NEWS
SURVEY: ABOUT 50% CHINESE CONSUMERS STILL NOT CONFIDENT TO EAT & DRINK OUT
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
19-5-2020
Credit: Lisheng Chang/Unsplash
About half of Chinese consumers have refrained from eating and drinking out despite that hospitality establishments have reopened in most Chinese cities, according to a research conducted by UK-based hospitality consultancy CGA.
Researchers have interviewed 2,000 consumers from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan between 7 and 11 May, the findings show an almost exactly 50/50 split between those who have been out after the lockdown and those who still have not.
The results show a picture of polarised consumer attitudes. About 48% of the consumers who have been out eating and drinking since reopening have done so multiple times.
On the other hand, two-thirds of those who still haven’t been out said they are not planning to do so in the next month because of the risks of secondary and tertiary waves of infections.
In all, 60% of consumers said that some, or all, of the venues that they would typically visit had reopened after the lockdown, only to have to close again.
The venues that consumers feel most comfortable in visiting are mainstream and fine dining restaurants, followed by cafes and fast food outlets.
While nightclubs and leisure venues are ranked as the outlets that consumers feel least confident to visit.
Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu have China’s most developed bar and restaurant scenes, while Wuhan was the COVID-19 epicentre in China where the virus was first reported.
“This even split in a market in which eating and drinking out was a previously fundamental part of daily life, highlights the apprehensive nature of consumers to go out again, as well as the precautions required to persuade consumers back into the out of home market,” said Phil Tate, CGA’s Global CEO.
“With so many variables and unknown factors in markets yet to fully re-open, navigating a path to recovery and building a strategy is an undoubted challenge. However, understanding a consumer perspective from an advanced market provides a glimpse into the future and allows for insight into how target consumers will react and, therefore how strategies can be tweaked for success,” added Tate.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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