Starbucks is the name of an American coffee chain company. Founded in 197 1, it is the largest coffee chain in the world, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA. Starbucks' retail products include more than 30 kinds of world-class coffee beans, hand-made espresso and various coffee hot and cold drinks, fresh and delicious cakes, as well as various coffee machines, coffee cups and other commodities. Starbucks has nearly 2 1300 branches all over North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific. 20/kloc-in March/February, two Starbucks desserts in the United States were exposed to cochineal insects as colorants, which experts said might make asthma patients allergic. 20 12 April, Starbucks said it would stop using colorants.

Starbucks crowd positioning: say one thing and do another.

Starbucks defines its consumer group as white-collar workers.

Note that in the positioning of Starbucks in China, white-collar workers are a state, not an identity. A considerable number of urban white-collar workers are young artists and heavy consumers of coffee shops, but Starbucks will never put its position on? Literary youth? In this state, although there is a great probability that it is the same person. Why do you say that? Please read the following patiently.

Speaking of cafes, people in China think of a sunny afternoon, with a comfortable chair and a cup of coffee at hand, and you spend your time in a room filled with the smell of fresh coffee beans.

Therefore, general cafes tend to choose quiet places, even in popular locations, they will choose corner locations. Starbucks prefers business districts, office buildings and shopping malls, usually in conspicuous and lively places, and does not even shy away from the street. Popular landmarks are the typical territory of white-collar workers, and their conspicuous position allows them to reach the store immediately without spending too much time.

Starbucks' bright white facade is also one of the reasons why it is easier to be found. The brand adopts white and green colors, which is simple and natural. Abandoning the concept of complicated decoration is actually catering to the tastes of urban white-collar workers and appearing in clean and efficient office buildings. Does this make Starbucks a little less? Cafe? It feels more like a convenient coffee take-away shop, which is also an important difference between it and other coffee shops.

Why do you want to position yourself like this?

There are two kinds of demand for cafes in the market. One is a place to relax in the life scene, and the other is the demand of the work scene. White-collar workers need a coffee shop at work, which can be reached at any time to provide good quality coffee and take a break in busy work.

The Starbucks we saw in China obviously met the needs of the work scene, but it was not the earliest positioning of Starbucks.

In the late 1980s, Howard? Schultz called a group of investors to buy Starbucks and borrowed American sociologist Ray? In Audberg's words, what is Starbucks? In the third space, besides the office and home, you can also go to Starbucks to kill time. This Italian concept soon conquered most American consumers, and people gradually got used to drinking coffee at Starbucks instead of making it at home. This makes Starbucks expand rapidly, not only in the United States, but also gradually to all parts of the world. 1992, Starbucks successfully went public.

But the problem is that if Starbucks insists on the positioning of the third space to kill time, it will never grow into the big MAC today.

Starbucks is of course aware of this. 1994, Howard? Schultz hired the famous designer Wright? Macy's helped Starbucks expand its brand-new chain store, which included the design of the store, the height of tables and chairs and the unification of counters. Most importantly, this time, it plans to replace all the ceramic coffee cups of most products in Starbucks stores with more labor-saving paper cups, which is actually more like a signal from Starbucks: we want to be faster and more convenient.

What about Howard? Schultz said that? The third space? If the sense of relaxation is 100, in fact, visiting Starbucks will only make you feel about 60 points, but it will not be too comfortable and slightly relaxed.

In this way, Starbucks, like McDonald's and Burger King everywhere, is no longer a "yes" word in the eyes of its core consumers-white-collar workers. Play cool? This place. Starbucks is no longer that American's dream? The third space? . Ask the customer? A cup of coffee in the afternoon? Our shop, why pay the rent, how can it blossom everywhere?

It is fast food that has made Starbucks what it is today. But after Schultz returned to Starbucks, he made a high-profile introspection. Rapid expansion makes Starbucks more commercial? A constant way to make customers' enthusiasm for coffee disappear? Find the lost traditional culture, but we can see that Starbucks in China is still moving along the old road.

Why did Schultz shout out these slogans that are inconsistent with the actual situation?

Because Starbucks is still expanding! Because of the tactics used in the expansion of the United States in the 1980s, it still works in China today!

In America today, there are Starbucks everywhere? The third space? It doesn't matter, but it is still the best marketing tipping point to enter other countries' markets. Starbucks in China is usually located in an office building or business district, and consumers are easily influenced by Starbucks during lunch break, shopping break and friends gathering? Bewitched? Go in and buy a drink, but Starbucks' in-store settings never encourage you to sit all afternoon.

As The Economist said? Schultz hopes to return to the roots of Starbucks, which seems to be in conflict with the company's established goal of growing to 40 thousand in the world. ? This remark hit the nail on the head and set off Schultz's introspection very melodramatic. When he got cheap, he completely derailed.

However, the concept of the third space has left other Starbucks-inspired coffee shop owners in China in a ditch. They do their best to make their shop. Slow? Down, still committed to his own shop? The third space? . However, those coffee shops built according to the idea of killing time, which are full of literary flavor and successfully attract young artists, are all in a bleak business. The turnover rate is low and can't support the cost pressure such as rent. If they want to raise prices, the psychological price of consumers will be anchored around 30 yuan by Starbucks. The coffee shops in the business district even had to rely on a simple lunch at noon to barely support them, and finally they all ended up in a hurry.

Countless female white-collar workers (also typical customers of Starbucks) who have a young heart for literature and art will meet? Sit in your own cafe and have afternoon tea with three or two girlfriends? As an ideal in life, we must solemnly tell you that you can drive a money burning machine.

Therefore, Starbucks seems to be competing with the whole coffee shop industry. In fact, it has firmly grasped this demand in the blue ocean of a market segment, and successfully pushed this demand to the world, becoming one of the representative brands of white-collar consumption.

Service Positioning: Do you know that Starbucks kicked you out?

Although white-collar workers have been mercilessly ignored in the coffee industry and poured a lot of money into Starbucks, Starbucks has not been soft on them because of this, but has customized a set of special service standards driven by interests, with the aim of removing white-collar workers from the store? Drive away? .