customers. We now use their language and can understand them better. We actually built a whole support platform out of these insights."
"We finally got raw, unfiltered insights, no bias, no guesswork. These insights impacted our entire company: marketing, CS, product, and sales."