British media: As coffee competition intensifies, DIY ice cups are popular among young people in China
2024-08-28
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British Reuters reported on August 27, original title: Coffee competition intensifies, Chinese people begin to accept DIY ice cupsThis summer, Chinese consumers have been trying out various cold drinks made from tea, coffee and juice, which are cheap to make and do not require going to a coffee shop, but can be made by buying pre-packaged ice cubes from convenience stores. This month, as China's eastern coastal provinces were hit by a heat wave, these creative cold drink recipes went viral on social media, driving the popularity of ice cups and other pre-packaged drinks. Chinese consumers are now more cost-conscious than blindly chasing Starbucks, Luckin Coffee and other chain brands. "The reason why ice cups are popular is that they meet the characteristics of young people who like to try new things, and they can post their 'results' online to share with friends," said Zhu Danpeng, an independent food and beverage analyst.
Searching for "ice cup" on Chinese social media platforms yields 13,000 new posts, many of which are videos of young people in their twenties and thirties showing off their creative ice cup creations. Some people pour lychee juice into an ice cup filled with jasmine tea; others pour prepackaged black coffee on orange juice to create an "orange-flavored coffee" that is popular in Chinese coffee shops. This DIY craze has put coffee shops under competitive pressure from convenience stores.
DIY ice cups also give young consumers a chance to show off their creativity. A pre-packaged Starbucks coffee and orange juice ice cup costs 24.5 yuan, which is only slightly less than the same model at Starbucks, but gives young consumers more "bragging rights." Industry insiders say that although ice cups have always been popular in South Korea and Japan, they did not become popular in China until this year. This summer, ice cups have achieved sensational success. It provides young Chinese consumers with a value-for-money option that allows them to DIY their own drinks. Today, more and more young Chinese people have accepted the DIY culture. Some beverage companies have noticed this trend and have launched their own branded ice cups. (Author: Casey Hall et al., translated by Dong Ming)
