Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account Serenitie Wang contributed to this report. “Companies that sell limited run products and have an ecommerce presence in China need to be able to adjust very, very quickly to consumer demand … otherwise they can quickly raise consumer ire.” The company announced it would sell the remaining 3,000 cups online in one fell swoop on Friday afternoon. Starbucks insisted that the marketing plans for the cat paw cup were no different from those for its previous limited edition products. That fueled accusations of “hunger marketing,” a term in China that refers to deliberately limiting supplies of a product to dramatically drive up demand. The company recognized the hype surrounding the cups and opted for an “exclusivity play” between its physical and online stores, said Andrew Atkinson, an analyst with research firm China Skinny based in Shanghai.īut the first batch of 1,000 cups sold out in less than a tenth of a second, an Alibaba spokesperson told Chinese media. Starbucks' new 32,000-square-foot store in Tokyo is its biggest in the world Customers can order coffee for home delivery, buy merchandise and gift drinks vouchers to friends all on one platform.Īfter the cat cup craze erupted this week, Starbucks announced Wednesday that it would sell 1,000 of them on its e-commerce store every afternoon from Thursday through Sunday. It launched a virtual Starbucks store in China in December in partnership with e-commerce giant Alibaba Starbucks has been stepping up its own digital presence in response. The company is aiming to open thousands more stores across the country in the coming years and is trying to fend off fierce competition from local startup Luckin Coffee, which has grown rapidly by catering to Chinese consumers’ enthusiasm for ordering through their smartphones. It was unclear what sent some Chinese customers over the edge about the cat cups, beyond the fact that they were cute and in short supply.Ĭhina is Starbucks’ second largest market after the United States. High demand has left customers disappointed in other markets too, most recently in the United States with the release of limited edition red cups during the holiday season last year. Starbucks has launched limited edition products in key markets around the world for years. Chinese customers couldn't get enough of them. Starbucks sold the limited edition cat paw cups for about $30 each.
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