Introduction:What kind of spark is created when a chain tea drink brand meets a popular female-oriented game? On the first day of its opening, the pop-up store jointly launched by Gumei and "Love and Deepspace" saw over 5,000 pre-orders flood in within just two minutes, setting an astonishing record. This article takes an in-depth look at this textbook case of fan economy, from the details of event preparation, the operational challenges on-site, to the key success factors behind IP collaborations, to help you understand the business logic and consumer psychology behind viral hits.
The pop-up store co-created by Gumei and the popular female-oriented mobile game "Love and Deepspace" triggered a shopping frenzy in Shanghai. Though this temporary store, located in the urban area, was only open for three days, it marked Gumei’s first physical presence in Shanghai. Coupled with the game’s massive female player base, even though it opened amid torrential rain, a large number of fans showed up early in the morning to wait in line.
To handle the anticipated customer flow, the brand specially opened three pickup windows and mobilized over fifty staff members to manage the operation. However, when the mini-program officially launched its ordering function at 10:00 AM, a surprising scene unfolded — the system accumulated over 5,000 orders in progress within just 120 seconds, a number far beyond the store’s capacity. On-site staff had to urgently shut down the online ordering channel, temporarily closing the store to adjust processes. It wasn’t until around 1:00 PM that the store reopened, but by then, the backlog of pending orders still stood at an astonishing over 1,000 cups.
Notably, "Love and Deepspace," a female-oriented romance simulation game that only began its public beta in January this year, quickly amassed a large number of loyal players thanks to its detailed character designs and immersive storyline. These core users have shown extremely high enthusiasm for purchasing game-related merchandise, which is also one of the key factors behind the collaboration’s sales miracle.
From an industry perspective, although Gumei has established a presence in multiple first- and second-tier cities, it has long been absent from the important Shanghai market. By leveraging the buzz generated through this IP collaboration, the brand not only successfully tested the Shanghai consumer market but also set a new record for single-store instantaneous traffic. However, the preparation process was not without hurdles. Previously leaked designs of limited-edition merchandise and staff training materials had sparked dissatisfaction among some players. Although the brand promptly issued an apology statement, it still had a certain impact on early-stage expectation management.
On-site observations revealed that although the store was adequately staffed and equipped, it still struggled to keep up with the overwhelming volume of orders. Professional advice suggests that future similar events should adopt time-slot reservations or intelligent systems that dynamically adjust service output to avoid negatively affecting the customer experience due to sudden traffic surges.
As the event progressed into the afternoon, with the first wave of enthusiastic fans completing their purchases, the number of system orders gradually stabilized back to normal levels. However, industry insiders speculate that given the next day was a weekend and the weather forecast was favorable, another round of long queues might occur. This case fully demonstrates how cross-industry collaborations, through precise targeting of core audiences, can create unexpected commercial value and brand exposure.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
