Starbucks took 26 years building 8,000 stores in China.

Starbucks took 26 years building 8,000 stores in China. Luckin built 30,000 in just 8 years. Same country, same product, completely different strategy. Starbucks entered China in 1999. Big stores, comfortable seating, a place to sit, talk, and stay. For them, the product wasn't just coffee, it was experience. Then in 2017, Luckin asked a completely different question. What if people don't want an experience? They just want coffee, fast and cheap coffee. So they removed everything. No sofas, no long lines, no cashiers. Just small pickup stores and app-only ordering. One or two employees max. Lower rent, lower cost, faster service. That allowed them to expand everywhere fast. Their prices were 25 to 30% cheaper. They use aggressive discounts, buy one get one, free first drink. People switched quickly. But price wasn't the real weapon, data was. Luckin tracks what you order, when you order, even the weather, then sends you a discount right before you're about to buy. Not building loyalty, but building habit. In 2023 they launched one drink collaboration. 5.4 million cups sold in one day. By 2026 they passed 30,000 stores in China. Then they moved to the US, opening in Manhattan, near offices, near campuses, even taking over spaces that Starbucks had abandoned. Because Starbucks built a brand, Luckin, they built a system. One sells a feeling and the other sells certainty. Your coffee is ready even before you arrive. And that is the real lesson. Most companies try to build better products. The biggest ones build better machines, because products compete, but systems scale.