On-premise outlets banking on social networking to expand presence, sales By WANG ZHUOQIONG | China Daily | Updated: 2021-05-04 12:28 Share CLOSE A customer orders a cup of coffee at a Starbucks outlet in Qingdao, Shandong province. The outlet, which opened on April 27, is the coffee chain's 5000th store on the Chinese mainland. CHINA DAILY Online social networking has become the new trend for on-premise coffee chains to get connected with digital-savvy Chinese consumers, even as the companies intensify their brick-and-mortar store expansion in the country. Starbucks China, a unit of United States-based coffee giant Starbucks, has introduced Starbucks Now service on WeChat mini-program, featuring "taking-out for He/She" and "Coffee Social Circle" to order drinks as greetings or to share one's beverage preferences. These two functions are also available on its official mobile application.