What is the first drink a young man drinks?
After 1995, Wang Hao (pseudonym) remembered that the first drink he drank was Baijiu.
On the wine table of my parents, the spicy taste left a bad impression.
After gathering with friends, Wang Hao basically drank beer.
32-year-old Lin Ke (pseudonym) instructed employees to load pieces of low-alcohol alcohol into the truck.
"The factory has already transformed into the low-alcohol market. After all, low-alcoholization may become an industry trend in the future." Lin Ke was very proud of his decision to insist on changing the track despite the opposition of his family.
Earlier on January 10, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of the Modern Light Industry System (Draft for Comment)", which sparked heated discussions in the liquor circle.
Among them, the news of "developing diversified, fashionable, personalized, and low-alcohol liquor products for young consumer groups and foreign consumer groups" has fully activated many brands in the industry that focus on low-alcohol liquor.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the production of liquor in 2021 will drop by a full 47.3% from the peak in 2016, almost halving in five years.
A number of new wine brands cannot compete with famous wines in the traditional wine industry.
If you want to survive, you have to find another way.
In the new low alcohol market, everyone is on the same starting line.
Can new brands reconstruct the value system and industry voice in this track?
Behind the 5-year halving of liquor production: young people out of favor?
Lin Ke's family has been making wine since their grandfather's generation and has a small winery in Guizhou.
Unlike his parents, Lin Ke was unwilling to produce high-grade liquor after taking over.
In his opinion, young people prefer liquefied low-alcohol liquor.
For this reason, he had several disputes with his father, "My father's generation was relatively conservative, and felt that the higher the degree and the spicier it was, the more savory liquor could be shown, but young people who are now pursuing a healthy lifestyle are more likely to enjoy liqueur and low-alcohol liquor. "
"I was hesitant before. Now I have made up my mind to focus on the low-alcohol liquor market." Lin Ke, who had been busy for a day in the brewing workshop, took off his gloves and told the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter, "After all, the future development trend of the liquor market is likely to be directed towards this Orientation offset."
A piece of advice from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology gave Lin Ke the confidence to make a complete transformation.
In the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of the Modern Light Industry System (Draft for Comment)", the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposed that "for young consumer groups and foreign consumer groups, develop diversified, fashionable, personalized, and low-alcohol liquor. product".
Once the "Draft for Comments" was released, it immediately aroused heated discussions in the liquor circle.
贝壳财经记者了解到，在近几十年的国内白酒发展历程中，酒精度数大多都在52度及以上，其中更不乏茅台、五粮液等知名品牌。此类白酒消费者通常集中于70后、80后男士。受这一群体日常商务、社交需求的影响，高度数白酒在国内市场的需求庞大且稳定。
近年来，随着更偏好威士忌、果酒等低度数酒水的Z世代逐渐成为消费主力，高度数白酒难以得到他们的青睐。
国家统计局数据显示，白酒产量峰值在2016年，彼时年产量为1358万千升，此后就进入产量剧烈下降通道。2017年1198万千升，2018年871万千升，2019年786万千升，2020年741万千升，2021年715.63万千升。2021年的白酒产量较2016年的峰值足足下降了47.3%，几乎腰斩。
一时间，“年轻人远离白酒”的言论在业内兴起。据川财证券指出，传统的白酒、啤酒、葡萄酒增速逐渐下滑，而以利口酒、预调鸡尾酒为主的即饮酒增速却有望在2020年至2025年达到16%。
“此类酒水的增长源于年轻人的需求。”林可分析称，“比起传统酒桌文化的酩酊大醉，Z世代更追求享受‘微醺’的惬意。传统白酒和他们的需求不匹配，自然无法得到认可。”
年轻市场的流失让越来越多白酒企业开始焦虑不安，这一群体背后所蕴藏的强大消费能力让他们无法轻言忽略或放弃。
据CBNData消费大数据发布的《2020年轻人群酒水消费洞察报告》数据显示，年轻化是酒水市场重要发展方向。从消费人数和人均消费水平来看，90后和95后皆呈增长趋势，年轻人正逐渐成为市场消费主力军。
值得注意的是，绝大多数Z世代在酒水选择上更倾向于低度酒。“除了不得已的应酬和送礼，其他时间很少买白酒。”王浩印象深刻，自己在2021年间差不多花费上万元用于买酒，但基本都是低度酒。
“在家独酌或者哥们聚会时，更倾向于低度酒。毕竟便宜的高度数白酒不好喝，而贵的喝起来又心疼。”王浩告诉记者。
Affected by this trend, the low-alcohol market may explode in the future.
