Starbucks New Merchandise Starbucks Classic New Cat Paw Laptop Bag How to Make an Appointment to Claim

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Starbucks "Cat Paw" Returns Following the Success of the Cat Paw Cup!

However, this time, Starbucks chose bags!

At 11:22 AM on July 5th, Starbucks China's official Weibo posted the latest news announcing tomorrow's launch of "#StarbucksAtmosphereGroupLaptopBag# second wave." From the accompanying images, it's clear that Starbucks has released merchandise featuring the "cat paw" element again.

However, the target audience for this "Starbucks Atmosphere Group Laptop Bag" is limited to Starbucks members only. Additionally, other conditions have been set. To get this laptop bag, customers need to accumulate consumption of 150 yuan within seven days from July 6th to July 12th to be eligible for a reservation opportunity.

From the comments and messages online, some people have already expressed their anticipation, while others are eagerly urging Starbucks to release a "cat paw phone case." It seems that the adorable cat element is still in vogue.

Remembering the 2019 Cat Paw Cup Frenzy

Does everyone remember when Starbucks launched a very cute cat paw cup in 2019?

When the cat paw cup was released, many people were eager to get their own "cat paw." Due to its immense popularity, the cups were extremely difficult to obtain. Some consumers even set up tents outside Starbucks stores to wait overnight for the doors to open, and there were even instances of customers fighting over a cup inside Starbucks stores.

This also triggered a "scalper economy," where some unscrupulous merchants listed cat paw cups on online shopping platforms, claiming they were authentic products from internal channels, and inflated the prices to thousands of yuan.

Starbucks paid attention to this situation and finally had to announce on February 27, 2019, that they would sell the cups in limited quantities at specific times, and purchases would be restricted to their online store only.

Marketing Strategy Behind the Cat Paw Phenomenon

After the cat paw cup incident, the Economic Observer analyzed that the cat paw cup event was part of a marketing strategy orchestrated by Starbucks.

Before the cat paw cup release, popular online platforms and influencers collaborated to create buzz about the cat paw cup, triggering a "herd effect." Scalpers then saw business opportunities and joined the bidding frenzy, driving up prices, and finally, the official statement promised restocking.

To meet the strong consumer demand for cat-themed merchandise, Starbucks released four cups incorporating cat paw elements on April 7, 2020.

On April 13, 2020, Starbucks launched another "Cat Paw Cup," but this time it didn't win the hearts of consumers.

Following tradition, Starbucks' annual "Cat Paw Cup" that goes viral online would quickly become popular. To avoid situations like the fights that occurred in stores at the end of February 2019, Starbucks made these two cups available online for registration and reservation, with the system randomly selecting winners.

Surprisingly, some netizens complained that this year's "Cat Paw Cup" version reused the old mold. In terms of design, this series was the same as previous years, with only the color scheme changing to the purple "Purple Cherry Cat Paw Cup." This shows that designs with too much repetition can easily wear down consumers' sense of novelty over time.

Lessons Learned and New Strategy

It has been more than two years since the Starbucks cat paw cup incident, and it's clear that besides seeing business opportunities in the cat paw cup, Starbucks also learned lessons. The cat paw cups and cat tail cups in 2020 no longer followed the 2019 model of "first come, first served" on-site purchases. Instead, they prepared sufficient stock and allowed consumers to make reservations on online platforms, with random lottery-based sales.

Now, as the second wave of "Atmosphere Group Laptop Bags" is about to launch, the "Cat Paw Laptop Bag" is also making its debut. However, thanks to Starbucks' changed mechanism, you must be a member and spend enough within a week to even get a chance to queue for a lottery draw. You don't even need a driver's license to draw a license plate number—perhaps this is the charm of cat paws!

To the readers, what are your thoughts on Starbucks' cat paw-themed merchandise? Are you also thinking about getting one?

*Image source: Internet

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