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August 7 marked the beginning of autumn, and the phrase "the first cup of milk tea in autumn" once again dominated the social media. While the online market continued to be popular, it also brought about an early sales boom in the offline tea market.

Some people rushed to the restaurant early in the morning to grab the first cup of milk tea in autumn. Less than 10 minutes after the opening of Bawang Cha Ji in Beijing Huacai Commercial Center, there were more than 200 orders waiting to be processed. After 3 a.m. today, consumers from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing successively placed orders in advance through the Meituan App for popular products such as Cha Baidao, Bawang Cha Ji, Shuyi Herbal Jelly, and Mixue Bingcheng, so that they could make them when the store opened and pick them up when they entered the store.

▲On the day of the beginning of autumn, a milk tea shop in Beijing was crowded with self-pickup customers and delivery boys. Photo: Zhang Yue

In order to improve the store reception capacity and efficiency and reduce the waiting time for consumers to pick up the "first cup of milk tea in autumn", Meituan Group Buying has already cooperated with more than 50 well-known domestic tea chain brands to open the "second pick-up" function in advance, forming a complementary service with take-out and dine-in services. However, the surge in orders on that day still far exceeded the expectations of many milk tea brands.

Meituan group buying data shows that at 2:00 p.m. on the beginning of autumn, milk tea consumption across the country reached an instant peak, with milk tea group buying orders increasing by 156% compared with the same period last year. Among them, the hot-selling brands are Mixue Ice City, Shanghai Auntie Fresh Fruit Tea, Bawang Chaji, Cha Baidao, and Yihetang. "Invite guests to drink milk tea on the beginning of autumn" - milk tea is no longer just a drink, but is becoming a social business card for my country's "new generation" of consumers.

It is worth noting that at the beginning of autumn this year, among all the group purchase orders of brand stores that opened instant delivery, the number of orders completed through instant delivery accounted for 74%, and the new scene of instant delivery has become a new driving force for the growth of "the first cup of milk tea in autumn". Since 2024, beverage consumption has shown a polarization trend, and the sales volume of products priced between 5 and 10 yuan and products priced above 20 yuan has increased significantly. It can be seen that consumers are not only pursuing low prices, but also cost-effectiveness and convenience have become decisive factors.

Among the top three cities with the most orders for milk tea delivered in seconds at the beginning of autumn, Guangdong occupies two seats, making it the largest province for milk tea consumption. As a weathervane for tea consumption, Shanghai ranks first in the country in terms of the number of orders for milk tea delivered in seconds at the beginning of autumn. In terms of consumer categories, lemonade has become the "most popular" this year, and its refreshing taste and down-to-earth price are loved by merchants and consumers. Pearl milk tea and Chinese fresh milk tea followed, becoming the most ordered milk tea products with the most orders. The demand for three-point sugar and no additional sugar has increased significantly, and the trend of healthier beverage consumption is obvious. Various brands have also continued to launch small ingredients such as 0-calorie sugar, probiotic powder, collagen peptides, as well as new categories such as light milk tea and pan-tea coffee to provide consumers with healthy choices.

In order to allow consumers to enjoy benefits as well as convenience, this year Meituan Group Buying not only provides brand merchants with full-scenario marketing tools such as "milk tea group buying coupons", no-threshold 9.9 free coupons, special group purchases·10 billion subsidies, brand live broadcasts, etc., but also provides stores that have opened "instant pick-up" services with an exclusive "instant pick-up·online ordering" label to create a new online and offline service scenario.

Li Jiwei, deputy director of Meituan Research Institute, said that as living standards improve, people want to get what they need faster and more conveniently. When young people see others posting milk tea on their WeChat Moments, they will also want to open their phones and order a cup immediately. Meituan group purchase and delivery can meet consumers' multiple instant needs, such as at home, in stores, and on the road. At the same time, the marketing methods of the platform and merchants are superimposed. The new demands stimulated by this new experience will help the catering industry to recover steadily.

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