Following the announcement of the top eight teams, interest in the 2024 Euros has surged, as well as the excitement among fans for late-night snacks. According to Ele.me data, since the start of the European Cup, late-night orders for coffee, fried rice, burgers, and other foods between midnight and 5am have increased by more than 100% compared to last year. Orders for “cups of ice” (冰杯) have seen a tenfold increase year-on-year, while early morning liquor orders have risen by over 40%. The early morning matches have significantly boosted the night snack economy. To capture this enthusiasm, Ele.me has launched activities such as “Guess the Ball to Win Free Orders” and “Penalty Shootout” on its app, featuring brands like Luckin Coffee, Burger King, and CoCo.
During the tournament, Ele.me introduced the “Guess the Ball to Win Free Orders” activity on its app. Regardless of their football knowledge, users can win “food beans” (part of the game settings) by guessing match outcomes and have the chance to redeem various free rewards, including gold football bracelets, and other special benefits. On 21 June, Ele.me announced the appointment of renowned sports commentator Huang Jianxiang as the chief free-order guessing officer, officially launching the surprise free-order special event.
By the end of June, Ele.me had covered the bills for a total of 20K fans, with related topics trending on Weibo: #Ele.me seeks 10,000 fans to eat burgers for free# (饿了么寻1万名球迷免费吃汉堡) garnered 9 million views, and #Ele.me waives the bill for 10,000 people due to Serbia’s win# (塞尔维亚绝平饿了么为1万人免单) attracted 14 million views.
Ele.me cleverly capitalises on memes. Given the brand’s blue colour, Ele.me announced on 1 July that if any team wearing blue wins a game, an additional 10K free orders would be given away as part of the guessing surprise activity. After the French team, dressed in blue, won in the early hours of that morning, Ele.me announced a surprise free game on 2 July.
During the activity period, Ele.me also introduced a “Penalty Shootout” mini-game on the app. Users can accumulate kicks to achieve goals and win rewards such as food beans. The top 500 daily penalty kickers can also win a 39 RMB (approx. 5.36 USD) free coupon. Additionally, Ele.me partnered with brands like Luckin Coffee, Burger King, and CoCo to launch “big brand free” activities. On designated days, consumers ordering from these brands have the chance to get their orders for free.
Ele.me’s data also highlighted the rise in “cups of ice” sales. As outdoor temperatures rise, young people are increasingly drawn to ice cups. Ice cups featuring coffee, tea beverages, gin, and more have quickly gained popularity on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu (RED). Currently, the price of iced drinks ranges from 1.5 to 3 RMB (approx. 0.21 to 0.41 USD), attracting many enterprises, including Nongfu Spring, which has introduced iced cups offline. In countries like Japan and South Korea, ice cups consumption is already a habit, whereas China’s ice cups market is just emerging. Projections suggest that by 2026, China’s instant retail market for ice cups will exceed 63 billion RMB (approx. 8.66 billion USD).
