Drank Wine at Home Due to COVID... Wine Shop Purchases Up 181%

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[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] As the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged, the time spent at home increased, leading to the expansion of the home drinking culture. Wine sales surged mainly among the 20s and 30s age groups, and alcohol subscription services are gradually expanding their age range.

According to Shinhan Card Big Data Research Institute on the 13th, the number of wine purchases in the first half of this year increased by 63% at department stores and 181% at wine shops compared to the first half of 2019, before the spread of COVID-19. The home drinking culture became widespread due to the pandemic, resulting in increased wine purchases.

In particular, the growth was steep among the 20s and 30s age groups. During the same period, the number of wine shop visits by people in their 20s increased by 188%, and those in their 30s surged by 213%. Accordingly, the proportion of 30s among wine shop customers aged 20 to 60 increased by 5 percentage points from two years ago to 41%. Especially for people in their 20s, not only the number of visits but also the amount spent per visit increased the most. In the first half of this year, the amount spent by people in their 20s at wine shops increased by 15% compared to the first half of 2019, surpassing the 30s (4%), 40s (5%), 50s (-2%), and 60s (3%).

Recently, convenience stores have taken the lead in popularizing wine, and the number of mentions of 'wine' and 'convenience store' together on social media has surged. In fact, simultaneous mentions of wine and convenience stores on social media in the first half of this year increased by 101% compared to the first half of 2019. The amount spent per visit at liquor specialty stores selling various wines in convenience stores also increased. Comparing the amount spent per visit at 20 general convenience stores and 20 wine specialty stores in the first half of this year, the amount spent at wine specialty stores was 23% higher.

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Beer purchases at convenience stores also increased. Although the total number of visits to convenience stores in the first half of this year decreased by 2% compared to the first half of 2019, the purchase of four-can beer packs surged by 17%. The 30s and 40s age groups accounted for 29% and 25% respectively of four-can beer purchases. While people in their 20s make up the largest proportion (29%) of all convenience store customers, the 30s and 40s age groups have a higher proportion among four-can beer buyers. The time of purchase for four-can beer was mainly after 5 p.m., during the after-work hours.

With the spread of the home drinking culture, subscription services that regularly deliver new alcohol to homes are also increasing. Both wine and traditional liquor subscription services are mainly used by people in their 20s and 30s, with traditional liquor subscriptions showing nearly 80% usage by this age group. Additionally, the proportion of middle-aged and older customers aged 40 and above using subscription services is also expanding. In the first half of this year, the proportion of wine subscription service users aged 40 to 50 and above was 26%, an increase of 5 percentage points compared to the first half of last year. During the same period, traditional liquor subscription services accounted for 21%, an 8 percentage point increase from the previous year.

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