Metaverse milk tea, is it a trend or a sickle?

Some people always think that the metaverse is out of reach, but in fact it has already arrived quietly. It is not only limited to the "next version of the Internet", but has permeated every aspect of reality.

If we say that milk tea had not "dominated" humanity more than a decade ago, then in just the past decade, milk tea has become an indispensable part of the lives of contemporary young people. In order to compete for the top position in the hearts of consumers, they have come up with various ways.

In the next ten or even twenty years, perhaps young people will start drinking milk tea in the metaverse.

You may find it hard to imagine, but there are already milk tea brands making money in the Metaverse, just like when the Internet was born, no one could have imagined that this invisible and intangible thing could connect the whole world.

Currently, milk tea brands playing in the metaverse can be roughly divided into two types: one is to issue NFTs and build virtual communities; the other is to launch digital images and transform offline stores.

In fact, the two approaches lead to the same end.

1. Did you make money by selling NFTs and building virtual communities?

In this field, Nayuki's Tea (hereinafter referred to as "Nayuki") is probably the most famous.

The first step in building a virtual community is to have people.

In December 2021, Nayuki took advantage of the marketing momentum of its 6th anniversary celebration to launch the digital human "NAYUKI", officially announced it as its brand ambassador, and released a related concept short film.

Image source: "Nayuki's Tea"

In previous articles, we have said that digital humans are the entrance to the metaverse. Nayuki obviously thinks so. NAYUKI's official character comes from the metaverse. As a cosmic symbiont, "travels between virtual and real life, exploring every beautiful cosmic space."

In this setting, we can see the role of NAYUKI - connecting virtual and reality, that is, serving as the entrance to the metaverse, guiding more users to recognize and enter Nayuki's community.

Image source: "Nayuki's Tea"

Therefore, NAYUKI cannot be launched in isolation, but there should be subsequent marketing actions to take over the traffic.

This involves another element of the virtual community - circulating items that can stimulate user participation and carry the metaverse logo, namely NFT.

Nayuki launched the "NFT Digital Artwork Blind Box" around the IP NAYUKI. The series of blind boxes includes 6 regular models and 1 hidden model, with a limited global sale of 300 copies. Nayuki said that each digital artwork has a unique code recorded in the metaverse, and only the owner can display the original version, and transfer and trading are not supported.

IP, NFT, blind boxes, these trendy elements were all played out at once, and the products were sold out within a second of going on sale. Naixue reaped real money from the experimental results.

Image source: "Nayuki's Tea"

At the same time, don’t forget that NAYUKI is to expand Nayuki’s marketing ideas, not limited to online gameplay. Therefore, in the real dimension, NAYUKI is also linked to physical goods and rights.

For example, the NAYUKI physical trendy dolls are sold in limited quantities for a limited time, priced at 699 yuan per piece; the stored-value card benefit of recharging 100 yuan to get 150 yuan is a real discount.

Image source: "Nayuki's Tea"

After a series of combined efforts, Naixue’s 6th anniversary celebration live broadcast was watched by over 10 million people, and achieved nearly 200 million GMV within 72 hours after the live broadcast. The stock price rose for 3 consecutive days, with an increase of more than 10%.

Obviously, the metaverse marketing that combines virtual and reality has brought Naixue both popularity and profits.

In addition, Naixue has also launched a controversial metaverse activity - a virtual stock game .

This game is embedded in Naixue's WeChat applet. Users can obtain Naixue coins through limited-time tasks such as "daily check-in", "add Naixue", "follow the official account", or consume physical goods, and use them to purchase Naixue's virtual stocks. At the same time, leveraged borrowing gameplay is added, and the virtual stock price = Naixue's real closing price of Hong Kong stocks x the exchange rate of Hong Kong dollars to RMB.

Holders can enjoy certain dividend rights and share price appreciation benefits, but they do not have ownership and voting rights, and are not allowed to transfer or sell. The Naixue Coins earned can be used to redeem coupons, peripherals, and even expensive items such as Apple computers.

