Starbucks tied up with Meituan to expand coffee delivery in China. The tie-up will focus on delivering online services with the Meituan app. Customers can order customized Starbucks drinks with the app.
They can also book activities in local Starbucks like coffee-tasting experiences. The partnership with Meituan faces stiff competition. The domestic beverage chains HeyTea and Manner can serve as a great competition.
Starbucks online service is calling it a delivery debut in china. Starbucks Reserve range of coffees deals with premium products. It is trying to bring its native taste to the competitive market of China.
Meituan App will serve a great deal in customer attraction. Customers will be able to customize their drinks. The members can participate in a customer reward scheme. They will receive all the benefits from the app. It will have all the features and more than a normal Starbucks app in China.
The tie-up between Starbucks and Meituan app is also for offline experiences. With the Meituan app, customers can reserve places for any activity. They can sign up for private events in a local shop.
This service is currently available in 60 stores across china. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu now offer these plans. Starbucks will further expand to other cities in China.
Starbucks also introduced a new feature in the app. It will make sure that 5000 plus stores in china feature a food delivery app. It promises that each coffee giant by the end of the year will have it.
The Meituan app features 660 million users in China. It is one of the biggest food delivery apps in the country. It will give Starbucks online services a great boost. It opens a high potential to attract more customers. Smartphone users tend to use multi-utility apps in China. And, Meituan is one such example.
The tie-up will face strong competition from tea-based HeyTea. And, a local coffee chain, Manner has prominence in attracting customers and finance in the region.