▲ Starbucks
Starbucks has reclaimed the No. 1 spot among coffee brands in terms of estimated credit and debit card payment volume, five months after the "Tank Day" controversy.
Although it trailed A Twosome Place for four months starting last May, Starbucks saw its payment volume steadily increase for three consecutive months following a low in June, recovering to the 120 billion won range last month and flipping the rankings.
According to Mobile Index by AI tech company IGAWorks on the 11th, Starbucks' estimated credit and debit card payment volume last month reached 121.08 billion won, up 4.3% from the previous month (116.12 billion won).
Starbucks' payment volume dropped to 100.39 billion won in June of this year, but increased for three straight months: 110.06 billion won in July, 116.12 billion won in August, and through September.
On the other hand, A Twosome Place's payment volume last month stood at 110.5 billion won, a 6.4% decrease from the previous month (117.99 billion won).
As a result, Starbucks surpassed A Twosome Place in payment volume by about 10.6 billion won.
This marks a reversal in rankings in just one month, after A Twosome Place led by about 1.9 billion won in August.
A Twosome Place recorded a higher estimated payment volume than Starbucks for four consecutive months from May to August.
The gap between the two brands narrowed from about 7 billion won in July to about 1.9 billion won in August before the reversal occurred last month.
Industry insiders suggest that as the fallout from the "Tank Day" controversy gradually subsides, Starbucks' resumption of marketing activities, such as launching new products and customer benefits, may have influenced the recovery in payment volume.
Following Starbucks and A Twosome Place, Mega MGC Coffee's payment volume last month was 94.75 billion won, down 3.2% from the previous month (97.87 billion won).
Paik's Coffee recorded 22.94 billion won, a 6.4% decrease from the previous month (24.51 billion won).
Previously, Starbucks Korea sparked controversy on May 18, the anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement, by using expressions such as "Tank Day" for a tumbler discount event.
Following this, critical public opinion spread online and across social media, prompting Shinsegae Group to dismiss the head of Starbucks Korea, issue a public apology, and implement staff education on history to manage the situation.
It also suspended the launch of new summer products and promotional events.
Since July, it has sequentially resumed new products and customer benefit programs.
However, these figures are estimates based on credit and debit card payment data.
It is difficult to conclude that they represent total sales, which include other payment methods such as proprietary prepaid cards and mobile gift certificates, or serve as an indicator of the degree of recovery in customer trust.
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