On the day of the beginning of autumn, Starbucks was hit to the "Luckin Price" in the "first business war of autumn" – a large drink originally priced at over 30 yuan, with a minimum of less than 5 yuan after being subsidized by food delivery platforms, quickly becoming a hot topic.
1、 Reshaping the pricing system: loosening of high-end positioning
Subsidy stacking lowers the purchase price: On August 7th, platforms such as Meituan and Taobao flash purchase launched Starbucks single cup discounts of 50% and 25%. After adding "explosive red envelopes" and "divine coupons", the original price of 37 yuan caramel macchiato was generally lower than 10 yuan, and some users posted orders for 4.5 yuan and 6 yuan.
Face to face with affordable brands: Meituan directly launched the "Autumn First Starbucks Exchange Coupon" for 12.9 yuan, which is priced the same as some styles of Luckin Exchange Coupons. For the first time, Starbucks met Luckin and Kudi head-on in terms of price.
The premium of the "third space" has been diluted: Starbucks once swept the white-collar circle with its high-end positioning, opening 7000 stores nationwide. Its net profit shrank by 1/6 in the second quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, and its market value evaporated by hundreds of billions in a single day. Under the pressure of price war, it had to put aside its position.
2、 Evolution of Competitive Landscape: Instant Retail Becomes a Battlefield
The platform dominates the pace of the business war: This round of low prices is not initiated by Starbucks to adjust prices, but rather a subsidy competition between instant retail platforms such as Meituan and Taobao flash purchase. The platform uses red envelopes and discounts to attract brand coffee as a product.
The high order market has become a new target: After the vicious low price competition in takeout was stopped, the "zero yuan purchase" of milk tea decreased, and the platform turned to subsidizing Starbucks to compete for high order users, marking the shift of instant retail competition from low order milk tea to branded coffee.
The timeliness of subsidies has led to a wait-and-see attitude: some consumers have reported that discounts have randomness – there is a large price difference between different cities and accounts, some can get single digits, while others still place orders at the original price, making it difficult for platform subsidies to last for a long time.
3、 Marketing Logic Upgrade: From Selling Products to Selling Emotions
Seasonal restrictions to seize the mind: Starbucks has simultaneously launched the Golden Osmanthus series, incorporating the Golden Osmanthus from Xianning, Hubei into its drinks. It has introduced new products such as the Golden Osmanthus Persimmon Oat Latte and the Golden Osmanthus Autumn Pear Tie Guan Yin Tea Latte, with a focus on the "first cup of autumn" ceremony.
Deep binding of Chinese local culture: Starbucks presents the image of laurel with the intangible cultural heritage Paper Cuttings technique, arranges Paper Cuttings devices and light shadow interaction in 26 theme stores, embeds cultural experience in the "third space", and strengthens brand differentiation.
Consumer decision-making is becoming more rational: for the same osmanthus flavor, choices of over ten yuan and over thirty yuan are presented, and netizens are divided into two factions: "paying for the atmosphere" and "pursuing cost-effectiveness". Taste, price, and practicality have become repeatedly weighed factors.
This article is generated by AI/Sina Foodie Diary