7000 People Waiting, Hard to Believe... Starbucks Giveaway Raincoat 'Mobile Open Run'

Waiting daily at 7 AM to book Rain Ponchos
Long lines for buying and selling e-frequency on Danggeun Market
Starbucks "Striving to ensure smooth supply"

"There are many simultaneous users, so you are temporarily in a queue."

Office worker Mr. A opened the app on the morning of the 20th to order Starbucks coffee via Siren Order on his way to work and was surprised. The waiting queue exceeded 7,000 people, causing a 4-minute wait just to place an order. The Starbucks app experienced delays as users flooded in all at once.

This year as well, Starbucks' summer giveaway event has gained explosive popularity, creating a spectacle every morning where thousands of people wait to access the app for a 'mobile open run.'

The root cause of the mobile app access delay is the 'ubi' rain poncho, one of Starbucks' summer giveaways. Last month, Starbucks partnered with the UK premium brand Hunter to launch the '2024 Summer e-Frequency' event. Frequency is a type of sticker customers receive when they buy a drink at Starbucks. Consumers who purchase a total of 17 drinks, including 3 mandatory drinks, could receive one of Hunter's rain ponchos, light umbrellas, or two-way pouches.

The problem arose as popularity concentrated on the rain poncho. According to Starbucks, 60% of customers chose the rain poncho during the first week of giveaway distribution. As a shortage occurred, Starbucks posted a temporary out-of-stock notice for the rain poncho on the official app and started offering it only by same-day reservation from 7 a.m. Customers trying to grab the rain poncho at this time caused access delays. According to Starbucks, even this stock sells out within 30 minutes at most stores nationwide.

The popularity of this summer giveaway event can also be seen on Danggeun Market. Since e-Frequency stickers can be gifted to others, the marketplace is flooded with people buying and selling them for 700 to 1,000 won or selling completed e-Frequency sticker sets.

A Starbucks representative said, "There was a temporary surge in users this morning causing a reservation queue, but operations are currently normal," adding, "As word spreads about the design and practicality, the giveaway items are being depleted faster as the event progresses, and we will do our best to provide the giveaways without disruption until the event ends."