China’s retail economy is getting the shot in the arm it needs, particularly in the F&B sector, thanks to a ball being kicked around a field six and a half thousand kilometres away from Nanjing. Thank you, Qatar and the World Cup!
In Chinese, they are called “ball watching delicacies” (看球美味). To others, that’s “pizza and beer”. And sales in Nanjing, as well as in many major cities in China, are up, massively.
Big data coming out of fulfillment behemoth, Meituan, has revealed that 3 days before the World Cup, sales of draft beer towers (like those guys chug in restaurants) are up 208 percent compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, there are also three times more bottle openers being shifted right now.
And it’s not just food and drink; it’s big-ticket items too. Many fans are also creating an immersive World-Cup environment in their homes, installing projectors, large screens and loudspeakers, while the hanging of football jerseys and small flags around living rooms is commonplace.
This preference to watch football at home has also created a sense of ceremony. As a result, there was a 165 percent increase in sales of projectors in the week leading up to the World Cup.
Being in Qatar, this time around we have the first-ever winter World Cup. To the Chinese, that can only mean another consumption-focused attraction. Hot Pot.
Not only has the number of takeout orders for hot pot increased significantly, but the sales of electric hobs on which to cook your own hot pot at home are also through the roof, up 160 percent compared with the same period last year (the 3 days before the start of the World Cup).
These and other items are now to be found in World Cup packages now being offered by many catering-delivery operators. But most popular within remain the three “B”s if you like; barbecue, beer and bottle openers.
Back with the odd terminology, Chinese media outlet, The Paper, is today running a story entitled, “What’s your Match Watching Configuration for the World Cup?”.
An interviewee for the piece is quoted as saying, “I’ve been looking forward to the opening for many days. I’ve got for my family a projector, loudspeaker and draft beer to watch the opening ceremony with my brothers”.
