Introduction:What kind of new sparks can scratch cards ignite when they enter a coffee shop? The newly opened NOWWA ‘Lottery + Coffee’ hybrid store in Jinan, Shandong, has successfully integrated popular digital lotteries and instant-win tickets into everyday coffee consumption scenarios. In addition to offering common options such as Double Color Ball and Happy 8, it also retains scratch cards favored by younger demographics, attracting cross-generational customers through entertainment and the thrill of instant wins. This article takes you deep into the actual operation and market response of this innovative business model.
Lottery and coffee may seem like an unlikely pair, but in downtown Jinan, there is a coffee shop that has perfectly blended the two. This ‘Lottery + Coffee’ hybrid store, created by NOWWA Coffee, is located in the bustling 100 Phoenix Street business district. By combining the sale of instant lottery tickets with everyday beverages, it has successfully carved out a brand-new cross-industry marketing route.
Stepping into this small shop, which is less than 30 square meters, the first thing that catches your eye is the vibrant orange pony brand elements and the official logo of the ‘China Welfare Lottery’. Although the space is compact, it cleverly displays instant tickets and various types of lottery products in the main counter visual area, with coffee and light meal menus placed nearby, allowing customers to browse their favorite lottery options while waiting for their drinks.
The store offers a range of number-based lotteries including Double Color Ball and Happy 8, as well as scratch cards highly sought after by younger crowds. Notably, as an instant-win product launched by the China Welfare Lottery, scratch cards are particularly popular among young consumers due to their instant-reveal nature, diverse gameplay, and relatively high winning odds. Many customers have noted that the process of instantly uncovering prizes is filled with anticipation and fun,especially the thrill of winning in the moment, which is a major reason for their continued purchases.
According to observations by store staff, initially it was older customers who actively purchased Double Color Ball tickets, while younger patrons preferred to try their luck with scratch cards while waiting for their coffee. However, over time, cross-generational interaction has gradually increased — many elders have started to enjoy coffee, while younger customers have shown interest in number-based games like Double Color Ball. This bidirectional penetration effect is one of the original intentions behind the brand’s cross-industry collaboration.
In fact, this is not the first time NOWWA Coffee has experimented with combining coffee and lottery. As early as April this year, the brand launched a limited-time ‘Pony Scratch Card’ campaign, where customers who purchased designated bucket-sized drinks were entitled to one free scratch. If they revealed the brand’s signature pony symbol, they could win a 10-gram solid gold bar worth up to 6,000 RMB. This campaign significantly boosted sales; according to official data, the bucket drink sales at the first batch of participating storessaw a month-on-month increase of 63%, demonstrating the power of creative marketing.
The Jinan store can be seen as an extended experiment of the ‘Pony Scratch Card’ campaign, as well as a further deepening of the brand’s collaboration with the China Welfare Lottery. By integrating lottery sales into the daily coffee consumption scene, it not only expands customer reach but also provides a fresh customer-attracting strategy in the highly competitive tea beverage market.
According to data released by the Ministry of Finance, in the first three months of this year, the sales of instant lottery tickets accounted for26.1%of the overall lottery market share, with total national sales reaching 38.9 billion RMB — an explosive year-on-year growth of 81.4%, showing a continuous rise in public enthusiasm for instant-win tickets. Against this market backdrop, the cross-industry partnership between NOWWA Coffee and the Welfare Lottery undoubtedly hits the right note of the times, and also offers a valuable innovative case study for other brands.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
