Yellow Tail, a smaller packaged mini-wine product (image courtesy of Yonhap)
Seoul, July 16 (Korea Bizwire)-With an increase in the number of consumers who want to drink wine as casually as beer, the consumption of micro-dosage wine has risen rapidly.
According to analysts, during the first half of this year, sales of 330㎖’mini wine’ bottles at Emart increased by 340.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Considering the fact that the overall sales of wine at Emart only increased by 5.5 percent, the growth rate of these individual-size wine bottles is significant.
Myung Yong-jin, Emart’s wine buyer, says, “With the demand of consumers wanting to drink wine casually reflected in the market, mini wine products which are in the same price range as foreign beers are becoming a sensation in the liquor market.”
The popularity of mini wine products is also soaring at convenience stores. Seven Eleven announced that sales of wine from January 1 to July 14 increased by 5.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Sales of the new wine products increased by an astonishing 338.5 percent.
According to Seven Eleven, mini wine products were popular among consumers in their 20s. The share of 20 something purchasers in Seven Eleven’s overall wine sales was only 20.6 percent, but looking only at the sales of mini wine products, the portion of people in their 20s rose to 36.2 percent.
Seven Eleven officials say, “Single people or young couples are the main consumers of mini wine products. These products are preferred because they are easy to carry around at this time of year when outdoor activities are frequent. Also, the products diminish the unnecessary waste of money and supplies”.
By M.H. Lee (m.h.lee@koreabizwire.com)
