By: Lauren Landry

Gain an edge over your competitors with a few marketing tricks.

Boba tea is called by many different names. Americans on the west coast call it boba tea, and those on the east coast call it bubble tea. In some areas of the globe, this beverage is called milk tea or pearl tea. But whatever name you call it, this drink consists of tea, milk, ice, chewy tapioca balls, and comes with a giant straw.

In the U.S., boba tea is a relatively new beverage. But boba culture started in the 1980s in Taiwan. Although its origins are debated, boba tea is said to have started at a small tea stand catering to elementary school children after class. Today, it's a drink with very high demand, not just in the U.S. but around the globe.

This demand has probably made you start a boba tea shop of your own. And just like any business, surviving competitors is tough. In fact, the global boba tea market size will reach 19,320 million USD in the next five years. 

So how can you stand out from the sea of boba tea shops? Here are five epic ways to market your boba tea business:

1. Go for memorable branding and logo
2. Sell experience.
3. Offer samplers.
4. Feature limited edition drinks and snacks
5. Invest in killer packaging

#1 Go for memorable branding and logo

Memorable branding is key to a successful boba tea business. It's a significant factor in determining long-term success as it makes sure your customers become repeat customers. It will also help increase your conversion rate because people need less persuading because they already know your shop. So how do you go about being memorable in the boba tea industry?

Start by building visual identity. Visual identity helps people recognize your brand anywhere. Use a color scheme and stick to it. Colors represent different emotions, so pick ones that best symbolize your brand's personality.

For example, if your boba tea business uses eco-friendly boba supplies, make sure to include green in your color palette. Then be consistent with your color palette in all marketing aspects, including packaging, logo, and social media posts.

As for your logo, it should be able to create an impact whenever people see it. Also, consider that you will be using your logo across platforms and mediums, so it has to be versatile. Simple logos are always the best logos because they allow for easy brand recognition.

#2 Sell experience.

Selling experience is one way to capture and keep your customers' attention. It's all about how you make customers feel about your boba tea products. Today, customers are now buying the experiences they get from a product, not just the product itself.

Why would people buy a special boba tea blend on a hot summer day when they can just drink water to quench their thirst? It's because they like how they feel when drinking boba tea and how the packaging looks, and they enjoy drinking in a big straw. The overall experience is just more enjoyable than drinking water.

So instead of selling your products, sell the experience they will get with your boba tea and snacks. Aim for that thrilling feeling after purchasing a cup of boba tea, the one that will keep them coming back for more.

Make your customers smile with every order of your boba tea products.

#3 Sell samplers.

Samplers give people a taste (pun intended) of what's to come from your brand and allow them to feel more confident about their boba tea purchase. 

Boba tea shops usually offer a wide range of flavored drinks. New customers will most likely want to taste every flavor, but of course, they would not be able to finish every cup. So selling a set of drinks in smaller packages is an excellent idea for making new customers try a few of your boba tea flavors without breaking a hole in their pockets.

Boba tea samplers are also fun ways to market your best sellers or to showcase new flavors. They are the perfect promotion for the holidays as well. For example, you can sell a special Thanksgiving sampler set that contains limited edition Thanksgiving-inspired flavors.

#4 Feature limited edition drinks and snacks.

And speaking of limited-edition flavors, featuring drinks and snacks for a limited time can also urge people to try them right at that moment. The appeal of getting something “exclusive” or “limited” is a reason that entices people to jump at the chance of buying limited edition drinks to make them feel more exclusive with a brand or product they love. The surge in sales will also help you determine which flavor or snack is popular among your customers, so you’d know which ones to offer again in the future. It’s a double win!

A limited-edition strategy is also best done during holidays for showcasing holiday-inspired drinks to help finish off boba tea supply stocks by the end of the holiday, preventing excess inventory. This strategy is also perfect when sales are lower than usual to encourage people to try your products.

#5 Invest in killer packaging.

Finally, investing in killer packaging is a surefire way to grab the attention of customers. You can’t deny the influence of good packaging! Beautiful customized packaging can set your boba tea brand apart from your many competitors, convey value, and of course, attract new customers and retain old ones. In fact, a survey by Shorr found that 67 percent of people were very likely to notice customized packaging.

Killer high-quality packaging can easily supercharge your business to a whole new level. Packaging design is a very sales-effective marketing tool for most brands, especially if it can provide the exciting thrill of opening the packages.

Boba tea drinks may not require boxes to provide customers an unboxing experience. However, you can focus on other elements of the packaging and make them interactive. For instance, you can add some trivia printed on the cup, a motivational quote, a crossword puzzle, or a connect-the-dots. You can also provide instructions on how to reuse the compostable cup.

It’s also important that your packaging should reflect your boba tea brand’s personality. Do not stray away from this, as you might make your brand forgettable. Be consistent with the colors you use in your packaging as well.

The takeaway

There are lots of creative and fun ideas to market your boba tea shop. All five strategies may or may not work for your business, but all are worth the try. 

Making your boba tea shop survive in this highly competitive market is investing in marketing strategies that will highlight your products and the experience customers can get from them. Be memorable, exciting, and unique while selling experience with every cup of boba tea.

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