In the past, there was Hey Tea co-branded Jay Chou Fantesi, and then there was Overlord Chaji co-branded "Tomb Robbery Notes", and Nai Xue co-branded Crayon Xiaoxin.
Looking back at 2023, some call it"Milk tea co-branding".In the first year, there are only those you can't think of, and there is no milk tea that can't be co-branded.
So much so that in the new year, some netizens have shouted to the milk tea brand:Ready,It's up to who can win this pouring wealth. However, the joys and sorrows of people are not connected, and some people are staking their horses and preparing to become popular in one fell swoop; There are also people who have been slow to act and gradually lose their sense of existence. Just recently, a piece of news was caught off guard and exploded on the hot search:Why is a little milk tea not popular?
As early as November last year, a little bit that had not been on the hot search for a long time was due to"Slowly quit the milk tea industry" "Milk tea also has age anxiety".was exploded on the hot search.
At that time, in this ** boom, a little bit directly stood up to prove that it was "fake and fake", and did not go out of business;
Under the soaring discussion, a little bit of the situation has set off a wave of nostalgia, and some people have called for it"Defend a little".
However, only two months later, when the heat dissipated, doubts remained. It's true that a little bit hasn't gone out of business, but there's no denying itThe milk tea industry is full of gunsmoke, but a little bit seems to be becoming more and more nonexistent. 
Four seasons of milk green, three points of sugar to ice + ** tea jelly; **Milk tea, three points of sugar and less ice + pudding + red beans. "Speaking of which, many people always have to recite the mantra in their hearts in order to place a quick order in front of a full line of stores, as if it were still yesterday.
Although the milk tea market has been surging in recent years, it is difficult to distinguish between Hey Tea, Nai Xue, Gu Ming, and Bawang Tea.
But at the time, becauseGood looks, good taste, and affordable, a little bit, can be called in the minds of countless people"Milk tea white moonshine
The milk tea industry has its own Chunyuan queen.
A little bit was not originally called a little bit.,The name of the predecessor is quite a bit of a comic idol:50 Arashi.
Founded in 1994 in Taiwan Province, 50 Lan has grown to more than 600 stores in Taiwan, becoming Taiwan's No. 1 milk tea chain brand.
In 2010, 50 Lan entered the mainland market, but due to the preemptive registration of the "50 Lan" trademark, it was renamed "a little bit", and in 2011, it established Rooting Catering Management (Shanghai)**
In December 2012, the first little milk tea store opened and opened in Shanghai.
At that time, the milk tea market was gradually scaling up, with a total market size of more than 10 billion, and Taiwanese milk tea led the industry trend.
The momentum is a little bit of limelight, and it has quickly become the hearts of young consumers"Synonymous with fashion".
When other brands are still fighting for materials and flavors, they are also selling Taiwanese milk tea, which not only rolls the flavor a little bit, but also creates a new way to play.
A lot of thought has been put into the menu settings alone.
The store categorizes the menu into six categories: looking for freshness, looking for milk tea, looking for fun, looking for taste, store manager recommendation and black tea latte, so as to respond to the different needs of young consumers.
Later, it was even more putHide the menuConsumers can add their own ingredients, choose the sugar and ice content, and make a drink that matches their taste.
In 2015, the "hard to find" little bit expanded in the mainland market at a rate of 20 new stores per year.
"There is a little bit of shop next to the university, and every time I pass by the door, there is a long queue of people, from morning to nightLater, there was even a row business. ”
Although there was an analysis later, there were issues such as how sweet it was, whether to remove ice, and whether to add ingredients in the ordering processInvisibly increases the order time;
The L-shaped bar counter has a large operating area and scattered productionThe milk tea making time has been extended……is the root cause of the long queues.
However, it still does not affect many consumers to make crazy strategies on social platforms in order to obtain the "Internet celebrity drinking method".
Or needless to say, in those years, even today, a little bit of a hidden menu still makes many people remember it. Up to now, there are still more than 20,000 notes on Xiaohongshu about "A Little Milk Tea Strategy". It's just that most of the notes with a high degree of attention are concentrated inFrom 2018 to 2020, it was also the hottest period of time.
"It's okay to punch coco, kick Michelle Bingcheng", some people describe a little bit at their peak.
According to the index, in April 2018, the search index was 18740, which is ahead of other tea brands.
In 2019, it was reported thatThere are more than 2,300 stores in the country, and the annual tax payment amount exceeds 200 million yuan.
As soon as the news came out, it attracted the owners of a number of chain brands and the heads of financial companies, based on this data
"The 2,300 stores have a turnover of at least 5 billion a year, and if you add deductions or something, there will be more than 10 billion. ”
You must know that in 2019, there are a total of 7,500 stores, and the revenue scale is 2.5 billion yuan.
People can't help but speculate whether a little bit of the number of stores exceeding 4,000 by 2021 will be able to continue to conquer the city and land in the milk tea market.
It's a pity that the news came again a few years later, and a little bit of it was already tightClosed, closedand other keywords.
Before February 2020, the search index was generally higher than that of Mixue Bingcheng, and then it began to be overtaken by Mixue Bingcheng and quickly threw away the distance.
From the leader of the milk tea trend to being repeatedly rumored to be "out of business", what is the problem?
Returning to the present, the tea market is lively. According to the "2023 Ready-made Tea Industry Development Trend Report", the market size of China's ready-made tea industry has grown to 293.9 billion yuan in 2022, with an average annual compound growth rate of 47%.
On this side, "the development momentum of the tea market is improving, and there is a large space for imagination"; On that side, under the momentum of industry involution, a little bit of life is not easy.
