The sleeping dragon: investigating the “Chinese craft beer revolution” through the lens of generational cohorts

Abstract Chinese craft beer is a relatively young product category in the Chinese alcoholic beverage market, especially relative to domestically produced macrobeer and imported beer brands. The overarching objective of this chapter was to investigate the Chinese craft beer revolution. Prior literature suggested that younger Chinese consumers are fueling the growth of craft beer; hence, this chapter utilized a generational approach to test this notion as well as to provide useful information for marketers and practitioners. The research design featured a mixed-method approach, consisting of analyzing numeric values and open-ended responses from respondents of a survey. The numeric results demonstrated that, while respondents had similar perceptions toward Chinese craft beer, younger consumers (90s cohort) were less likely than expected to have tried Chinese craft beer. The largest theme of the open-ended responses, lack of prior experience, awareness, and knowledge, acts as a complementary insight that suggests that marketers have failed to differentiate the Chinese craft beer from other beer products. This chapter provided insights to academia and practitioners alike regarding Chinese craft beer consumer behavior. Although there exists a growing interest for Chinese craft beer, the Chinese craft beer industry is still asleep and is in an early, developmental stage of its evolution, hence the chapter title. The sleeping dragon needs to be awakened, with marketers utilizing an integrated marketing communication strategy to aid the Chinese craft beer industry in fulfilling its potential and progressing further along its craft beer revolution.