YOUNG WOMEN, KEY TO CHINA WINE RISE

According to the research report of Wine Intelligence, a market research and` consulting firm in wine industry, the number of China’s urban middle class consuming imported wine reached 38 million at the end of 2015, rising by 100% compared to that of 2012. The growth in imported wine consumers to a large extent attributes to the increase of young women consumers. This phenomenon reminds brand developers, importers and distributors in wine industry that more attention should be paid to the background and consumption views of this consumer group.

Changing social conditions in recent years have led to the wider acceptance of drinking among women. Gender roles have been blurring, and women and men are more equally attending events and participating in drinking in most social occasions in China. Moreover, the new generation of working women in China is socially compelled to consume alcohol to stay “equal” in the eyes of their male colleagues. Though it is socially acceptable for men to consume high-strength alcohol, the concept of women consuming high-strength alcohol such as baijiu is still not fully accepted in Chinese culture.

Besides, female consumers’ financial independence may also explain the rise in alcohol consumption among women, particularly in the past five years.

Within the alcohol sector, Chinese women appear to have primarily embraced wine, largely because it reflects their aspirational lifestyles. In addition, many consumers believe that drinking wine is good for one’s health and that it promotes beautiful skin.