Image source: "Nayuki's Tea"

In addition, Naixue also cooperated with NetEase Yaotai to build the Metaverse Naixue Park for virtual shareholders to "treasure hunt".

From the perspective of metaverse marketing, there is nothing wrong with Naixue's operation. There is the circulating token "Naixue Coin" on the virtual level, and there are physical goods and rights of corresponding value on the real level.

Although the essence of this gameplay is still Nayuki’s membership points system, when the points are turned into “Nayuki coins” linked to the stock price, it is suspected of being a marginal fundraising method.

Under great pressure, the virtual stock game was soon taken offline, but through this battle, Naixue established herself as a pioneer in the milk tea metaverse.

2. By launching a digital image and transforming offline stores, can we touch the metaverse?

Before short videos became really popular, people's understanding of virtual images was mostly two-dimensional, either from descriptions in science fiction novels or from presentations in anime series, separated by a thick dimensional wall.

After short videos became popular, more and more digital people entered the lives of the public in the form of virtual bloggers and virtual idols, and the entrance to the metaverse gradually opened up. At the same time, digital images that support free customization are obviously more appealing to young people of Generation Z.

The milk tea industry, which relies on young people for most of its revenue, has certainly realized this, which is why NAYUKI, the girl from Nayuki, came into being.

Coincidentally, another milk tea brand "Xiong Ji" has attracted attention recently because it not only launched a digital IP image, but also "armed" its stores with the metaverse, and received angel round investment from Nanjing Chunxi Investment Management Co., Ltd. with a total amount of tens of millions.

Xiong Ji was founded in 2016, and the IP bear image launched simultaneously is "Miss Xiong Ji" with an elegant, retro and romantic sentiment. Nearly 100 franchise stores have been developed in six years.

Image source: "Qingyuan Universe"

With the popularity of the metaverse concept and the development of related technologies, Xiong Ji upgraded the original IP bear to the digital person "Xiong Qiuqiu", gave it a more specific name, and updated its personality to "positive energy optimist". According to public information, this is the first VR virtual image in the domestic milk tea industry.

In terms of appearance, Xiong Qiuqiu is more like a human, and by changing the costumes and makeup to achieve the effect of being cute and domineering, it can naturally cater to the preferences of young people more flexibly. In order to make the character more full and three-dimensional, Xiong Ji also opened his own social media accounts for Xiong Qiuqiu, such as Douyin, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, etc., so that Xiong Qiuqiu seems like a living person with his own life content.

Image source: "Xiong Ji" video account avatar

But it is not surprising to just launch a virtual image. VR cannot just be a gimmick, so Xiong Ji’s store renovation also underwent technological upgrades.

On the technical level, Xiong Qiuqiu is a motion-captured image, which means that the essence of its movement as a digital human lies in capturing the movements of the store clerks. On the front end, consumers' perception of this requires the support of VR equipment.

Based on this, Xiong Ji’s Shanghai concept store has prepared a full set of equipment.

First of all, the most important ordering area.

Compared with other brands' real store clerks, what consumers see in Xiong Ji's ordering area is Xiong Qiuqiu on the screen, and the voice asking for orders is very cute. And through motion capture technology, it synchronizes the movements and expressions of the real store clerks behind, allowing consumers to further feel that they are visiting "Xiong Ji's metaverse world", bringing an interactive experience that interweaves virtual and real.

Image source: "China Beverage Express"

In addition to ordering, Xiong Ji’s concept store also provides other interactive games while waiting for the meal.

For example, Xiong Ji built a tea-drinking operation room in virtual space that is restored in proportion, and consumers can use VR devices to log in and experience the whole process of making milk tea. This simply fulfills the dream of many people who want to open a milk tea shop and make milk tea. Experiencing different lifestyles in virtual space is indeed very metaverse.

Image source: "China Beverage Express"

In addition, Xiong Ji's concept store also created a 3D fog screen virtual stereoscopic image, so that consumers can watch Xiong Qiuqiu dancing in the fog. This is actually an important step for the metaverse to shine into reality, and the boundary between virtual and reality is further weakened.

