TEALIVE started brewing in February 2017 after Taiwan-based La Kaffa International Ltd terminated Loob Holding’s Sdn Bhd contract as the franchise holder for Chatime in Malaysia based on an alleged breach of contract on Loob’s part.
Since then, Tealive’s business has continued to bubble into becoming the largest lifestyle tea brand in Southeast Asia. Today, it has over 500 outlets and serves over five million consumers per month in Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar, Australia, the Philippines and the UK.
As its latest achievement, Tealive won gold at the Asia eCommerce Awards 2020 for ‘My Bubble Tea Kit’, an online campaign in March to enable Malaysians make their own bubble tea at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.
It won the ‘Best in e-commerce’ segment in the food & beverage brand category in the award organised by Marketing-Interactive and judged by a panel of independent marketing and e-commerce professionals.
In the results announced on Dec 17, Tealive secured the crown for e-commerce excellence by toppling renowned finalists like Nestle, Nestle Australia (Kit Kat), PepsiCo, Mondelez India Foods and Domino’s.
Now in its third year, the Asia eCommerce Awards recognises the e-commerce work, initiatives as well as reflect the breadth and creativity of the industry while showcasing the best industry players from brands and eRetailers/ Marketplace to agencies and enablers in South Asia, Southeast Asia and ANZ regions.
Known for its “Breakthrough” spirit, Tealive created the DIY bubble tea kit only one week after the lockdown was enforced and 1,000 kits were being sold online within three days of launching.
“With the sudden lockdown, we saw an opportunity to fulfil the needs of Tealive customers even while they were stuck at home. We’re happy that Tealive customers appreciated the gesture and supported us whole-heartedly,” said founder and CEO of Loob Bryan Loo Woi Lip.
Meanwhile, the campaign had also successfully captivated 4.7 million unique visitors to their social media and gained 54,055 new followers on Instagram and Facebook. Subsequently, the campaign was then adapted and extended to other countries, including Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore.
Other than transforming Tealive from a traditional brick-and-mortar business to a digitally-driven brand, this campaign has also generated a completely new experience in the world of bubble tea.
Tealive attributed the win to its loyal and supportive customers whom have enabled them to expand so quickly over the years.
“Even with the current economic environment, we are still expanding every month. We’ll open 20 outlets this month alone,” Loo added. – Dec 18, 2020
