Recently, Highlands Coffee made headlines by collaborating with the fashion brand Poppop to set up a photobooth at their Hoang Van Thu branch in Ho Chi Minh City. This move highlights the coffee giant’s new marketing strategy: targeting young customers who love checking in and sharing photos on social media. By offering this experience, Highlands aims to enhance customer engagement and create a unique brand impression.
Image Source: sundilaca
According to the shared information, customers only need a purchase receipt from Highlands to use the instant photo service at no extra cost. This initiative has quickly turned the photobooth into a popular spot for young people to visit, experience, and check in, significantly boosting the store’s appeal.
Highlands x Poppop Photobooth
Highlands’ marketing strategy has successfully attracted numerous check-ins from young customers. Image Source: oanhtacsaigon
Highlands is not the only brand leveraging the photobooth trend, as it has become increasingly popular among young people due to its low cost and ability to produce unique, personalized photos.
Viettel Store, Bao Tin Manh Hai, and Vietnam Post have also utilized this marketing approach.
The appeal of photobooths is evident in a report by Global Market Insights, which shows that the global photobooth market reached approximately $818.2 million in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2025 to 2034. By capitalizing on this booming trend, the coffee brand with nearly 1,000 stores has not only installed a “photo booth” but also transformed it into an effective experiential marketing tool.
Image Source: pop.pop_hihi
Notably, the photobooth is located at the Hoang Van Thu branch, Highlands’ first Drive-Thru store. Combining these two models creates a unique highlight for the store, allowing customers to order, pay, and receive their drinks in about three minutes, while also providing a reason to stop and experience the service instead of just grabbing and going. The model caters to both motorbikes and cars, aligning with the flexible travel habits of Vietnamese people and enabling the photobooth to attract more natural and quick visits.
F&B experts note that placing a photobooth at a Drive-Thru store is an effective market approach, helping the new model gain attention and create organic buzz, thereby bringing the branch closer to a wider audience.
According to this expert, adding a photobooth holds strategic significance for the brand. Through this campaign, Highlands is rejuvenating its image to better connect with a new potential customer base while maintaining its core identity.
The Q3 2025 financial report from Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) reveals that Highlands Coffee achieved an EBITDA of approximately 666 million pesos, equivalent to over 297 billion VND. This is the highest level in the past two years, representing a 17.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024. For the first nine months of 2025, Highlands Coffee recorded an EBITDA of around 1,909 million pesos (approximately 852 billion VND), a 9.5% increase year-on-year. The chain contributed nearly 29% of the coffee and tea segment’s EBITDA and 6.1% of JFC’s total EBITDA.
The primary driver of Highlands Coffee’s record profits is stable sales across its stores. The Same-Store Sales Growth (SSSG) increased by 17.2% compared to the previous year.
Alongside revenue growth, the chain is also expanding its footprint. As of the end of September 2025, Highlands Coffee operated 928 stores nationwide, including both company-owned and franchised outlets. In the first nine months, the chain opened 109 new stores and closed 31 to optimize operations.
The Mid-Autumn Festival Coffee Shop Showdown: Katinat Steals the Spotlight from Highlands Coffee to Become the Most Talked-About Brand, with a 24/7 Newcomer Making Waves in the Rankings
Amid a sea of well-known brands such as Katinat, Phuc Long, and Highlands Coffee, an unexpected newcomer emerged in the rankings of the top 10 trendiest coffee chains on social media in the first half of Q3 2024. This “stranger” not only made its way into the list but also ranked higher than Cong Ca Phe, a well-established Vietnamese coffee chain. As the only 24-hour coffee chain in the rankings, it has been capturing the hearts of Saigon’s youth and becoming a prominent player in the city’s vibrant coffee culture.
The Climax of the Coffee Chain Wars
The news of Starbucks’ closure of its upscale, centrally-located and bustling cafe in Ho Chi Minh City has taken many by surprise. However, industry insiders view this as an inevitable move.
The Top 25 Best Places to Work in Vietnam: Coca-Cola, Highlands, F88, and Schneider Electric Lead the Pack
Highlands Coffee, with its impressive 670 stores, has made its debut on the list of Vietnam’s Best Places to Work, in the large business category. This is a significant achievement for the brand. F88, a prominent name, also secured a spot in the medium-sized business category, boasting a remarkable statistic of over 48% of its management team being under 30 years of age.