In order to win over these young consumers, more and more traditional wineries naturally began to shift their development direction to the low-alcohol wine market.
New brand misunderstanding: low-alcohol liquor is not a low threshold
"Many people think that reducing the degree of liquor is a low-alcohol liquor, which is wrong," Lin Ke told reporters.
In his view, some low-alcohol wine brands focus on marketing packaging, relying on Internet celebrity advertisements to advertise, ignoring the quality control of low-alcohol wine.
Before the introduction of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's guidance, many companies had already set foot in the field of low-alcohol liquor.
Previously, the field of traditional liquor was firmly controlled by many well-known brands, and it was difficult for new brands to break the barriers.
As a last resort, new players can only find another way to change the track, hoping to use low-alcohol liquor to achieve corner overtaking.
In 2011, Chongqing liquor brand "Jiang Xiaobai" began to cut into the low-alcohol liquor market.
According to Tao Shiquan, its founder, in an interview with reporters earlier, the company has done tens of thousands of surveys in the early days of its founding, and the feedback shows that the greatest common divisor of user needs is low-level and profitable.
In response to the fact that young users do not like the characteristics of high-degree liquor, Jiang Xiaobai adjusted the degree to a lower-degree liquor that is more pleasing to the taste.
Although it was once questioned by the industry as "nondescript", it is undeniable that this product, which is completely different from traditional liquor in both shape and taste, brings a touch of freshness to the market.
Jiang Xiaobai's attempt has made many new brands in the market seem to see the direction of breakthrough.
For a time, a number of low-alcohol liquor brands emerged on the market.
These new players have come up with their own unique strategies in marketing and promotion. They not only "draw a clear line" from traditional liquor in bottle design, but also abandon the traditional "red and gold" color scheme of liquor and choose a more cool packaging design. They also actively cross-border and trendy Brand, animation and other IPs to create co-branded models, hoping to win the recognition of the young market.
"The unique consumption outlook and values of young consumers have prompted liquor brands to rebuild the standard system." An industry insider told reporters, "In terms of brand building, product building, and marketing models, it is necessary to cater to this group, and it is possible to obtain success."
But embarrassingly, the market has not accepted this kind of low-degree liquor for a long time, and many consumers even questioned its taste and quality.
"I have tasted a variety of low-alcohol liquor before, and found that although it is delicious, it does not feel like wine." A traditional liquor lover said, "It's a bit like 'water is not like water, and wine is not like wine'."
