Starbucks Reclaims No. 1 Spot in Coffee Brand Rankings 5 Months After 'Tank Day' Controversy

Starbucks has reclaimed the top spot in estimated credit and debit card payment volume among coffee brands, five months after the so-called "Tank Day" incident.

Although it lagged behind A Twosome Place for four months starting in May, Starbucks saw its payment volume steadily increase for three consecutive months following a low in June, ultimately surpassing A Twosome Place last month by recovering to the 120 billion won range.

According to Mobile Index by AI tech company IGAWorks on October 11, Starbucks' estimated credit and debit card payment volume last month stood at 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 then increased for three straight months: reaching 110.06 billion won in July, 116.12 billion won in August, and continuing upward through September.

In contrast, A Twosome Place recorded a payment volume of 110.5 billion won last month, down 6.4% from the previous month (117.99 billion won).

As a result, Starbucks outpaced A Twosome Place in payment volume by approximately 10.6 billion won.

This marks a reversal of positions in just one month, following August when A Twosome Place led by approximately 1.9 billion won.

A Twosome Place had recorded higher estimated payment volumes 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—likely contributed to the recovery in payment volume.

Following Starbucks and A Twosome Place, Mega MGC Coffee recorded a payment volume of 94.75 billion won last month, 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" in a tumbler discount event.

As critical public opinion subsequently spread online and across social media, Shinsegae Group dismissed the head of Starbucks Korea and moved to contain the fallout through a public apology and historical education for employees.

It also suspended the launch of new summer products and promotional events.

Starting in July, it sequentially resumed new product rollouts 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 vouchers—or serve as an absolute indicator of the extent to which customer trust has been recovered.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.