In the spring of 2023, the news of the closure of Sanlitun Bar Street spread throughout the circle of drinking friends. In the past ten years, there have been many well-known bars and KTVs that inevitably shut down their fate. Even many cities known for their nightlife, their once popular bar streets, are inevitably becoming increasingly deserted. Bar Street is being demolished, KTV is off, how many drinking places are left? Has consumer demand disappeared?
The old days are gone
"Actually, I've always wanted to go to Sanlitun. According to my parents, they traveled extensively before giving birth to me, and they were impressed by Sanlitun in Beijing. The style was trendy and unique, either ostentatious or melancholy, which was not seen in other cities at the time. ”
Xiao Qin (pseudonym), a "post-95" wine lover, said that it was inconvenient to go out in the past three years, and he hoped that after the travel became convenient, he could go to Sanlitun to drink. He even added a group of drinking friends who wanted to go to the store in advance, but at the end of last year, he saw someone facing retreat in Sanlitun Bar Street.
Just after the Spring Festival in 2023, this bar street that has been in business for nearly 30 years officially announced its permanent closure, and the bar that Xiaoqin has always wanted to go to also counted the equipment and equipment early, disposed of idle items, and clinked glasses and said goodbye to the nostalgic customers who came specially in the last few days.
The old days are gone, and some bars have planned to open new stores in another location, while others have opted out. Some insiders said that even Sanlitun, which "once lit up the Chinese nightlife", there are not a few bars that are not as good as before.
In this decade, many cities known for their nightlife have faced such a "pain point" - the once glorious drinking places are shrouded in a yellowish time filter, and it is difficult to continue the gold-absorbing myth of the past. Whether it is a traditional bar or a KTV room, the number of closures is remarkable, especially in the past three years.
According to relevant media reports, in 2018, there were nearly 150,000 registered KTV stores, but now there are less than 100,000. In just five years, as many as 56,000 KTVs have gone out of business or are on their way to closure.
The impact of urban renewal, the rise in rent and labor costs, the decline in passenger flow, and the difficulty of raising the unit price of customers affect the "longevity" of traditional drinking places. However, from the perspective of consumers, we can see different views, many young consumers feel that traditional bars are noisy and chaotic, and the premium of traditional KTV drink products is too high.
"I feel like I'm wrapped up in the roar of music, and when I walk out after it's over, I feel like my brain is buzzing. Everyone can chat, and it's good that the singers in the stands play guitars and sing. But even if the bar is a devil's dance, you have to shout at the top of your throat to say a word. The same is true of KTV, the mode of taking turns to sing is simply torture, the same wine has about ten pieces outside, and forty or fifty inside. ”
Xiao Qin shook his head when he mentioned traditional bars and KTV, but when asked where he would go if he wanted to call three or five friends for a drink, the "95" came up with new ideas: relatively quiet sake bars, whiskey bars or wine bars, as well as script kills that can drink, or camping with a wide view and privacy.
New consumption is on the rise
In recent years, many sake bars, whisky bars and wine bars have sprung up in first-tier and new first-tier cities. The relatively quiet environment can provide consumers with just the right chat space, and the wine products specially prepared by the bartender also bring consumers a surprise that bottled wine does not have.
"In fact, it has not changed, the bar also has songs, stories, and drinks. Now these are the same three, as long as you don't annoy customers. Industry insiders who used to work in Qingba said that the "service" of shops popular with young people is relatively restrained, there is not so much sales, and there are few "atmosphere groups", which is very friendly to "social terror" consumers.
As major wine companies compete to develop cultural and creative wine products, the cross-border cooperation between script killing and alcohol has gradually taken shape. The matching mode of "ancient style book + fruit wine" has made many young people call yyds. However, some script killer shop owners revealed that introducing alcohol products in the store has a higher risk.
"Because many of the script killings are young people or even minors, if consumers are not of drinking age, we cannot sell alcoholic drinks to them, nor can they be allowed to bring their own alcohol to drink." Secondly, some scripts are killed in office buildings or business parks, and it is worth exploring whether they have the qualification to sell alcohol. At least from the current stage, it is difficult for script killing to significantly increase operating income with alcohol like KTV. ”
In addition to the above two, camping is also the preferred alcohol consumption environment of young consumers. Some netizens said that camping is equivalent to a gathering of family and friends, and it is normal to bring food and alcohol. Moreover, camping has almost no site costs, the equipment of the tent can be recycled, and the food and alcohol purchased from supermarkets do not have the high premium brought by the business place, which is really a cost-effective and comfortable way to relax.
"If it's a barbecue camp, you bring beer or spirits. Camping with a lot of cold food, such as salads, sandwiches, and cakes, will bring fruit wine or sake. If you need to drive, bring 0 alcohol. ”
epilogue
The demand for alcohol consumption has not disappeared, but the scene favored by everyone has changed. How to discover new consumer needs and create products and services that adapt to new scenarios is the direction that stores and brands need to work on.
Text, ed. | Shirley
Figure | Unsplash