What Makes Starbucks In Korea Unique?

The number of Starbucks in Korea has marked the fifth among 75 countries in the world, and Seoul took first place for the title of 'the most numbers of Starbucks in one city'. Starbucks in Korea is a huge success in the local market and there are some distinctions that can be made compared to Starbucks in other countries.

Limited-Edition Merchandises

Starbucks Korea launches a seasonal event offering limited-edition merchandise to customers who completes the 'e-frequency' loyalty program seasonally which is similar to the stamp-based loyalty program that lots of local cafes run.

Starbucks merchandise is always in high demand in Korea, and its exclusive e-frequency items are even more popular than the on-going merch items. This year, the hype seems to be reaching the peak!

According to JTBC, a Korean broadcasting company, one customer at a Starbucks branch in Yeouido made a purchase for 300 cups of coffee in order to get her hands on 17 Summer-Ready bags. That's how popular Summer-Ready bag, the limited-edition merchandise of Summer 2020, has been in Korea.After purchasing 300 cups of coffee, she took one for herself and left the remaining cups of coffee in the store with a note attached 'available for free'. But according to the Starbucks Korea, most of them had to be thrown out as nobody wanted them.

To qualify to receive one Summer-Ready bag, customers are required to purchase ￦65,000 (USD $53) worth of drinks, and the bags are sold at the local online markets for ￦100,000 (USD $82) each, which is easy cash for the resellers.

Performance of Starbucks Korea

What's the secret behind Starbucks Korea's consistent success? Since the very beginning in 1999 all the way up to today, Starbucks is doing well. This means their sales were constantly increasing without slowing down or a decrease. Their annual sales in 2019 marked around ￦1.9T (USD $1.6B) and they are expecting even higher sales in 2020.

An interesting fact is that you will be able to spot countless Starbucks stores near your area as there are 1425 locations in Korea and 518 in Seoul alone.

Since Starbucks Korea is operated directly by its Korea headquarters, its main goal is to attract the most customers to the store, which is why Starbucks Korea is putting much effort into making quality merchandise.

For instance, they have previously collaborated with Moleskin, Lamy Pen, PANTONE, 10 Corso Como, and BTS to make the merchandise worthy compared to other ordinary stationeries offered elsewhere! Moreover, their diary planner (which is another seasonal e-frequency event merchandise) increases the amount of sales significantly at the end of each year.

There hasn't been numerical data reported officially, but the insiders from Starbucks have commented on their sales of merchandise before.

Another reason why Koreans are in love with Starbucks merchandise is their adorable but moderate design; the United States and South Korea are the only Starbucks out of 75 countries that have design teams. It makes Korea the only country with its own design team outside the country where the headquarters is.

Mobile Order & Pay

If you were a regular at Starbucks from your home country, I can assure you that you have used the Starbucks app for mobile orders; it makes your life easier as you can simply place an order without talking to anyone!

Did you know that the mobile order system was first invented and established at Starbucks in Korea? Korea called this system 'Siren Order', and within a month of establishment, Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks sent an email to Starbucks Korea saying, "Fantastic!"

After Starbucks Korea implemented Siren Order, Starbucks started to benchmark the system across the States, Europe, and Asia, which became today's mobile order and pickup system.

Localized Starbucks Stores

Starbucks Korea opens up special branches that incorporate the beauty of Korean architecture and culture from the store.

The picture below is the Starbucks Hwangudan branch located near Myeongdong. This specific store is beautifully renovated recently with a wall painting of vibrant colours that represents Korea, and the floor-seating culture that was traditionally the norm in Korea.

Hwangudan Branch
Address: 서울 중구 소공로 112
Hours: Mon - Fri: 07:00 - 22:00, Weekend: 08:00 - 21:00

Other localized and unique Starbucks locations include:

Gwanghwamun Branch
Address: 서울 종로구 종로1길 42
Hours: 7:00 - 21:00

Express Bus Terminal Branch
Address: 서울 서초구 사평대로 205
Hours: 7:00 - 22:00

Drinks that You Can Only Find in Korea

Many global franchises customize their menus to fit the local palate. Starbucks Korea is no exception! It has developed creative drinks and desserts for the customers here, and their appearance and the decorations are attractive enough for the consumers to keep trying the new seasonal menus.

Out of countless unique and limited-edition drinks, I have brought some that caught my attention. 'Choux Cream Crunch Latte and Frappuccino' used vanilla bean paste to enhance the natural flavor as well as pastries pieces for the crunchy texture on top. 'Violet Roasted Sweet Potato Latte and Frappuccino' was well-known for being not as sweet as other brands' sweet potato lattes. Also, they look pretty!

In 2019, Starbucks released a latte and a Frappuccino featuring rice from Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Starbucks wanted to use local staple food as its main ingredients for the drinks and decided on the idea of rice from Icheon, a region known for growing quality rice.

The taste of the drinks is similar to soft milk tea. While the rice latte is gently sweet with fried rice on top which adds a nice texture, the rice Frappuccino is slightly sweeter than the latte!

Another hit this year was the collab with BTS, offering limited-edition BTS goods and purple star cupcakes and purple berry cheesecake with BTS logo chocolate on top.

Starbucks Korea also creates limited-edition menus only for some specific regions.

For instance, there are 'Jeju Mugwort Cream Frappuccino', 'Jeju Hallabong Black Tea Blended', and 'Jeju Black Seasame Latte and Frappuccino' that can be only found on Jeju Island. Lots of local Korean visitors to Jeju Island actually head to the Starbucks and try the menus because they can't be found in other cities.

Last year when I visited Jeju Island, I also went to one of the Starbucks cafes in Jeju to try their specialty menus! I ordered Black Sesame Frappuccino, Mugwort Cream Frappuccino, Green Tea Tiramisu Island and Walnut Carrot Blended.

All four menus were exclusive only at Jeju, and I was more than happy to try them with great scenery outside.

Also, there are two drink menus that are only offered in Busan. There are 'Busan Red on The Beach' and 'Busan Sandy Beach Cream Frappuccino' which both remind consumers of the sunset oceans and the spacious beaches of Busan!

Koreans' continuous consumption of limited-edition merchandise, drinks, and desserts generated today's Starbucks culture in Korea. What are your thoughts? Have you spotted any similarities or differences compared to Starbucks from your home country?

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