The discussion trend around coffee shop chains on social media recorded remarkable shifts in the first half of 2025. TikTok has grown rapidly, while the emergence of Threads has provided users with more diverse options to share their coffee shop experiences and offered businesses new opportunities to expand customer reach.
1. TikTok doubles in growth, Threads emerges: The landscape of user discussions becomes clearly segmented by platform
The H1/2025 Coffee Shop Social Media Report by YouNet Media shows that the total volume of discussions about Coffee Shop chains on social media continued to grow strongly. While the first half of 2024 recorded 519.8 thousand discussions, the number reached 760 thousand in the first half of 2025, reflecting the increasing interest of the online community in Coffee Shop chain brands in Vietnam.
Read detail H1/2025 Coffee Shop Social Media Report here
Disclaimer: The definition of the Coffee Shop Chain market in this report includes the TOP 10 brands with the highest mentions volume on social media. The measurement period is from January 1 to June 30, 2025. Data was collected and analyzed by YouNet Media’s SocialHeat platform from Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, e-commerce sites, forums, blogs, and online news.
In terms of discussion share by platform, Facebook Pages continued to hold the leading position with the largest share of discussions, achieving a year-over-year growth rate of 5.3%, from 313.2K discussions in H1/2024 to 329.8K discussions in H1/2025. This indicates that Facebook Pages remain the primary channel for brands to deliver official information, implement marketing activities, and maintain connections with users.
A highlight in the first half of 2025 was the strong growth of discussions about Coffee Shop brands on TikTok. While in H1/2024 coffee chains recorded 73.6K discussions (accounting for 14.16% of total discussions in H1/2024), the number rose to 240.3K in H1/2025 (accounting for 31.63% of total discussions in H1/2025). This shows that, alongside Facebook, TikTok has become a platform widely chosen by social media users to share their coffee shop experiences.
In addition, compared to H1/2024, the discussion landscape for Coffee Shop chains saw the emergence of Threads. With a modest share of 3.32% of the total discussions in the first half of 2025, Threads is not yet a popular platform among Vietnamese social media users compared to other contenders. However, its appearance marks a “new playground” where users can discuss coffee shop chains. At the same time, it represents a platform where brands can “test the waters” to diversify their customer touchpoints.
Overall, the discussion trends around Coffee Shop chains in the first six months of 2025 have clearly diversified compared to the same period in 2024. Facebook, especially Facebook Pages, continues to serve as the main channel with stable discussion volumes. Meanwhile, TikTok is growing rapidly, becoming a hub of vibrant discussions about coffee chains and a platform that brands should leverage to expand reach and manage brand image. Alongside these two, Threads has emerged as a new platform, opening opportunities for brands to experiment and diversify their customer engagement channels.
2. TikTok becomes a powerful tool for brands to drive discussions
The remarkable growth of TikTok in the Coffee Shop Chain market during the first half of 2025 highlights the prominent role of short-form video. While Facebook remains familiar for image-based or text-heavy content, TikTok allows users to engage with brands through short videos across diverse themes, from product introductions, experience reviews, and café ambience to corporate activities. Thanks to its visual, lively, and highly shareable nature, short-form video has made TikTok a powerful platform for sparking discussions, while also enabling brands to build closer connections with consumers, especially younger audiences.
With its rapid growth, TikTok is a promising platform for brands to invest in, enhancing reach and consumer engagement. Amid these efforts, which coffee shop chains are being discussed the most on TikTok?
Highlands Coffee emerged as the most talked-about brand on TikTok, with over 70K discussions and the highest share of Earned Media, making up almost all conversations about the brand. In early 2025, Highlands Coffee launched unique and innovative new products such as PhinDI Matcha Dâu and PhinDI Dừa Môn, sparking discussions through customer reviews and fueling curiosity about the brand.
Meanwhile, Cheese Coffee led in Owned Media discussions, thanks to its creative use of trendy, humorous employee-generated content filmed inside its cafés. These videos showcased both products and brand personality, generating engagement around entertaining content as well as the brand itself.
A notable insight from the Top 10 most active brands on TikTok is that Earned Media accounts for up to 98% of total discussions about coffee shop brands, overwhelmingly surpassing brand-created content. This confirms that TikTok is truly a playground for UGC (User-Generated Content), where the community’s voice drives visibility and fuels brand discussions.
Four Popular Content Angles Around Coffee Shop Chains on TikTok
According to data from YouNet Media, four prominent content groups about Coffee Shops on TikTok can be clearly identified.
