Starbucks ranked as the food and beverage retail brand with the highest total spending by Korean consumers, while budget coffee chain Mega Coffee recorded the most transactions, according to data released Friday by market analytics firm Wiseapp Retail.
Based on a sample analysis of Korean credit and debit card payments, Starbucks topped the list of food and beverage retail brands by total payment value over the six months from September 2025 to February 2026.
When Starbucks’ spending was indexed at 100, bakery chains Paris Baguette and Paris Croissant followed at 95.6, while Mega Coffee ranked third at 53.5. Other major brands included McDonald's at 52.9, A Twosome Place at 45.7 and Lotteria at 35.6.
In terms of transaction frequency, Mega Coffee led the market with an average of 36 million payments per month, reflecting the strong demand for low-priced coffee.
Paris Baguette and Paris Croissant each recorded around 23 million monthly transactions, followed by Starbucks with 20 million and McDonald’s with 17 million.
Mega Coffee also posted the highest repeat purchase rate at 45.4 percent, meaning nearly half of its customers returned for another purchase. Compose Coffee followed at 41.9 percent, with McDonald’s and Starbucks recording 38.9 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
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