What Is Coffee Merchandise Culture at the Lujiazui Coffee Festival?

The 8th Lujiazui Coffee Festival drew 270 participating cafés over five days, the largest edition yet, plus more than a dozen specialty coffee brands from Australia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea. Coffee itself is increasingly homogenized, so brands competed through designed shopping bags and other practical giveaways. These items, obtained by spending, following accounts or posting check-ins, became more sought after than the drinks themselves.

The coffee shape of the event has shifted toward shareable merchandise as a marketing tool. Tote bags and red-and-yellow plastic bags styled after wholesale markets gave visitors something useful to carry and photograph, which brands used to gain followers and buzz. With 270 exhibitors, standing out required more than a good cup, and the bag became the quickest way to be noticed in a crowded venue.

The 8th Lujiazui Coffee Festival recently kicked off, with the five-day event bringing together 270 participating cafés, the largest scale in its history. Besides more than a dozen overseas specialty coffee brands from Australia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and other places, the creative competition among exhibitors over peripheral giveaways was equally eye-catching. From oversized canvas tote bags to red-and-yellow plastic bags replicating the style of wholesale markets, brands have been using uniquely designed shopping bags to grab attention and create buzz. As coffee itself becomes increasingly homogenized, these peripheral products—both practical and highly shareable—are becoming a "hard currency" more sought after than the coffee at the festival.

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Amid the surging crowds at the event, if you want to be locked onto by everyone's gaze at first glance and become the universally recognized "conspicuous one" of the whole venue, that is probably the most direct and effective strategy.

Two days ago, the five-day 8th Lujiazui Coffee Festival officially opened, and various entry guides, check-in photos, and freebie hauls were frequently released on social media. Look at this line longer than the ones for COVID tests—if you don't say it and I don't say it, who still remembers this is a workday??

It is understood that compared with previous editions, the number of participating cafés at this year's coffee festival reached a new high of 270. In addition to local brands, it also introduced more than a dozen specialty coffee brands from countries such as Australia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and South Korea. The new "domestic + overseas" approach once again got Shanghai's coffee people itching to act, quickly pulling out their phones to book entry.

Friends who have been to a coffee festival probably know that before the official opening, many brands prepare a certain quantity of practical peripherals with exclusive designs in advance to give out to everyone, such as shopping bags and coffee cups. After printing a logo on them, not only can they promote their own brand, but the down-to-earth functionality paired with highly attractive design can also let people actually use them in daily life.

Such peripherals at coffee festivals generally need to be obtained through on-site spending, following the brand's account, or posting check-ins on platforms. In this way, brands can use the marketing strategy of giving away peripherals to bring in a wave of new followers. So at a coffee festival, what brands compete over is not only the coffee itself, but also the design of the peripherals. And indeed, the outstanding bags at this year's Lujiazui Coffee Festival are the best evidence of brands "vying for favor."

In terms of size, each one is bigger than the last—lift one up and it might fit an entire small child.

Each one is longer than the last—even someone shorter carrying it might have it drag on the ground.

In terms of material, there are canvas bags, woven bags, yarn bags, PVC laser tote bags,

and even ultra-thin plastic bags.

In terms of shape, some imitate vinyl records, and some reference market vegetable baskets.

There are also red-and-yellow plastic bags replicating those used for wholesale stock pickup.

(I believe it goes without saying—everyone knows this brand should be from Guangdong.)

In terms of copywriting, it is even more blunt and clear.

"Coffee Festival Conspicuous Bag," "Bag of Stuffed Dreams," "A Whole Bag of 'Bugs'" "Coffee is always so good"...

With these extremely high-profile bags and totes above, casually slinging one on and walking down the street can instantly turn you into the most flamboyant player at the entire venue—one could say it is eye-catchingly conspicuous. As for the brands, when consumers carry exclusive bags as they move between booths or take photos and post them, it is undoubtedly "free advertising," so why not?

And the facts are exactly that. When coffee on the market is severely homogenized, competing on add-on products beyond coffee is also an inevitable trend. Looking back at the "freebie-hunting guides" at coffee festivals over the years, shopping bags are clearly more popular than coffee. Compared with "Where is this coffee booth located?", many consumers are more curious about "Where do you get this bag?"

In addition, the reason these shopping bags sell better than coffee lies not only in the designs themselves, but also in the fact that coffee at the festival costs at least twenty or thirty yuan and at most several hundred, with most maintained around thirty or forty. Drink from just a couple more booths and the spending is already over a hundred. By comparison, buying a cup of coffee and getting a good-looking and practical shopping bag or peripheral clearly seems more cost-effective. Thus, at coffee festivals there is always the grand scene of everyone carrying a shopping bag.

Image source: Internet

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