Alcohol sales surged in China during this year’s Qixi Festival — often called the country’s Valentine’s Day — as younger consumers increasingly turned to instant delivery platforms for gifts and celebrations.
On August 10, Meituan, China’s largest instant retail platform, reported a 50% year-on-year increase in overall orders, setting a new record for gift spending. While flowers, cosmetics, and jewellery remained the traditional best-sellers, alcohol emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories.
Wine Sales Triple on Delivery Platforms
Meituan’s alcohol-focused service Waima Alcohol Delivery saw sales triple compared with Qixi last year, while Jiuxian, another drinks e-commerce operator linked to Meituan, doubled its turnover.
The festival, rooted in a folk tale of two star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way, has evolved into a modern celebration of dating, dining, and gift-giving among young Chinese couples. With wine already linked to romance and ceremony, it is finding new traction via instant retail, which can deliver within an hour.
“All of our Qixi sales exceeded expectations this year, with year-on-year growth above 150% and month-on-month gains of more than 70%,” said Wang Yutian, head of marketing and O2O instant retail at Oria China. The company’s Spanish label Knock Knock has become one of the most visible wine brands on delivery apps.
This momentum extends beyond Qixi. On Western Valentine’s Day in February, wine ranked as the fourth best-selling category on rival platform Ele.me, with weekly orders rising 66% compared to the previous week.
Instant Retail’s Rapid Expansion
China’s instant retail sector, which promises deliveries in under 30 minutes, is expanding at breakneck speed. According to the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, the market reached 650 billion yuan (USD 90.3 billion) in 2023, up nearly 29% year-on-year. By 2030, it is projected to surpass 2 trillion yuan (USD 278 billion).
Meituan dominates the market, reporting 178.4 billion yuan (USD 24.8 billion) in revenue in the first half of 2025, a 14.7% increase. Rivals JD.com and Taobao are also investing heavily in the O2O (online-to-offline) channel.
“Once consumers experience 15-minute delivery, it’s difficult for them to accept waiting one or two days,” Wang said.
Subsidies Drive Growth but Challenge Profits
However, much of this growth is fuelled by subsidies. In Zhejiang, a franchisee of Jiuxiaoer — another alcohol delivery platform — said sales soared 130% above normal levels during Qixi after Meituan issued heavy discount coupons at 5 p.m.
“Nearly all of our top 30 sellers that day were beers,” the franchisee noted. But thin margins remain a problem: “Beer margins are already slim, and with merchants bearing part of the subsidy, there was hardly any profit left.”
For many, this is a necessary investment. “Instant retail is still in its early stages. Platforms must use subsidies to secure consumer loyalty,” said Wang of Oria China.
The Future of Wine in Instant Retail
The strong Qixi performance highlights both the opportunity and challenges of instant retail for alcohol. For wine especially, it creates new consumption occasions, positioning the drink as a romantic and celebratory choice that fits seamlessly into fast-paced urban lifestyles.
The question now is whether platforms can reduce their reliance on subsidies and build a sustainable business model — one that allows wine to thrive in China’s rapidly evolving instant retail ecosystem.
Source: Vino-Joy