Drinks companies have their eyes on the ladies

Driving growth in China has become a priority for leading spirts labels such as Diageo and Pernord Ricard, a multinational beverages group based in France. Even Chinese companies that produce baijiu, which has 99 percent of market share in the spirits category, has felt the pain.

Upmarket brands have cut prices by nearly 50 percent, according to a 2014 report released by Mintel Group Ltd, the global market research firm based in the UK.

In the wine industry, the impact has been more pronounced, despite the fact that China consumed 155 million cases in 2013, making it the world's No 1 market. France and Italy are just behind. The slow growth in beer sales is another problem as the sector has reached saturation point.

"(Yet,) while luxury and premium drinks have been affected, midrange products targeting the mass market have seen a surge," Mintel reported. "The market is moving from a business-driven model to a consumer-centric model, with socializing with friends and family the top two occasions (when alcoholic drinks are consumed)."

Breaking down the numbers, Mintel found that certain kinds of alcohol are more attractive to women than men in China.

Wine is favored by 71 percent of women compared to 66 percent of men. As for champagne, 37 percent of women prefer the drink compared to 30 percent of men, while cocktails are favored by 33 percent of women compared to 26 percent of men.

Still, tapping into the female market will be challenging. David Zhang, a senior drinks analyst at Mintel, pointed to the fact that women prefer to drink at home.

"That makes it difficult to identify female consumer drinking habits," he said.

In terms of products, lighter, sweeter and niche types of alcoholic drinks stand out for women consumers, according to Mintel. As for venues, Western-style restaurants offer a rare opportunity for brands to reach female drinkers.

"Women are more likely to have an alcoholic drink in such venues compared with their male counterparts," Zhang said. "Consequently, brands should benefit from establishing partnership with such venues to offer female consumers an all-around experience."

Zeng Jun in Guiyang contributed to this story.