Recently, Starbucks has caused a lot of controversy because of "consumption seating", the main reason is that some Starbucks stores have begun to implement the "consumption seating" strategy, if you don't order, Starbucks staff will come to remind you to order, and some have a clear reminder that consumption can be seated.
However, Starbucks said that they did not have relevant measures, and there were also relevant people to visit, although they did not order, but they could also be seated.
Some stores also said that they have not completely eliminated consumption seating, and if the store has less customer flow, they can also be seated without consumption, and the fundamental consideration of consumption seating is to order the store experience of consumers.
01
Starbucks' Third Place idea fails?
First of all, let's talk about Starbucks' business philosophy, the third place;
The concept of a third place was first proposed by the American sociologist Ray Oldenburg, who argued that in addition to the home and the workplace, there was a need for a third space in between.
Regarding the value of Starbucks' third place, founder Schultz said in the book "Inject Heart": Only in Starbucks stores can they feel that they are part of the social group, in addition to seeing the faces of their families every day, this is the place that makes them feel the most intimate.
The founder's understanding and practice of the third place of Starbucks has also achieved some results in China, such as the "Starbucks Migrant Worker Atmosphere Group" that was popular on social media a few years ago, which is a perfect explanation.
Starbucks is not only a coffee shop, but also a place where the work/social/rest scene is integrated, but the third space of Starbucks does not simply create this concept, but also makes a great deal of work on the decoration, layout and consumer movement of the entire store.
For example, the decoration style and lighting of Starbucks;
Starbucks' interiors are mainly made of wood, such as wooden tables and chairs, and the colors are soft and uniform, while the seat heights in different areas are different to meet the needs of different types of consumers, which is also the differentiator between Starbucks and other brands, whether you are chatting, working or relaxing, you can find the right seat.
In addition, Starbucks' lighting is also very particular;
A professional Starbucks interior designer said, "The distance between each light is measured, so there will be a shadow area and a bright area, and this spotlight can be rotated 360 degrees to adjust the direction, you can see that no matter which direction you sit, the light will not shine directly on your face and dazzle." ”
Starbucks' third place concept is not a simple speculation concept, but goes deep into the brand concept and every decoration detail, so this is also the fundamental reason why other brands cannot realize the "third place".
From the current point of view, Starbucks is still the first choice for consumers to find a "third place", and it is also a business barrier for Starbucks.
02
Why is Starbucks still unshaken?
Although there were Luckin Coffee, Cudi Coffee, and Manner Coffee in the past, Starbucks still has a strong brand effect from the perspective of brand power, although it is also forced to cut prices to compete for consumers' attention.
In the past public relations crisis of Manner, the main focus of public opinion was on the treatment of Manner's employees, and at this time, Starbucks' employee treatment and store configuration were also taken out.
A user on Xiaohongshu said: Starbucks baristas work 8 hours a day, and there are 10 employee coupons per month, as well as employee discounts, and there are 5 insurances, 1 housing fund and 14 salaries....
Compared with Starbucks, Manner's employee treatment suddenly pales in comparison; Starbucks did not use their employee treatment as a bargaining chip for public relations marketing, but it was compared with Manner by the public, and for Starbucks, this also belongs to the "splashing traffic wealth"
In fact, whether it is Manner or Chayan Yuese, China's star catering brands have more or less encountered some public relations crises, although they have delivered good performance and answers, but the brand's brutal performance growth and brand internal system improvement, employee care is difficult to achieve a state of the same frequency.
Therefore, this is also a wake-up call for new consumer brands in China: when the brand is highly expanded, don't forget the employees behind you...
In addition, Starbucks also has a lot of brand concepts worth learning, such as Starbucks' environmental protection concept, on the annual Earth Day, consumers can go to Starbucks to receive free coffee with their own cups, and support environmental protection with practical actions; At the same time, Starbucks also has a free coffee grounds delivery campaign to encourage consumers to pick up coffee grounds;
Although Starbucks is not able to sweep up cutting-edge coffee brands such as Luckin, Cudi, and Manner in the price war, there are other brands worth learning from its accumulated brand heritage and the dynamic balance achieved by the brand's internal management and external expansion.
At last
Some Starbucks stores have adopted the strategy of consumer seating, and if you really want to investigate the core reason, I think it is most likely to take into account the consumer experience.
Because many consumers reported that they bought coffee but did not have a seat, Starbucks had to take similar measures to protect the rights and interests of consumers who had already consumed it.