The Collision Between Water, Liquor, and Young People in China

Can you believe that there are as many as 4.28 million+ "drinking water" related notes on Xiaohongshu? These notes record the demands of the public for drinking water. As a daily necessity, drinking water is carrying more demands from consumers, in order to drink water better, more interesting, and healthier. The products developed by water-drinking brands are also striving to upgrade the drinking experience, improving consumers' drinking experience from the dimensions of taste and social attributes, and injecting new vitality into this large market.

Daily drinking water is divided into four grades, and natural snow mountain/glacier mineral water is the first grade. Most of them come from snow-capped mountains and glaciers at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. They are rich in balanced and rich minerals, which can better meet the needs of quality of life. The mineral water source of Kunlun Mountain comes from Kunlun Mountain at an altitude of 6,000 meters. Since its launch, it has become the designated water for many top events and high-end conferences with its high quality and is favored by the market.

The age audience in the high-end market is more suitable for people over the age of 25, while young people in the 15-24 age group place more emphasis on taste when drinking water. The popularity of sparkling water, soda water is exactly that. "RIO" launched the "8% 0 Sugar Series", which is made of pure vodka base wine + super carbonic acid bubbles, bringing young people a taste of Max, strong alcohol, delicious and easy-to-drink quick-tasting wine.

In the perception of young people, baijiu belongs to the "alcohol drunk by the previous generation". 70% of the interviewees think that baijiu is not suitable for young people to drink. The main reason why young people resist baijiu is that it is too high in alcohol, unhealthy, and has a spicy taste.  Under this situation, with Moutai’s success in testing the water in the ice cream category, traditional liquor companies such as Wuliangye and Shede Liquor Industry have gradually made changes and tried to explore younger generations. The attempts made by other high-level liquors targeting young people may also inspire traditional liquor companies.

The annual sales volume of Moutai ice cream exceeds 10 million cups, which undoubtedly gives a boost to the traditional liquor category that has repeatedly hit the wall among young people. Taking this opportunity, many traditional liquor companies are also making their debut in the ice cream category that attracts the most attention from consumers in the hot summer. "Shede Liquor" and "St Hubert" jointly launched a joint ice cream. Unlike Moutai ice cream, this product has 0% alcohol, but it contains the strong flavor of Shede wine.

Aiming at young consumers, whiskey brands that are also highly alcoholic, combined with their own advantages in bartending, have chosen to start from the special bartending of sparkling water and wine, and occupy the minds of young people's special bartending drinks with small drinks, and then open up more Multiple consumption scenarios. Among them, the whiskey brands "Ballantine's" and "Chivas Regal" both chose to cooperate with "Vitality Forest" and successively launched exclusive whiskey + sparkling water special blends with different formulas.

To succeed in the Chinese market, overseas water and liquor brands should consider meeting the demands of Chinese consumers by upgrading the drinking experience, targeting younger consumers, collaborating with local brands to understand the market and consumer preferences, and developing unique products that offer something new and different. By following these suggestions, overseas brands can increase their chances of success in tapping into the growing demand for high-quality, interesting, and healthy drinking experiences in China.