Why Did the Manner Promotion Strain Store Coffee Machines?

Manner Coffee's seventh-anniversary promotion gave a limited-edition tumbler, capped at 150,000 units, with delivery orders only on Meituan and Ele.me. From November 17 to 21 in Shanghai and November 22 to 26 elsewhere, order volume surged, delivery fees climbed to 7.3 yuan at some stores, and several locations closed intermittently.

The campaign targeted delivery expansion rather than in-store or mini-program sales. Analysts point to capacity limits from rapid store growth and semi-automatic equipment that depends on barista speed. Notably, the coffee machines question often asked about espresso setups, where are Jura coffee machines made, concerns equipment sourcing, a separate matter from the home market where Jura is a well known Swiss brand.

Manner Coffee's seventh-anniversary celebration introduced a limited-edition tumbler giveaway with delivery orders, intended to boost online orders, but unexpectedly triggered a surge of orders at multiple stores nationwide, supply chain disruptions, and even intermittent closures. Consumers flooded social media, with some sharing their orders and celebrating the freebies, while others complained about orders being canceled without reason, skyrocketing delivery fees, and stores shutting down outright. This marketing campaign, seemingly full of complaints, actually reveals Manner's ambition to push into the delivery market. From starting offline to aggressive online expansion, the capacity bottlenecks brought by rapid store expansion and semi-automatic equipment are now emerging. This article will sort out the sequence of events and retain relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee.

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Domestic specialty coffee brand Manner recently celebrated its seventh anniversary. Its official WeChat public account pushed a message announcing the launch of a "limited-edition tumbler," available only as a gift and not for sale, with a total limit of 150,000 units. The post stated that starting from November 17, for five consecutive days, anyone who placed an order through any channel would receive a limited-edition tumbler worth 68 yuan for free.

The campaign was rolled out in two phases: Shanghai from November 17 to 21, and other cities from November 22 to 26. Notably, this campaign was only for delivery orders on Meituan and Ele.me; Manner's own mini-program and in-store orders were not eligible.

After the campaign launched, a large number of consumers rushed to place orders, and many stores immediately saw order surges. Recently, media reported that multiple Manner stores in various locations, due to a surge in orders and insufficient supply capacity, led to widespread, intermittent closures.

Observing delivery platforms, some stores have already raised their minimum order thresholds. Although most still maintain 30 yuan, delivery fees have climbed to 7.3 yuan, and some stores have even raised the minimum order price to 50 yuan or even 80 yuan.

On social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, discussions around Manner's campaign have been flooding the screen. Some people posted their orders to share the joy of successfully getting freebies, while many netizens complained that delivery orders were canceled by stores without reason or that delivery wait times were too long.

Under related topics, similar complaints can be seen everywhere: "If you can't afford to run a campaign, don't try to show off! ... This cup is probably made of crystal," "I was angered by this wave of marketing early in the morning," "Every time they use cheap cups for marketing," "All stores are closed! If you can't handle it, don't play!" "I won't buy Manner anymore; its cost-performance feels increasingly low. Might as well drink Luckin"...

However, this marketing campaign, which seems riddled with complaints, precisely reflects Manner's cleverness.

For most consumers, Manner is a typical offline consumption-oriented store. After all, bringing your own cup and spending 10 yuan to get a consistently good latte is simply too attractive. As a coffee consumer, I have also participated in many coffee brand marketing campaigns. Most brand campaigns rely on offline stores because offline interaction brings a more direct sense of experience.

Yet Manner, which started offline, actually made its seventh-anniversary campaign online delivery only, which seems to expose Manner's "ambition" to accelerate its capture of the delivery market.

It is understood that this is not the first time Manner has "flopped" in a marketing campaign. Previously, Manner also held multiple campaigns such as co-branded merchandise giveaways, free coffee for bringing your own cup, and welfare giveaways, which similarly sparked consumer dissatisfaction due to insufficient store supply, long queues, and limited giveaway stock.

Public information shows that since opening its first store on Nanyang Road in 2015, Manner Coffee has opened 538 stores nationwide. Based on the total of 194 stores at the end of last year, Manner has aggressively expanded by 344 stores this year alone.

This year has been a year of continuous attempts at breakthroughs for Manner. With capital backing, Manner has been opening stores frantically. At the beginning of 2022, it proposed the goal of "3 days, 10 cities, 200 stores," and also officially launched delivery services. Drip coffee bags also entered e-commerce platforms such as Douyin, JD.com, and Tmall.

In addition, Manner has also collaborated with L'Oreal's high-end skincare brand Helena Rubinstein, electric vehicle brand Tesla, and luxury brand LV. Perhaps following the logic of "birds of a feather flock together," the same applies to brands. Manner has continuously collaborated with these brands that place great emphasis on brand value. Recently, rumors have also been circulating in the coffee market about Manner's plan to list in Hong Kong.

Some industry insiders pointed out that Manner stores all use semi-automatic coffee machines, resulting in a low degree of operational standardization but a higher operating threshold. Correspondingly, baristas also need longer preparation time. Therefore, the company's DNA simply does not support large-scale promotional marketing campaigns of the "instant order surge" type.

Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.