多位消费者在接受采访时同样认可类似观点。贝壳财经记者了解到，目前低度白酒的消费人群仍是以喜欢喝传统白酒的用户居多。此类用户在习惯高度数白酒后，对低度酒的口感并不太待见。
另一方面，不少品牌为了迅速抢占市场，通常将资金砸向营销，而忽略了酒水品质。低劣的口感导致消费者形成“低度酒难喝”的认知。
林可告诉记者，一款成熟的白酒从高粱采摘到出厂需要层层把关。以江小白为例，其用数年时间才打造出一条从高粱种植基地、研发中心到酿酒厂房的完整全产业链，以保证酒水的品质。而目前市场上不少品牌并没有类似工艺，往往都是寻找第三方酒厂合作。由对方产酒，自己负责包装营销。
“很多酒厂本身品质就不佳，加上同时接下几家品牌的订单，制造环节和工艺更可能打折。制造出来的酒水品质肯定差。”林可此前也曾接到多个合作电话，他发现其中不乏有此前从未接触过酒水制造经历的人。
“低度化并非低门槛化，同样需要对白酒酿造实行高标准。只有在这基础上才能研发出‘低度且好喝’的产品。”林可说，“这决定了低度酒制作工艺同样不能马虎，同样需要完整的产业链。”
女性市场崛起：果味酒实现弯道超车？
低度酒受到市场欢迎，除了口感更讨好年轻人外，和当前流行的“微醺”文化也息息相关。
所谓“微醺”，是指年轻人在喝酒时所追寻的一种介于清醒与不清醒之间的状态。在传统高度数白酒无法满足这一需求时，果酒、苏打酒、气泡酒这类酒精度仅为几度或者十多度的酒水，自然成为年轻人的最爱。
贝壳财经记者了解到，低度酒主要分为低度化白酒和度数较低的甜酒产品两类。在看到不少同行进军低度白酒市场却纷纷折戟后，更多的新生品牌转而将视线盯住了后者。
“果酒如今在行业受关注度极高，很多同行都在往这个领域发展。”在四川经营着一家酒厂的杨飞(化名)说，“更重要的是，低度果酒被无数女性消费者所青睐，这是传统白酒很难触及的领域。”
据CBNData发布的数据显示，2018年至2020年女性酒类消费逐年递增。而影响女性饮酒的因素中，因兴趣饮酒占比40%，为微醺体验占比28%，酒的高颜值外观占比19%，新品尝鲜占比为13%。
“和闺蜜尝过一次果酒后就深深地喜欢上了这种味道。”90后女生小可(化名)告诉记者，“有了更甜更利口的果味酒，谁还会去选择相对辛辣的白酒。”
年轻女性的追捧意味着众多在传统白酒市场难以获得固定用户的品牌，或许能借助低度酒成功切入女性市场。
玩家的涌入让这一细分市场格外热闹。1月20日，记者通过企查查搜索“果酒”发现，截至2022年1月中旬一年内成立的相关企业就有559家。
据中国低度酒行业分析研究显示，预计2021年后，中国低度酒市场将进入高速增长期，低度酒市场规模预计在2025年将达到742.6亿元，2021-2025年年复合增长率可达到30%。据野村证券预测，中国低度酒市场到2035年或将超过2500亿元，年复合增长率近35%。
巨大潜力不仅吸引着无数新玩家踊跃入场，更引来资本的关注，根据公开报道，2020年低度酒赛道共涌现出14个新品牌，融资21起，单轮融资额从千万到过亿元不等。企查查数据显示，2021年前十月里，已经有8个低度酒品牌获得了融资。
“品牌对这一细分市场看重原因在于年轻人的追捧。”杨飞说，“加上行业暂时还没有垄断巨头，意味着谁都有机会从中崛起。”
事实上，除了无数新兴品牌涌现外，包括茅台、泸州老窖、古井贡酒等传统酒企也先后涉足这一领域。报道称，茅台推出“悠蜜”蓝莓酒，撬动女性消费市场。泸州老窖接连推出“青语”、“花间酌”等果酒品牌，而古井贡酒则设立了安徽百味露酒有限公司，将目标瞄准预调酒市场。
“果酒的发展前景十分不错，近几年增长迅速就是例证，毕竟这一产品备受年轻人和女性消费者喜爱。”品牌管理专家马斐在接受采访时如是说。
“果酒近几年的迅速增长佐证其未来市场将受到欢迎，毕竟年轻人才是未来消费主力。而众多品牌的参与，也将把这个浪潮推向高潮。”杨飞说。
The dilemma of liquor going overseas: the overseas popularity of domestic TV series brings opportunities
The Shell Finance reporter noticed that the "Guiding Opinions" also mentioned "encouraging the liquor brand industry with strength and Chinese cultural characteristics to 'go out'".
But unfortunately, it is difficult to open the door to the overseas market for liquor, which is the mainstream in domestic sales.
"It's not that liquor brands are reluctant to 'go out', but it's too difficult to go overseas," Lin Ke told reporters. "Countless brands have been eager to enter this market over the years, but few have really succeeded."
