CHAGEE apologises after promo demand crashes WeChat mini programme

CHAGEE's buy-one-get-one-free promotion celebrating Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen's historic China Open win overwhelmed its WeChat mini programme, leaving many customers unable to place orders.

The promotion follows Zheng, CHAGEE's global brand ambassador, becoming the first Chinese player to win the China Open women's singles title on Sunday night (11 October). To celebrate, CHAGEE announced a storewide buy-one-get-one-free promotion on all drinks for the full day of 12 October, marking her championship win.

Under the promotion rules, customers who order two or more drinks through the official WeChat mini programme will automatically have the lower-priced drink deducted at checkout. Each user ID may take part only once, and the offer applies to dine-in and delivery orders placed through the mini programme only. Third-party platforms and selected airport and high-speed rail stores are not participating.

News of the promotion quickly sparked a buying frenzy. On the morning of 12 October, a surge of users rushed to place orders, causing the WeChat min programme to crash repeatedly under the heavy traffic. The page displayed the message "Tea friends are too enthusiastic, please try again later" (茶友們太熱情啦，請稍後再試", leaving customers unable to place orders.

According to Sing Tao Headline, the surge was just as intense offline: the Wuhan Baishazhou Longhu store saw pending orders reach as many as 1,827 cups, a store in Beijing's Xicheng district had more than 200 cups backed up within just 40 minutes of opening, and multiple outlets in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Jinan accumulated over 300 to 600 cups each.

Staff at a CHAGEE outlet in Beijing's Xicheng district said that the mini-programme was under repair, with the server unable to cope with the traffic, and advised customers to try again later, according to the report. Another staff member at a separate Xicheng outlet said the store had been swamped, with more than 200 cups already queued within 40 minutes of opening. The buy-one-get-one offer was only available for dine-in and delivery orders placed through the mini programme, meaning customers on third-party platforms could still order but could not enjoy the discount.

CHAGEE later responded in the comment section of its official WeChat page, saying it had felt the enthusiasm and affection of its customers but that the mini programme had been unable to keep up, and apologised for the impact on the customer experience. It added that the mini programme was being repaired so customers could enjoy their celebratory cup sooner, though it did not explain the cause of the crash.

CHAGEE has also thanked its frontline employees' dedication and service in an internal thank-you letter, and announced a total of RMB$13.5 million in special rewards: RMB$3.5 million for team-building activities and RMB$10 million in incentive bonuses, according to Chinese media Yicai. All rewards will be distributed as soon as possible to every store employee involved in supporting the campaign.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to CHAGEE for a statement. 

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