First, product introductions and new collections are the core and most familiar type of branded content. The short-video format allows audiences to see the products in action and experience authentic reviews. When combined with credible KOLs/KOCs, the impact is further amplified, both sparking curiosity and increasing discussions about the brand.
At the same time, employee-generated content is becoming increasingly popular. In many cases, staff act as “brand ambassadors,” contributing humorous, trend-driven videos or content reflecting common scenarios between employees and customers, as well as the workplace environment. This sense of relatability and entertainment has significantly fueled discussions.
Another content group focuses on introducing or reviewing coffee shop spaces. These videos often highlight “Instagrammable” corners or recommend must-visit spots, catering to customers’ desire to explore before visiting in person. As a result, this type of content not only spreads brand imagery but also drives demand for in-store experiences.
Finally, corporate news has gradually gained traction on TikTok. Instead of text-based announcements on Facebook, transforming updates such as grand openings, groundbreakings, or store and factory events into short videos makes the content more accessible to audiences. This approach helps brands generate discussions while reinforcing credibility and brand image in the eyes of users.
Overall, TikTok demonstrates its strong role as a space where customers actively share personal experiences tied to Coffee Shop chains. Short videos, with their authenticity and relatability, have fostered emotional connections among users while driving vibrant discussions. From unique products and creative employees to distinctive café spaces and corporate news, all types of content are embraced by users, opening powerful opportunities for amplification through UGC.
3. Threads has emerged, creating a “new arena” for discussions about Coffee Shop chains
The report reveals that most discussions on Threads originate from user-generated written content. Users perceive Threads as a platform to express their emotions directly and authentically, where any opinion can quickly go viral and spark conversations around brands.
Within the Top 5 most discussed brands on Threads, Starbucks Vietnam stands out as a rare case with a presence in Owned Media. The brand leverages teaser-style posts and interactive prompts to engage the community, such as: “The coffee is already rich in flavor, just waiting for the music to play… Drop a rhyme in the COMMENTS if you’ve guessed the ‘secret’ Starbucks is brewing.” Thanks to this approach, Starbucks became the most-discussed brand on Threads in the first half of 2025, generating over 15,000 discussions and gaining more than 20,000 followers on its Threads channel.
In contrast, the other brands in the Top 5 were largely absent in terms of proactive content creation, relying almost entirely on user-driven discussions. This indicates that brand presence and competition on Threads remain relatively low.
Three Topics That Threads “Citizens” Often Discuss About Coffee Shop Chains
According to data from YouNet Media, the discussion content around Coffee Shop chains on Threads mainly focuses on three main groups.
First is promotional content. Unlike Facebook or TikTok, Threads witnesses a trend where promotions are proactively spread by users themselves. Customers often share and discuss the “good deals” they find, thereby helping the promotional information spread naturally.
In addition, review request posts also appear frequently. Users often ask questions to learn about a Coffee Shop chain before experiencing it in reality. These posts quickly attract many comments and suggestions, creating lively discussions with community participation.
Finally, user feedback is also an important content stream. Threads is seen as a place to share genuine opinions, not yet influenced by “seeding” activities. This allows brands to access the most original feedback from customers, both compliments and complaints. At the same time, brands also need to start monitoring to promptly capture feedback and make adjustments when negative issues arise from users.
It can be seen that the “new playground” Threads is emerging as a potential space, where Coffee Shop chains can exploit more diverse customer insights compared to familiar platforms. Although its popularity is still limited, this is still a channel that brands can experiment with to expand their approach strategies and create more interaction with users.
Conclusion
The H1/2025 Coffee Shop Social Media Report by YouNet Media shows that discussions about coffee shop chains are becoming increasingly diverse and multi-dimensional. Facebook is associated with official information, conveying messages and key programs from businesses. Meanwhile, TikTok drives viral content waves reaching young customers and spreading through KOLs/KOCs. Threads serves as a place to record and listen to authentic feedback from customers.
UGC is the main driver helping coffee shop chains spread brand images on social media. Review videos, experience sharing, or check-in moments bring authenticity, closeness, and build trust with the community. Thanks to that, UGC not only becomes a sustainable source of discussion but also a powerful channel influencing customers’ experience decisions, instead of information posted by the coffee shop chains themselves.
To clearly understand new trends, grasp customer behavior, and optimize business strategies in the coffee chain market in particular and F&B in general, please see the detailed H1/2025 Coffee Shop Social Media Report by YouNet Media here.
