180 Million Drinkers on Kuaishou: Is Wine Missing the Party?

In China’s short-video ecosystem, platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu dominate among younger consumers in first- and second-tier cities. But Kuaishou, a platform with deep roots in lower-tier cities and rural areas, has quietly built a massive user base of its own. 

Launched in 2011—five years before Douyin—Kuaishou reported an average of 401 million daily active users in Q4 2024, putting it on par with Douyin, which also surpassed 400 million daily active users earlier this year. Behind this enormous traffic pool lies untapped potential for consumer goods—including wine.

Alcohol Content Draws Over 180 Million Monthly Users

At a recent forum during the China Food & Drinks Fair in Chengdu, Kuaishou shared key insights into its growing alcohol segment. According to the company, more than 180 million monthly active users engage with alcohol-related content—watching, searching, or interacting with it. With the platform’s total monthly active users at 736 million in Q4 2024, that means nearly one in four users is interacting with alcohol content.

Kuaishou’s alcohol-related GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) grew over 90% year-on-year, with more than 50,000 merchants actively selling alcohol. In 2024 alone, 10 alcohol brands crossed the RMB 100 million GMV mark, while nearly 500 self-broadcasting merchants more than doubled their GMV.

The platform’s alcohol consumers skew heavily male and middle-aged, with men accounting for 77% of buyers. Most are from third-tier cities and below. The top five audience segments include: “middle-aged and elderly in small towns,” “urban men,” “urban seniors,” “affluent middle class,” and “young people from small towns.” Unlike Douyin and Xiaohongshu, which target young urbanites, Kuaishou’s reach is broader, older, and more rural.

As a Hong Kong-listed company, Kuaishou reported 2024 revenue of RMB 126.9 billion (About US$17.4 billion), up 11.8% from the previous year. Adjusted net profit soared 72.5% to RMB 17.72 billion, marking its second consecutive year of profitability at scale.

For Wine, It’s a Market of Extremes

While baijiu continues to dominate Kuaishou’s alcohol category—accounting for more than 80% of sales—wine remains a relatively small segment. But what’s most striking is the structure of wine consumption on the platform, which differs drastically from traditional retail or even offline e-commerce.

Mainstream wine brands and premium labels have a minimal presence, while sweet wines, domestically produced wines, and ultra-low-priced options dominate the rankings.

For example, the top-selling wine on Kuaishou is a semi-sweet domestic red, with cumulative sales exceeding 450,000 bottles. Other bestsellers include dry reds priced at RMB 2.99 and RMB 4.90 a bottle, as well as 5-jin (2.5-liter) jugs of sweet wine. Among wines with over 20,000 bottles sold, only Val de l’Ours by the DBR Lafite Group represents a recognizable international brand.

This mirrors a similar trend on Douyin, where previous reports show that among the top 15 best-selling wine products, most are not traditional brands, but products that rely on eye-catching packaging and aggressive pricing.

The Wine Consumer Mindset

Torre Oria, the company behind the viral “Knock Knock” wine in China, has seen success on multiple short-video platforms. According to Wang Yutian, the company’s head of marketing, consumer knowledge about wine on platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou is generally low, and many buyers approach it with a “bargain-hunting” mentality.

“Short videos and livestreams create urgency with tactics like flash sales and ‘factory-direct pricing,’ pushing consumers to make impulse decisions in under three minutes,” Wang explained. “But this model weakens long-term consideration for quality or brand value.”

Traditional and premium wine brands are largely absent from these platforms, while low-cost wines dominate ad spend and exposure, creating a market dynamic where inferior products push out the good. Over time, consumers become accustomed to cheap pricing and sugary profiles, making it harder for higher-quality wines to gain traction.

So, Is There a Future for Wine Brands on Kuaishou?

The current market is far from ideal for premium wines—but that doesn’t mean opportunities don’t exist. With such a massive and engaged user base, wine brands that can find the right entry point—whether through storytelling, education, or targeted content—could see explosive growth.

The real challenge lies in reconciling the fast, entertainment-driven nature of short-video commerce with the slower, more thoughtful process of brand-building. For wineries and importers looking to make inroads in China’s deep-tier digital world, success will come not just from discounting, but from adapting how wine is presented, promoted, and positioned in front of new audiences.

In a platform where price often wins, finding a way to make value—and story—matter could be the next big breakthrough.