The officially priced at 2499 yuan per bottle “Long Mao” (Dragon Maotai) has been speculated to over 7000 yuan?
On the 8th, China News & Economic Review found on a certain e-commerce platform that the 500ml Guizhou Maotai liquor (Jia Chen Dragon Year), referred to as “Long Mao,” is priced at 7759 yuan, with 15 people already making payments.
When asked if the mentioned product is for pre-sale, the customer service personnel of the platform stated, “This product is currently in stock,” and the quoted price is the real price. After the buyer places an order, the platform will require the seller to ship within 36 hours.
It is worth noting that, according to the above price, “Long Mao” has a premium of over 5000 yuan compared to the official guidance price.
“Long Mao” officially went on sale on the iMaotai APP on the 7th, with the subscription time from 9:00 to 10:00. The 53%vol 500ml “Long Mao” has an official guide price of 2499 yuan per bottle, and the 53%vol 375ml “Long Mao” has an official guide price of 3599 yuan per box (two bottles).
According to Securities Times, on the 7th, the iMaotai APP announced the subscription results of the 53%vol 500ml “Long Mao,” with over 8.5 million people participating in the subscription, and nearly 20,000 people successfully subscribed.
China News & Economic Review noticed that on social media platforms, many netizens have posted screenshots of notifications for winning the “Long Mao,” and some are planning to sell it in the near future, claiming to be “hand in hand self-pickup.”
“I grabbed Maotai for the first time, and I didn’t expect to win on the first attempt,” said Zhou Sheng (pseudonym) from Beijing. Zhou Sheng also plans to sell his bottle of “Long Mao” in the near future. “My minimum expectation is 5000 yuan.”
China News & Economic Review found that on second-hand platforms, the buyback price for “Long Mao” by businesses is mostly around 4000 yuan, but some businesses offer as low as 3000 yuan. Compared to the buyback price, the retail price at the terminal is relatively higher, generally around 5000 yuan. Since most “Long Mao” is still in stock, there are currently no spot transactions in the market.
On the 8th, China News & Economic Review saw on another e-commerce platform that a liquor specialty store is pre-selling “Long Mao,” with an estimated final price of 5699 yuan.
“The price of ‘Long Mao’ will be higher before the Spring Festival, and many people will buy it as a gift. After the Spring Festival, the price may fall to 3000 yuan,” said a seller on a second-hand platform.
On the 8th, China News & Economic Review saw on an e-commerce platform that some businesses have quoted prices for 500ml Guizhou Maotai liquor (Gui Mao Rabbit Year), referred to as “Tu Mao,” which have fallen below 3000 yuan. It is reported that the official guide price of “Tu Mao” is also 2499 yuan per bottle, and it was once speculated to nearly 6000 yuan when it was first launched.
“The price is determined by the supply-demand relationship. Although the trend of social consumption is changing rapidly, fundamentally, it is still derived from traditional folk customs such as zodiac signs. The dragon is a relatively auspicious zodiac sign, carrying elements of wealth, royal culture, and strong blessings. It also has a strong implication for social consumption. With the support of Maotai brand empowerment, soy sauce brewing craftsmanship, and related marketing promotion, the popularity of Maotai Dragon Year zodiac liquor is reasonable. However, rationally speaking, alcoholic beverage consumption has nodal characteristics. After the Spring Festival, as the supply of Dragon Year zodiac liquor normalizes and the market returns to rationality, prices should fall, and these are normal results of business rules,” said Cai Xuefei, General Manager of Zhi Qu Consulting and a liquor analyst, to China News & Economic Review.
In fact, before Guizhou Maotai, well-known liquor brands such as Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, Shede, and Yanghe have also successively launched Dragon Year zodiac liquor.
Cai Xuefei pointed out that zodiac liquor has become an important direction for Chinese liquor companies to differentiate their products, mainly to meet the needs of consumers in the gift, collection, tasting, and investment consumption markets.
“Liquor companies’ efforts in zodiac liquor can enrich product structure, expand consumer groups, and enhance brand cultural connotations. It can meet consumers’ differentiated product needs and open up new incremental space in the stock market. This is in line with the current trend of diversified alcoholic beverage consumption. Moreover, the alcoholic beverage market is severely squeezed, actively developing zodiac liquor can seize communication topics, enhance brand popularity, and preheat the market for the Spring Festival sales season,” said Cai Xuefei.