Shell Finance reporter learned that Chinese liquor is quite well-known in the world of wine.
Together with brandy, whisky, vodka, rum and gin, it is also known as "the world's six most distilled spirits".
According to media reports, the annual sales of liquor is about 600 billion yuan, accounting for 22% of the global sales of spirits, second only to whiskey, which accounts for 24%.
Embarrassingly, foreign consumers still have limited awareness of liquor, and the overseas market for liquor has not yet broken through the Chinese consumption circle.
According to a report released by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association, the domestic production of liquor above designated size in 2020 will be 7.407 million liters, but the export volume of Chinese liquor is only 14,000 liters, accounting for only 0.19% of domestic production.
Over the years, Chinese liquor brands have been working hard to break into the international market.
Including Moutai, Wuliangye, Shede and other brands have tried to break into this field.
The reporter learned that Moutai has launched international presentations such as "European Tour" and "Africa Tour", Wuliangye and Swarovski have reached a cooperation, and Shede even created the song and dance drama "The Fragrance of the Great Country", which will be used in dance, poetry, drama and other forms of liquor. Culture spreads through performances in many cities across the United States.
In addition, there are other brands who have tried various ways to go overseas, but none of them seem to find the key point of "breaking the game", and very few succeed in the end.
"Each country has its own 'wine culture', coupled with factors such as differences in taste at home and abroad, it is difficult to change export standards and trade barriers." Industry insiders told reporters that the difficulty of liquor going to sea lies in the lack of an international standard system and wine. The evaluation system is not conducive to the establishment of consumer awareness in the process of internationalization.
"Liquor itself has various flavors such as 'clear, strong, and sauce', and it is much more complex than whisky, which makes it difficult for foreign consumers to distinguish." Lin Ke analyzed, "In addition, the value system of liquor is relatively chaotic, such as Although there are many concepts such as production area and year, there is no unified standard, which also hinders consumer awareness.”
Although the road ahead is difficult and dangerous, more and more brands have begun to study the ice-breaking road of their peers, hoping to learn from them.
"Take Korean shochu and Japanese sake as an example. The popularity of Korean dramas around the world has made shochu that often appears in dramas aroused the interest of drama fans, and 'shochu popularity' has emerged around the world; and Japan, which represents sophistication, Sake has also been popularized with the popularity of Japanese food overseas." Yang Fei said, "Baijiu can also be matched with Chinese food culture to make 'baijiu with Chinese food' a cultural symbol unique to China, and then drive overseas The market's consumption of liquor."
Brands of low-alcohol alcohol who are not willing to indulge in involution also turn their attention to overseas markets.
"The problem of high-alcohol liquor going to sea does not mean that low-alcohol liquor will encounter a similar situation." Yang Fei is planning to build an overseas marketing team. In his opinion, fruit wine does not have "clear, strong, sauce" classification, which will not cause recognition. Knowing the problem, and the slightly sweet taste is also suitable for all young people's tastes, "Young people overseas also enjoy slightly drunk indulgence, maybe low-alcohol wine is more suitable for going to sea."
In addition, Chinese TV dramas have also become popular overseas in recent years, especially in Southeast Asian markets such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Some Xianxia dramas, historical dramas, and emotional dramas have also begun to have many foreign fans.
Hanfu, Chinese food, etc. began to arouse the interest of drama fans, and Chinese liquor also has the opportunity to go global like Japanese sake and Korean soju.
What has boosted the confidence of domestic brands is that in January 2021, the official English name of Chinese liquor was changed to "Chinese Baijiu", which enhanced the awareness of overseas markets; The entry into force of the Cooperation Agreement has also brought 11 Chinese liquor geographical indications such as Moutai and Wuliangye into the protection scope of the EU, which will help liquor companies to explore the international market.
"Alcohol is an integral part of cultural output. Although the current policies and the efforts of brands will not be immediate, with the growth of China's global influence, more and more liquor brands will inevitably appear in overseas markets in the future. " said Lin Fei.
Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Qin Che