Dubai
If you popped into a Starbucks store today, there’s a good chance that you will see the Ramadan cups.
The coffee chain annually launches holiday cups for Ramadan, a month-long fasting period for Muslims, and Christmas. The cups come in different sizes.
“Starbucks has a global retail network but it responds to local events,” said Colin Beaton, managing director of Limelight Creative Services, a boutique retail strategy consultancy.
He added that the Ramadan-themed brown-coloured cups can draw more people into Starbucks stores due to the unique experience offered. “You can get there something that you can’t get anywhere else,” Beaton said.
Ajai Dayal, chief executive of Tridayle Consult, a retail advisory, said that the strategy is effective in the UAE market.
“The more you can do to connect yourself with customers the better. It’s a great strategy,” he said.
While the Starbicks Ramadan cups appear different from regular alternatives, the prices of coffee remain the same. Dayal said that the holiday cups are not aimed at building more sales. Instead, they are aimed at building the company’s relationship with its customers in the region and at differentiating itself from competitors.
Kuwait-based Alshaya, a retail franchise operator, manages Starbucks in the region.
Ramadan is a period when families enjoy eating out even more, boosting restaurant sales.
The food and beverage industry launches campaigns during the month aimed at combining tradition and consumption, according to a report by global consultancy Euromonitor International.
