Luxury brand collaborates with cafes to open pop-up coffee bookstores
Long queues are a familiar sight outside cafes in downtown Shanghai. However, on Tuesday, it was not the aroma of freshly brewed coffee or delectable pastries that captured people's attention.
The eager crowd was patiently waiting to get their hands on some books.
Well, not exactly.
The real reason behind the hours-long queues was a coveted canvas bag that comes with the books, and it's all part of a marketing campaign by the luxury brand Louis Vuitton.
People line up outside the coffee bookstore on Yongjia Road in Shanghai's downtown Huangpu District to purchase coffee and books.
A woman poses for a photo in front of the store, holding a coffee cup imprinted with the luxury brand's logo.
The French fashion brand has teamed up with three cafes in downtown Shanghai. The Fengxian Road store is themed green, the Wukang Road store is themed yellow, and the Yongjia Road outlet is themed red. The canvas bags given as gifts correspond to the color theme of each store.
That means anyone wanting to collect all three canvas bags has to queue up three times.
Customers who purchase coffee also receive coffee cups imprinted with the Louis Vuitton logo.
Customers who purchase coffee also receive coffee cups imprinted with the luxury brand's logo.
At the Yongjia Road store, this Shanghai Daily reporter observed various books for sale, including art catalogs, travel guides, and postcards related to the brand, with prices ranging from 290 yuan (US$40) to 1,150 yuan. In other words, to obtain a canvas bag, customers need to spend at least 580 yuan.
"Our books are actually available in the brand's flagship stores as well," said a staff member. "However, the canvas bags are only available in the pop-up stores."
Books for sale in one of the pop-up bookstores are priced between 290 yuan (US$40) to 1,150 yuan.
The coffee shops have been transformed into small bookshop settings.
After purchasing two books, Ivy He jokingly said that it was like buying a canvas bag and receiving two books free. Ivy said, "I came specifically to buy this red canvas bag because I like the color."
When asked if she thought it was worth it, Ivy pointed out that if she liked it, then it was worth it.
Ivy He joyfully shows her red canvas bag to her friends.
"I waited in line for about an hour," another customer, Alma Tong, told Shanghai Daily. "I like the postcards here; they are beautiful and practical. I can send them to friends while traveling. However, the prices are slightly high."
Alma Tong shows the postcards she purchased at the coffee bookstore.
In recent years, brand collaborations have become commonplace, serving as both a marketing strategy and an advertising model. It is worth noting that the storefront colors of the three temporary coffee bookstores correspond to the color palette of Louis Vuitton's newly released 2024 products.
A customer takes a selfie in front of the bookstore while checking out.
The three pop-up coffee bookstores will remain open until July 9.
