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0Erinome:Hello dear friends, today we are going to talk about a super hot topic in China recently—"The First Cup of Milk Tea in Autumn"! You know that? It’s a big thing on Liqiu, the start of autumn.
Enceladus:Oh right! I heard about it! Every year when Liqiu comes, people go crazy for milk tea. But this year seems even more intense, right?
Erinome:Totally! Let me tell you. On August 7th, which was Liqiu this year, milk tea shops everywhere exploded with orders. Like, one shop in Shanghai had over 200 cups waiting to be made, and the online orders just kept coming! Wow, that’s crazy.
Enceladus:Why so many orders? Did the milk tea taste better this year? Haha.
Erinome:No, no. The big reason is the platform subsidies! Meituan, Taobao, Ele.me—they all gave out coupons. Like Meituan had "20-20" milk tea coupons, and Taobao had over a million free milk tea orders if you searched "First Cup of Autumn". The coupons were gone in seconds!
Enceladus:Oh! So people used those coupons to buy milk tea cheaply? That makes sense. Did the sales really go up a lot?
Erinome:Yes! Take Chabaidao, a popular brand. By noon on Liqiu, their sales went up more than 340%! And nearly 2,000 stores had sales up over 500%. Some stores even said you had to wait 3 hours to get your drink.
Enceladus:3 hours? That’s way too long! What about the shops? Were they ready for this?
Erinome:They tried! Most shops prepared one day early—bought more materials, made ice in advance, added more workers, and opened longer. But it was still not enough. Like a Nowwa Coffee shop had 158 online orders in the morning, then they had to close online ordering. The manager said, "If we keep taking orders, users will be angry, and we’ll get bad scores on the platform."
Enceladus:Oh no, that’s tough. What about the delivery riders? Did they have a hard time too?
Erinome:Oh yes! Riders were super busy. In Shanghai, the shops were full of riders waiting. Some riders even gave up because they waited too long. And the delivery fee went up—usually 5 yuan per order, but at noon it was over 10 yuan!
Enceladus:Wow, high fees but still hard. What did customers say? Did they get their milk tea on time?
Erinome:Not really. Some people ordered in the morning but got it in the afternoon. One lady in Beijing waited 4 hours and then canceled her order. She didn’t get her "First Cup of Autumn" at all. Sad.
Enceladus:That’s bad. Did the platforms have problems too? Like system crashes?
Erinome:Yes! Ele.me’s system crashed during the busy time. Users couldn’t cancel orders or get refunds. Some even saw their orders still "preparing" from the day before. Oh no, that must be frustrating.
Enceladus:Why is this "First Cup of Milk Tea" so popular? It started in 2020, right? Why is it still a big thing after 5 years?
Erinome:Good question! It’s like a social ritual now. People use it to show love—friends buy for each other, couples send it as a gift. And platforms and brands love it because it’s like "Double 11" for milk tea. They don’t need to teach people to buy; everyone already knows to do it!
Enceladus:So brands also did something special? Like new drinks or limited editions?
Erinome:Yes! Some had联名款 (lianming kuan, co-branded products). For example, one brand had a co-branded ceramic cup set, and it sold out in an hour! People even went to the shop to take photos with the cups.
Enceladus:Oh, so it’s not just about drinking, but also about sharing on social media?
Erinome:Exactly! It’s a social currency. You buy it, take a photo, post it online—everyone does that. And platforms used stars to promote too, like Jin Chen for Taobao, and Zhao Yazhi for Meituan. More people saw it and joined in.
Enceladus:But with all these orders, did the shops make more money? Or was it just busy but not profitable?
Erinome:Hmm, the news said platforms used to do "lose money to get users" before, but this year they were more careful. They didn’t cut prices too low, just gave coupons. So brands wanted to boost sales on this day. Like Mixue Bingcheng even made over 100 million yuan in one day last year!
Enceladus:That’s a lot! But with so many problems—long waits, system crashes, riders giving up—will people still do this next year?
Erinome:I think yes. People love rituals, especially for seasons. Even if it’s tiring, the "First Cup of Autumn" feeling is special. And platforms will get better at handling the orders, maybe?
Enceladus:Maybe. So, did you have your "First Cup of Milk Tea in Autumn" this year?
Erinome:Haha, no. I saw the long lines and decided to wait. What about you?
Enceladus:Me neither! Maybe next year, when the shops are less busy. But it’s fun to see everyone excited about milk tea.
Erinome:Totally! It’s a cute part of Chinese culture now. Okay, that's it for today. Let's talk again next time. Bye!
