The world of wine in China is a sector that is constantly expanding. Up until now, most of the growth in China has sprouted into the metro cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen etc. However, the wine market is making a shift to smaller cities such as Chengdu, Xi’an etc. With the economic growth in China, people from the two tier - three tier cities have perked their interests in wine drinking and exploring the world of wine.

China is already the second largest market for red wines in the world and is soon said to cross the USA in being the second largest wine market worldwide. Due to this rapid growth, lots of wine brands are trying to find their way into the Chinese wine market.  Chinese wine market has evolved and is still evolving with the young, open-minded, wine enthusiasts. Here’s a rundown of the marketing trends that are going to shoot brands into the marketplace in 2019.

Chinese Millennials - A huge demographic

With economic growth, Chinese millennials have access to a higher wage and a very persisting interest in wines. Marketing towards the younger millennials would mean the audience would be more accepting of trying new wines, and delve deep into everything in and about. It’s a huge go through to bring in white wines as well as rose.

Go Online

With social media taking over the world, it is hands down one of the best marketing strategies. Social media is where consumers spend a lot of their time. A lot of businesses are done through social media itself or other online platforms such as online mags, papers etc., therefore it is the perfect place to strike awareness for the brand and get a high amount of reach.

One of the most used and most effective strategy on the online platform is “content in the right context”. As posh as it sounds, it’s really simple. Millennials usually pick up on what they find “relatable”, so marketing with content related to current affairs, or a trending meme as per se would create a large engagement and reach.

Darting the tech-savvy and how

Making the services more compact, portable and personalized is turning out to be a new thing in the China wine markets, as the focus is now not only limited to the middle-aged men but also towards the young wine lovers. The world is getting on the fingertips and even the wine industry doesn’t want to be left behind! Firstly, the one-to-one interaction being available on media platforms like WeChat Wine, 9KaCha and payment platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay has given a drastic boost to the wine industry. Secondly, cross-border e-commerce promises long-term entry into the Chinese retail space.

The online video marketing is creating a great buzz around China as the mobile-savvy social media influencers love establishing the connections with the consumers with innovation and creativity! The main driver has been the video-centric social networking sites such as TikTok, as well as the ability to live video stream on platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Catching up the new wine trends on social media has been the latest trend that is going on around and is not showing any signs to slow down!

Size matters, well not really

Producing smaller bottles to supply to restaurants is a good way of marketing new wine or even old wine that no one has tried yet. Consumers in China tend to be skeptical about wine when it isn’t recommended by friends, family etc., especially when they’re paying for a full bottle of it. With smaller bottles and slightly lower prices, consumers would be willing to try new wines and expand their palate with the same.

2019 is turning out to be a very interesting year in the Chinese wine market, especially with brands trying to find a heavy pull into the world of wine.

Women and Wine

With more people getting into the wine drinking routine, younger women are a major demographic for marketing wines this year. According to research, women in China prefer a fruitier, sweeter wine, compared to a more bitter taste. This is the perfect segue to market white wines in the red wine leading markets. Foreign wine experts are aware of this fact and suggest that the white wines from New Zealand, such as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, might have a great opportunity to gain market share in China over the next few years!

 

Wine for health!

Wine intelligence looked up for the reason to find out the dynamic growth of the wine industry in China and what they found out was- the No.1 reason was the health benefits! China is getting healthier and the wine industry is aware of that. In fact, only 32 percent of Chinese wine consumers drink wine because they actually enjoy the taste, according to Wine intelligence. Most of the wine consumers, especially female wine lovers, drink wine because of the health and beauty purposes! Marketing wines as a health and wellness benefit will increase sales by a lot due to the wellness-oriented minds of the locals.

Enotourism on the rise

An emerging industry of Enotourism is rising to its peak and this is just the beginning! Days are gone when people used to drink wine just by taste preference. Millennials now want to explore more and want to know all about the background and whereabouts of the wine, making it a really eventful experience. Enotourism consists of a wine tour of a vineyard history introduction, winemaking, and a tasting. The rise in Enotourism has given a whole new dimension to the wine industry!

Wine, dine and more wine

Wine tasting, wine education, and other wine-related occasions are becoming a mainstream to-do. Promoting wines in these sectors, or even organizing events such as wine tasting, a basic wine-ed class etc. would create a wide audience as the economic growth in the country is availing extra income for locals, who are ready to delve into the exploration of wines.

The wine drinkers are increasing, imports are increasing and this is just the beginning of a long-lasting, successful journey with the grapes!