Nine in 10 drinkers return to China’s bars

Research suggests 90% of drinkers in China have returned to bars following the Covid-19 pandemic as consumer confidence grows.

Nine out of 10 consumers have returned to bars in China

According to new research carried out by CGA in China, nine out of 10 consumers in the country have visited bars, restaurants or karaoke bars. When lockdown measures were first eased in China in May, just 48% of consumers said they had visited the on-trade.

The CGA China On-Premise User research found that consumers have been drinking out as frequently as they did before Covid-19. The report also found that 42% of drinkers plan to visit on-trade venues more often in 2021 than they did in 2019.

Two thirds of consumers also said they were now confident enough to visit large-capacity venues, and nearly half of those polled said they have visited karaoke bars since the end of China’s lockdown.

Despite the pandemic reducing disposable income for half of consumers in China, 41% of drinkers said they will trade up and increase their spending while visiting bars. However, CGA also found that 33% of consumers said they will try and spend less.

Of those polled, three in five drinkers said they would look to make “healthy drinks choices” when visiting bars, electing to consume low-calorie, low-sugar or ‘nutritional’ drinks.

CGA also noted that after the rising popularity of takeaway cocktails and drinks to-go, delivery offerings in the market “are here to stay”.