Introduction:On May 20, Luckin Coffee simultaneously opened 15 directly operated stores in Urumqi and Lhasa, achieving full coverage across all Chinese provinces. On the first day of opening, the stores were swarmed with crowds, with some locations requiring customers to wait over three hours to pick up their orders, while limited-edition merchandise sold out instantly. However, issues such as delayed deliveries, price discrepancies, and difficulties with refunds soon followed. Some customers were even removed from corporate WeChat groups due to comments made in group chats. This article delves into the service challenges and market strategies behind the surge in orders, helping readers understand the real-world tests of expansion into new markets.
On May 20, Luckin Coffee expanded into both Urumqi in Xinjiang and Lhasa in Tibet, opening 15 directly operated stores at once and officially marking its presence in all provinces on the Chinese mainland. According to reports, 11 new stores debuted in Urumqi, while four stores opened in Lhasa, all launching on the same day. To celebrate this milestone and promote this large-scale simultaneous opening, Luckin specially launched exclusive cup sleeves and paper bags available only at Urumqi stores, attracting many consumers to collect them.
This expansion had long been called for by the market, with many customers eagerly anticipating Luckin’s entry into Xinjiang and Tibet. Now that the brand has responded to public demand, local customers reacted enthusiastically, with orders flooding in. On the first day of opening, the 11 Urumqi stores and 4 Lhasa stores all experienced heavy foot traffic, with some popular locations seeing wait times for pickup exceeding three hours. According to on-site feedback, many customers hoping to collect the limited-edition merchandise left empty-handed as the cup sleeves and paper bags sold out by the morning.
In addition, store employees revealed that due to the enthusiastic response from local consumers, store sales exceeded a thousand cups for several consecutive days after opening, with staff working under high pressure for extended periods.
However, alongside the high popularity of the stores came a series of service and after-sales issues. Many customers reported severe delays in food delivery, with some orders failing to arrive on time. Additionally, some consumers noticed significant price differences between third-party platforms and the Luckin mini-program, leading to confusion. Even more concerning, some customers trying to cancel orders found no refund option available in the system, sparking dissatisfaction.
Even more discussed was the case of a customer who was removed from the “Luckin Chief Welfare Officer Lucky” WeChat group and blocked after sharing their consumption experience and suggesting placing orders earlier. Although Luckin later proactively contacted the customer to apologize, the incident still raised doubts about the brand’s service quality among many users.
Looking back at previous openings in Xinjiang by brands like HEYTEA and % Arabica, Luckin’s decision to open 11 stores simultaneously was intended to decentralize order pressure through multi-point ordering. However, the brand may have underestimated the local enthusiasm for its arrival, with some prime-location stores becoming overloaded. Faced with an unexpected surge in orders, Luckin failed to implement effective countermeasures in a timely manner—such as temporarily pausing order-taking or closing certain ordering channels—leading to a decline in service quality.
Many consumers admitted that while they had expected the first day to be busy, the reality far exceeded expectations—waiting hours just for a cup of coffee, with in-store services barely able to accommodate every customer amidst the crowd, and after-sales complaint handling noticeably lagging, significantly diminishing the overall experience.
Industry observers note that a surge in orders during the initial opening in new markets is common, but how to balance traffic with service quality remains an important issue brands must confront. Perhaps only when consumer enthusiasm gradually returns to normal will Luckin’s various stores be able to gradually restore normal product quality control and service standards.
Image source: Xiaohongshu
Disclaimer: Some images in this article are sourced from the internet. We respect original copyrights and strive to provide proper attribution. If, due to the large volume of content, proper credits were not given in time, please contact us, and we will correct it immediately upon verification. Please credit the source when reposting. If there is any infringement, please inform us for removal. Thank you.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
