T97 Coffee Founder's Bold Declaration: Defeating Luckin Coffee Is My Goal

T97 Coffee: The Meteoric Rise and Uncertain Future

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With its unique "hype-style" livestream sales and distinctive "big-mouth" anchor, T97 Coffee quickly became a viral sensation. As of today, the T97 official flagship store account has gained 1.532 million followers in just over two months. These numbers undoubtedly signify success, with a level of popularity that even T97 founder Li Xiao probably didn't expect.

The Founder's Response

Today, according to Sina Finance reports, T97's founder responded to being called "the person who wants to defeat Luckin": "This is exactly what I want." Li Xiao stated in the livestream room, "Now those who criticize me call me 'the person who claims to defeat Luckin,' and this is the effect I want." He even described himself in the Douyin livestream room as "greedy, lustful, and shameless."

The Evolution of T97's Livestream Strategy

As early as April this year, T97 Coffee's official flagship store began its first livestream sales session on Douyin. Later, it gradually transitioned to daily broadcasts, but they didn't generate much excitement. It wasn't until September when they tried the "hype-style" approach that they slowly gained popularity. Initially, T97's hype-style livestream sales didn't particularly emphasize the anchor's "big mouth" feature. Moreover, the female anchor was somewhat restrained by her big-mouth image, using light-colored lipstick and mouth-narrowing beauty filters to cover it up before broadcasts. However, she once forgot to cover it up, which actually attracted viewers to the livestream room.

After observing netizens' reactions, T97 quickly shifted its livestream strategy to highlight the anchor's big mouth. The anchor also let go of her inhibitions. After fans said she resembled a "big-mouth frog," she even wore matching headbands, attracting a large number of followers with her lively, down-to-earth personality and prominent big-mouth image, helping the coffee brand quickly break out of its niche.

The Growing Controversy

The popularity of the livestream room grew like a wildfire, burning more fiercely as more people gathered around. As the founder of T97 Coffee and chairman of Gejia Network, Li Xiao found himself increasingly "burned" by the attention.

Besides the official livestream account, Li Xiao opened multiple accounts such as "Li Xiao," "Li Xiao - Shopkeeper Xiao," and "Li Xiao Brand Network Studio." These accounts feature similar content but don't sell coffee; instead, they sell courses teaching people how to succeed on Douyin. The process is simple: first attract users to add WeChat, then provide materials in exchange for money.

Ambitious Claims and Reality

In the livestream room, T97 founder Li Xiao continuously made bold statements challenging Luckin. When faced with netizens' doubts, Li Xiao directly responded in the livestream room, "Let me be clear with you, I have never taken Luckin seriously in my life." He predicted, "The future landscape of Chinese coffee will be: T97 Coffee first, Luckin second, and Starbucks third."

Li Xiao also stated, "I previously challenged Alibaba and JD.com without hesitation" and "I've genuinely lost 1 billion yuan and built a 500 billion yuan business. Has Luckin sold 50 billion yuan from its founding to today?" Listen to these bold claims – even Jack Ma might want to join.

Furthermore, Li Xiao previously claimed to open 1,001 stores within a year, but the current reality is far from this goal. Some netizens have pointed out that many of its physical stores have already closed. The promotional materials claim that they expect to complete the expansion of 150-200 stores by the end of the year.

However, according to the T97 Coffee flagship store's Douyin account, it currently has only 48 physical stores. Whether T97 Coffee is engaging in predatory practices remains to be seen, but from this situation, it seems unlikely that T97 Coffee will surpass Luckin anytime soon.

The Future Outlook

The controversy involves not only the founder but also the challenges that T97 faces after going viral. In this fast-paced era, the popularity of hype-style livestreams may be temporary. T97 should consider how to retain consumers long-term. The coffee market is already exceptionally crowded, and without strong product capabilities, it's not easy to steal business from competitors. T97 Coffee, whose current popularity hasn't even driven sales, may not maintain its fame for much longer.

Image source: Internet

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