Image source: "China Beverage Express"

Xiong Ji calls these upgrades "more immersive technology consumption" , and this summary is not without reason. Using its own brand culture as a filler to create a digital person closer to consumers, and guiding consumers to enter the virtual space with the help of real devices, can be regarded as a practice of consumer metaverse, taking into account immersive interaction and consumer imagination.

With the support of Metaverse Marketing, the brand upgrade of "Xiong Ji V2.0-Metaverse Fresh Milk Tea" brought profits, with a turnover of nearly 25,000 yuan and sales of nearly 1,000 yuan on that day.

3. The ambition behind the crazy involution of the milk tea brand metaverse

In the metaverse, no industry can remain immune. Either it is sucked into the vortex or quickly left behind. The milk tea industry, which is now popular among young people, is no exception.

This trend sweeping the world is rapidly integrating into all aspects of life, just like the Internet in the past, which subverted various lifestyles silently and swiftly. Ten years ago, perhaps we still thought that the metaverse was a fantasy, but ten years later, the development of the metaverse has changed with each passing day and has been frequently reported in the newspapers.

The target audience of the milk tea industry is young people who are always at the forefront of the times. They are "new and old" and their enthusiasm for new things can be transformed into real wealth. In addition to the gradual approach of the growth ceiling, this is also one of the reasons why the milk tea industry cannot miss the metaverse.

Therefore, Naixue tried to build its own virtual community, and Xiong Ji hoped to retain users with digital experience. Even Mixue Ice City, which is always mocked as "rustic", registered the Metaverse trademark in November this year, including "Mixue Metaverse", "Snow King Metaverse", "MIXUEMETA", "SNOWKINGMETA", etc.

Xiong Ji's virtual tea operation room

Although Michelle Ice City responded that this was just a protective registration and there was no clear plan or action for the time being, in fact, this also represents Michelle Ice City's attention to the Metaverse. At the same time, Michelle Ice City, which holds the "Snow King" IP, may have an advantage in entering the Metaverse in the future.

Looking at the internal circulation of milk tea brands in the metaverse, it is not difficult to find that their starting point is mostly the introduction of digital people, because this represents the reification of the brand image.

This is very important because immersive interaction is one of the elements of the metaverse, and the role of digital humans is to connect virtual and real space, allowing consumers to feel the cultural core of the brand through digital humans and touch the real metaverse with the help of the five senses of digital humans.

According to the "2021 China Virtual Idol Industry Development and Internet User Survey Research Report" by iMedia Consulting and the "Virtual Digital Human In-depth Industry Report" by Quantum位 Think Tank, cited by the Guangzhou Daily, by 2030, the overall market size of digital humans in my country will reach 270 billion yuan. Driven by factors such as the continuous maturity of technology, younger consumers, diversified marketing methods and monetization scenarios, the overall scale of the digital human market will continue to expand.

On the other hand, the applications of the metaverse in reality vary.

Milk tea is not just a drink, it also represents social interaction. Therefore, compared with other industries, the metaverse of milk tea brands needs to pay more attention to the construction of virtual social space. Whether it is the online "Nayuki Paradise" or the offline VR concept store, it is the same logic.

Although the Metaverse of milk tea brands cannot be fully popularized due to cost and technology constraints, the pioneers have already earned the first wave of popularity, proving the feasibility of the Metaverse. For example, the coffee track next door has already had its first Metaverse coffee shop in Guangzhou. The prototype of the virtual image is the store manager, and ordering is all done digitally.

At the same time, as mentioned in "Understanding the Metaverse in One Book", with technological innovation, the prices of virtual reality and augmented reality immersive devices that support the Metaverse are on a downward trend. Obviously, the future Metaverse will become more accessible.

We may not have truly experienced the Metaverse yet, but that does not prevent us from recognizing the importance of paying attention to the Metaverse. Web3.0, which is closely related to the Metaverse, is already accelerating its iteration. Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, the developer of the game Fortnite, described the Metaverse as the next version of the Internet, which may not be far away.

Author: Chen Chumu

Source public account: Weiguojiang (ID: wjam123456), focusing on the forefront of new media and insights into new consumer fields.