Dive Brief:
- Starbucks sold more than 2 million Unicorn Frappucinos at its North American, company-operated cafes during the weekend the drinks were available, CEO Brian Niccol said in a press release last week.
- This surge of sales drove a 28.5% traffic increase relative to a typical Saturday, according to a Placer.ai analysis of Starbucks visits.
- The Unicorn Frappucino — a revival of a 2017-era Starbucks LTO — outperformed even last year’s Bearista promotion, and could help Starbucks deliver a strong quarterly sales result.
Dive Insight:
The coffee chain said the relaunch of the frappucino resulted in “our biggest Saturday sales day ever for our North America company-operated business,” and its most successful sales weekend.
Starbucks, according to its most recent earnings report, had 11,149 North American stores, meaning each cafe sold roughly 179 Unicorn Frappucinos during the product’s two-day availability, based on the figures in Niccol’s press release.
The frappucino is a “sweet and tart blend of creamy mango flavors, tangy blue drizzle, whipped cream, and pink and blue topping,” according to a June press release heralding its return.
To account for the anticipated sales volume and complexity of the drink, Starbucks restricted customizations and limited the beverages to one size, per the June press release.
Starbucks signaled the beverage’s return with a limited drop at the Coachella music festival in April, and with a June announcement. The long marketing runup helped build social media buzz and anticipation, while restricting the drink’s availability to a single weekend helped concentrate the traffic spike and cultivate a sense of product exclusivity.
The chain has used other exclusive offerings to end the traffic stagnation that had bedeviled it for several quarters, seeing success from the Bearista cup and Holiday Menu launch from November.
On Aug. 25, Starbucks is launching its Pumpkin Spice Latte, an anchor of its yearly promotional cycle. Placer.ai said the buzz from the Unicorn Frappucino could help the brand drive a sales lift with its fall menu lineup.
