By Rui Hu, Editor
On September 25, Chongqing Interpretation Meeting of Meituan Dianping’s China Catering Report 2019 (“the Report” for short) kicked off. Bai Xiufeng, Director of the Meituan Dianping Food & Beverage Academy, introduced the development of Chongqing’s catering industry with big data to advance the digitization of the sector.
Chongqing Hotpot
The Report shows that in 2018, the retail sales of goods in Chongqing increased by 8.1%, and catering revenue increased by 11.6%, mirroring that the catering industry grew at a fast pace. In terms of category segmentation, hot pot surpassed snack food and fast food to top the ranking of online consumption order volume of Chongqing’s catering categories, increased by 8.49% in proportion compared with the previous year, ranking first in growth rate. Meanwhile, hot pot rose as the most popular catering category among consumers, accounting for 32.39% in the consumption sum. In contrast to the rapid growth of the hot pot, the volume of online consumption orders of drinks fell by 6.34%, ranking the third.
Hot pot and Sichuan cuisine take a dominant position
Whether it is the iconic hot pot or the well-received Sichuan dish, the cuisine of Chongqing people embodies their innate obsession for spiciness.
The Report indicates that the hot pot is the most influential business card in Chongqing’s catering industry. In addition to ranking first in the consumption order volume of food and beverage, it also tops the ranking of consumption sum with a proportion of 32.39%. Sichuan cuisine, known for its spicy flavor, also comes to fruition in Chongqing. It not only ranks among the top three in the number of stores but also takes the second place with a proportion of 17.02% in the consumption sum. Together with hot pot, it occupies a dominant position in Chongqing’s catering consumption market.
Women/post-90s are the main force of consumption
The big data of the Meituan shows that Jiefangbei, Times Paradise Walk, Beicheng Paradise Walk/Ninth Street, Guanyinqiao, Hongyadong and other online-sensation tourism destinations in Chongqing are also fashionable business districts in the catering market. Among them, the well-known Jiefangbei lives up to expectations as the most sought-after one. According to the distribution of various stores, snacks and fast food accounts for 43.2% in the number of stores in Jiefangbei, higher than its average proportion in Chongqing. The Beicheng Paradise Walk/Ninth Street sees beverage stores accounting for 15.0%, which is much higher than its average percentage of 4.94% in the city. It goes without saying that Chongqing is home to a variety of delicacies.
It is worth noting that in Chongqing’s catering market, young people have gradually become the mainstream of consumption. The report shows that women and post-90s are the primary consumers in Chongqing’s catering market. In terms of gender, women account for 60% of catering consumers in the city, making “She-economy” a common focus of catering merchants. In terms of age, the post-90s consumers account for up to 67.6%, taking the dominant position in online catering. This consumer group structure will also affect the transformation and development of Chongqing’s catering market. The public data indicates that spiciness is the favorite taste of young people. No matter whether they are the post-90s, post-95s or post-00s, they favor spiciness account for more than 50%, which is much higher than other tastes in Chongqing.
Source: CQ NEWS
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