HEYTEA Bangkok localisation: Key takeaways
- Southeast Asia’s first HEYTEA Lab introduces tea, bakery and gelato counters together, with Thai flavours across the menu
- A songthaew mobile shop, Thai-language street calls and floating-market interiors connect the launch campaign with the store experience
- The strong localisation hand gives HEYTEA a repeatable approach for opening stores in new markets
HEYTEA (喜茶) has opened in Bangkok. To get Thai customers acquainted, they’ve gone in on localisation. The highlight: turning an iconic Thai songthaew taxi-bus into mobile shop.
The location they’ve opened is Southeast Asia’s first HEYTEA Lab. It brings tea, bakery and gelato counters together in one proposition, but with local touches. Besides that, the concept runs on its usual store setup. That’s a range of tea experiences held on open counters where customers watch their drinks and desserts being prepared.
As localisation goes, the Bangkok opening didn’t fail. The store opened to hour-long queues. But from a wider point of view, this format gives something far more important.
Localisation the Thai way
The launch campaign uses Thai-language street calls and local animals drawn in HEYTEA’s rough-edged illustration style. Interiors take inspiration from Thailand’s floating markets. Boat-inspired frontage and curved seating bring that reference into a contemporary shopping-centre setting.
Drinks-wise, Bangkok gets the global debut of teaAir, a fluffy topping made with brewed tea, coconut, dairy fat and air. Its first drink combines rock oolong with jackfruit, papaya and coconut. A Thai milk tea croissant egg tart and lime Thai milk gelato carry local flavours into the other counters.
Why Bangkok gets a Lab
Bangkok joins New York’s Times Square and Toronto Eaton Centre as the third location outside China to receive a HEYTEA Lab. It’s a format that dates back to 2016, one that gives the brand space to test products and gauge customer experiences.
It’s a format that dates back to 2016, one that gives the brand space to test products and gauge customer experiences
What HEYTEA is doing is introducing several parts of its business at once. Customers can encounter a range that runs from drinks to baked goods and frozen desserts. Bangkok also gets to play a role in product development.
Thai ingredients inform the first drink in a new format. That makes the city a source of ideas for the wider brand. They can be dropped or expanded based on demand. But ultimately this is about an introduction.
Making the unfamiliar easier to try
Many Thai customers will be trying HEYTEA for the first time. Familiar flavours provide an easy route in. Durian and Thai milk tea play that role for the Thai market.
The campaign creates a parallel opportunity before customers enter. Its illustrated posters included emoji stickers that passers-by could use to vote for their preferred drinks. That turns an advertisement into a small interaction with the menu.
Local references attract attention outside and customers find related flavours and design cues inside
In this way, local references attract attention outside and customers find related flavours and design cues inside. It’s a continuity that makes the introduction easier to follow into the wider HEYTEA world.
Dao view: What sticks beyond the flagship?
This is a smart way to localise. The strength is in its simplicity. HEYTEA keeps a recognisable brand style but gives itself local material to work with. That offers a framework it can use whenever it enters a new market.
Different local animals can front the packaging. The campaign can play on another street tradition. The menu can introduce ingredients customers know well. Each launch gets its own character while drawing on the same creative approach.
The work is in choosing the right references. If they can get those right, HEYTEA has an introduction it can adapt from city to city without having to reinvent the brand.
