Episode 14: The innovations

The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many small businesses, including us. The deadlier second wave, especially, hit India and Got Tea out of the blue, but the team has been trying to persevere through the challenges, continue serving their authentic bubble tea, and stay innovative.

Influencers

During this lockdown, the team has been thinking of ways to expand their market and to spread their products to more people across the city and country. The first thing the team did was to tie up with A-List, a company that connects them to micro-influencers. The Got Tea team then sends the micro-influencers their products and asks them to share their experience. 

After starting this campaign, the team has seen a marked improvement in their sales. Considering bubble tea is still new to the Indian market, it is considered as more of a ‘trend,’ and their success with influencers shows that it is a trend that has much potential in the country.

Got Tea cafe

Got at Home

Another innovation that the team has been working on is to create home brewing bubble tea DIY kits. Since the shelf life of bubble tea is not very long (you should consume your Got Teas within 3 hours!), the product is not very portable. But the Got Tea team wants to spread their bubble tea all over the country, and the solution they came up with is home brewing kits!

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the market for home DIY kits for food products, and the Got Tea team has noticed this trend. It works perfectly for them, because it allows people from all over the country to enjoy their drinks, without having to worry too much about the shelf life of the ready product. Through this home brew kit, the team hopes to reach out to more of their market base and to see what the demand for bubble tea in India looks like.

Teamwork

The Got Tea team is trying to stay resilient during these hard times, to ensure that their dreams continue to grow and they continue to see results. And though they have countered many challenges, it has been easier to overcome them with strong teamwork. 


Mercy is one of Got Tea's first employees

Got Tea’s employees have been exceptional during these difficult times, and have risked their safety to come into work every day to ensure that the café stays open. During the second lockdown, Got Tea management decided to make the shift from staying open only 6 days a week to opening shop all days. The Got Tea employees supported this decision, and pitched in to ensure that all shifts were covered at all times. 

As Got Tea continues to innovate and grow, this supportive team will be integral to its success. So, the next time you come by the café (when things open up), or you see something you like on their social media, be sure to give a shout-out to the entire Got Tea team!

This journal is an ongoing series tracing the story of Got Tea, the latest bubble tea store launched in India, located in South Delhi. Want to know what happens next? Stay tuned – new episodes come out every week! 


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