New York coffee discount platform Cups light model can be transplanted to China?

The startup didn't come from Silicon Valley, but was born in metropolitan New York-Cups, an Israeli coffee app. Through this mobile platform, New Yorkers can buy packaged packages, buy coffee coupons at discounted prices, and spend in different coffee shops.

In the streets of New York, there are pedestrians hurrying by with a cup of coffee, and people who have lived in the United States are no stranger to this scene. "without coffee, New Yorkers can't wake up." as a saying goes, New Yorkers' ultimate pursuit and dependence on coffee can be seen.

In downtown New York alone, there were 1314 open-air coffee shops authorized by the Consumer Bureau last year, according to a set of public data.

New business rules?

Not long ago, Miss Zhou, who was studying in New York, introduced a coffee consumption APP called Cups to titanium media. The app is simple. When you open APP, users can see preset packages in several different price stalls, allowing consumers to buy the same amount of coffee at one time at about 30% of the discount service. After placing an order, you can pick it up at a nearby favorite store when you need to enjoy it-there is no extra charge.

Titanium media note: picture source Cups official website http://cupsapp.com

The price range of Cups includes two categories, you can buy basic coffee and any type of coffee: for an ordinary coffee shop in New York, black coffee and fancy coffee cost $2 to $3 and $4 to $5, respectively. The plan to buy with Cups generally gets a discount of tens of cents per cup and eliminates the normal purchase tax. Consumers can buy cost-effective coffee by leaving their wallets and credit cards at home by following these steps (the only restriction here: a maximum of one cup in 30 minutes):

(titanium media note: photo source Cups official website)

In other words, the discounted packages that consumers get on Cups can be spent in different brands of coffee shops. The purchase of coffee can be done in four steps:

Check the surrounding cafe information.

Choose and buy a coffee plan that suits you.

Users go to a nearby coffee shop and tell the clerk what kind of coffee they want to buy.

Without payment, the consumer asks the waiter to click Check Out on his App and type the code to complete the purchase process.

App for New Yorkers

In fact, Cups was born on the other side of the world in 2012, and five Israeli high school classmates came up with this new idea during a party chat. In just two years, Cups has linked more than 100 independent coffee shops from eight coffee shops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. At the end of 2013, Cups targeted New York, a supermarket with more coffee lovers and independent stores. It officially launched in April last year, but sold thousands of cups of coffee in the first week.

American coffee culture has undergone several changes in half a century. Today, the United States is the country with the largest consumption of coffee. According to an article published in the New York Times in 1964, there were only about 30 open-air cafes in New York City, while there were almost all the streets in Europe at that time. And the shopkeeper allows guests to spend the whole day in the store. By contrast, American shopkeepers do not welcome guests who stay in the store.

It is the inclusive multiculturalism and fast-paced lifestyle that make American coffee culture flourish, and coffee has become one of the iconic products that represent American modern life and rapid consumption. Compared with the elegant taste of European coffee, Americans drink coffee freely and freely, so the emergence of Cups can be said to seize the best time.

Within a year, the app has accessed more than 170 independent coffee shops in New York City.

"We provide more possibilities for independent coffee shops or small and medium-sized enterprises through simple links. The goal is to add each store to a larger chain while maintaining its own characteristics, "Gilad Rotem, one of the founders of Cups, said in an interview with US technology media Tech Crunch a month ago.

Gilad Rotem also said in a media interview, "I hope Cups will continue to grow and link 200 coffee shops in New York to provide small and medium-sized enterprises with opportunities to compete with Starbucks." This is the main business purpose of Cups.

It's clear that these independent coffee shops can't make money on the Cups platform alone, but why are they happy to cooperate? According to the manager of Uncommons, a coffee shop in Greenwich Village, "Cups basically pays us half the price of each cup of coffee, and it does bring us a lot of new business. But at the same time, there are also losses caused by price concessions. "

In essence, Cups platform brings traffic to coffee merchants. Coffee shop operators prefer customers to enjoy their refreshments and sandwiches while drinking coffee.

Cups App's invention is a step forward in a new business model, a rule that makes Cups more like a gadget for discovering independent coffee shops and for finding people who really love coffee in New York City.

Is it possible to copy to the Chinese market?

Coffee has long been accepted and favored by Chinese people like soybean milk. Statistics show that at present, about 70% of Chinese people drink coffee, and 30% of them have formed the habit of drinking coffee every day. At the same time, the growing popularity of coffee culture has made petty-bourgeois entrepreneurs choose coffee shops as a platform to run their dream cafes.

The operation of coffee shops is not as easy as imagined, and even if they adopt a low-price strategy, they will not be able to compete with star brands like Starbucks. Moreover, these independent coffee shops often focus on style and interest labels, which makes both the decoration of the store and the production of coffee expensive. If the price of each cup of coffee is 25 yuan, I am afraid you have to sell at least 150 cups a day to keep your capital. If you are in a prime location in the city, it will be even more difficult to meet the capital preservation standard. In a second-tier city like Hangzhou, only one cafe makes a profit.

Starbucks announced not long ago that it plans to expand the number of stores in China to 1500 by 2015, sticking to its "quick elimination" coffee concept (including offering boutique coffee at the same time). Use paper cups that can be brought out of the store, fast-paced music during peak hours and uncomfortable seats to "drive away" customers as soon as possible and strive for greater customer flow in prosperous areas.

In recent years, the sudden popularity of diffuse coffee plans to expand the number of stores to 200 in the next two years. The brand chooses the design concept of "original". In addition to coffee, Man Coffee focuses on waffles and other snacks, providing an alternative place for friends to get together and talk.

For a long time, foreign brand coffee shops have caused a lot of competitive pressure on local independent coffee shops. With the further expansion of the coffee consumption market, more Chinese coffee industry operators are required to understand the social needs and adjust their management ideas according to local conditions. Can the Cups model, which helps New Yorkers "buy" coffee in groups, adapt to China's soil? (the first titanium media in this article)