In 2019, there were 886 new stores, and in 2023, only 55 will be opened.
The number of stores is also decreasing, with data from Narrow Door Dining Eye showing that by the end of last year, there were about 3,000 stores.
That is to say,In just over two years, the number of stores has decreased by nearly 1,000.
The reasons why people say goodbye to a milk tea family are not complicatedThe new is slow, there are few patterns, the service is poor, and the quality control is rotten.
Unfortunately, a little bit is almost all taken. ”
In the context of the milk tea involution war, no progress is equivalent to regression.
According to the 2022 China Beverage Industry Product Report, in the first three quarters of 2022, the 50 brands it tested launched more than 1,677 new productsOn average, each brand launches 11 new products per quarter.
Some brands have evolved from the last new product in 2 to 3 months in terms of speed2 3 times a month on new products.
In contrast, a little bit of new is called "turtle speed", and some people count itFrom 2018 to 2021, the frequency of new updates is only 1 3 times.
After many years of development, the classic models are still Sijiqing, black tea macchiato, etc., and the product structure has always been "standing still".
Under the new gameplay of fruit tea and fresh milk tea, a little bit has not been changed in timeFor consumers who have their own attributes of "liking the new and hating the old", the novelty disappears and is almost doomed to be forgotten.
Some social platforms discuss "disappearing a little bit" under the postNetizens' evaluations of a little bit are polarized.
On the one hand, many netizens are "upset" for a little bit: the taste is really good, and the public welfare is also good, which is really worth having.
On the other hand, it's forService, quality control, delivery feesand other issues.
On the takeaway platform, the starting price of a little bit is often 20 yuan, but the unit price of a little bit is basically more than 10 yuan.
When ordering a takeout, they either find someone to make an order, buy two cups, or add small ingredients, and some consumers would rather "just give up and move to another place".
Not to mention that at the same time as "internal troubles", "external troubles" are also with us.
In 2021, a little bit of it published an article on its official account to take stock of the counterfeit trademarks of a little bit of milk tea on the market.
How lethal is the cottage to the brand, because it was surrounded and suppressed by the cottage and "spent 100 million to fight fakes", and the Antler Alley that finally closed is a lesson from the past.
Whether in the past or now, a little bit is indeed the "dream tea" of many people.
It's a pity that in the ever-changing tea market, "memory killing" is far from enough.
After all, in the horse racing circle of the major players in the new tea beverage market, the development has been frustrated more than a little.
Nowadays, many of the once smash hit brands such as Antler Alley, Gongcha, and Typhoon Shelter are "hard to find".
Are the classic milk tea brands that exploded in the past destined to become the "tears of the times"?
Searching for reviews about a little bit of milk tea on social platforms, an entry often appears:What should I do if I drink a little milk tea and have insomnia?
From the "life-saving water", "happy water", "real *** From the various flower names given to milk tea by young people, it is not difficult to see the reason for relying on it-
High in sugar, high in fat, and high in caffeine, it combines the "advantages" of coffee and fat house happy water.
However, with the increasing number of subdivided categories of tea drinks, fresh fruit tea, pure tea, and light milk tea; Tea base materials are also becoming more and more abundant, from small ingredients to popular fruits, unpopular fruits, there are no surprises.
People's essential demand for milk tea is constantly changing, and constantly creating popular styles and creating popular products has become a new competition between brands.
The products of tea stores have also become diversified, from tea, to bakery products, to various retail products, with additional social attributes.
Tea brands have become "Internet tea", competing to carve up users' attention and stay time.
Online, in the first half of 2023, Heytea co-branded Fendi will launch "Joy Yellow", and in the second half of 2023, Luckin and Moutai, both in the beverage industry, will launch "Sauce Latte", taking turns to seize the hot search;
Offline, Nai Xue's Dream Factory and Heytea's Lab store have created a new experience for consumers to "shop" in tea shops.
In the past few years, the tea industry has undergone earth-shaking changes.
According to the official website of Mixue Bingcheng, the number of stores in the world has exceeded 33,000;
In addition, brands such as Gu Ming, Shanghai Auntie, and Shuyi Burning Fairy Grass are sprinting to the "10,000 Store Plan".
Nowadays, some people love the lemonade of 4 yuan and the pearl milk tea of 6 yuan in Mixue Bingcheng, some people like the fresh fruit tea of Nai Xue and Hey Tea, and some people love a cup of small ingredients of burning fairy grass in the book.
In the past, the memories of the "hidden menu" have become yesterday that cannot be returned.
Is there still a chance for a little bit? With the development of the industry, the market is destined to be divided into their own small world by brands, some people leave, and some people enter.
No matter what kind of positioning and style, it must be closely aligned with the changing market and the constantly iterative consumer preferences.
To sum it simply: always walk with the consumer.
The necessary trend insight and innovation are the ticket for brands to walk with consumers, and they are also an important bargaining chip to maintain their presence in the tea market.
New tea drinks, in essence, are still the carriers of young people's personalities and preferences.
It likes freshness, favors creativity, and occasionally nostalgia, and it's hard for you to guess what will be popular in the tea world next week, next month, half a year, or a year from now.
Just like many people think, in 2023, "Overlord Chaji is really inexplicably hot".
Whether a little bit can still explode, maybeNo matter when and where, people will always need a little sweet.
A cup of milk tea of more than ten yuan is exchanged for a good mood of the day, a "currency" for integrating into social networking, and a number plate close to the young and popular, and it is even better to drink it.
As long as the sweetness of milk tea is still there, someone will pay for it, whether it is for emotional value or taste value.
It's just that in addition to the "quietly disappearing" discussion, there is still a lot that needs to be done.