Starbucks partners with e-Commerce player Meituan to enhance coffee experiences in China

Café chain Starbucks has unveiled three new and expanded services that allow customers to seamlessly connect with their local stores as well as curate an individual Starbucks Experience both online and offline in China.

The coffee chain has partnered with leading e-commerce platform Meituan, for its exclusive services like “1971 Salon”, which is exclusive to the platform, offering private bookings for coffee experiences at Starbucks stores.

In addition, the company has expanded its Starbucks Delivers program with more order customization features and established new ‘Super Store’ virtual pages where customers can explore local community events and order directly from Starbucks stores across the Chinese mainland.

“Technological advancements in the pandemic era have blurred the boundaries between home, work, and the third place. This has inspired us to explore how we can transform a Starbucks store into a ‘1971 Salon’ that offers customers novel ways of experiencing the Starbucks brand that they love and are familiar with, as we unlock new occasions to surprise and delight our customers,” said Leo Tsoi, chief executive officer of Starbucks China.

Inspired by the unique role Starbucks stores have played as gathering places for over 50 years, the 1971 Salon service offers customers the option to reserve areas in select stores for private events, or register for uniquely-curated experiences organized by their local store.

More than 60 stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu now offer this service, with plans to expand across the market.

Customers can now access Starbucks Delivers, the company’s mobile order and delivery service, on Meituan platforms market-wide, where  Starbucks Rewards members can enjoy the same benefits as using the Starbucks China app.

Starbucks will continue evolving the digital Starbucks Experience for customers in China through its ongoing partnerships, to elevate and deepen the brand’s connection with customers.

Starbucks entered the Chinese mainland with the opening of its first store in Beijing in January 1999. Over the years, Starbucks has successfully expanded operations to more than 5,000 stores, employing more than 66,000 partners in 208 cities. China is Starbucks single largest market outside of the United States.