Data from third-party platform "Today's Liquor Price" showed that on February 27, the quoted price for the classic bottled version of the Horse Zodiac Moutai dropped to 2,080 yuan per bottle, down 70 yuan from the previous day. The loose bottle version was quoted at 2,040 yuan, a decline of 40 yuan.
Since its launch on January 6, the Horse Zodiac Moutai has experienced roller-coaster price fluctuations. The latest wholesale price has fallen 18.4% compared to the pre-Spring Festival price of 2,500 yuan and has plunged approximately 28% from its post-launch peak of 2,800 yuan.
In response, Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. announced on the afternoon of February 26 that consumers purchasing the classic or gift box versions of the Horse Zodiac Moutai via the i Moutai app can now choose the lunar calendar production date in addition to the existing Gregorian calendar option. This move aims to enhance the product's emotional commemorative value, gifting appeal, and long-term collectibility.
On February 27, attempts to purchase the zodiac liquor at 9 a.m. encountered a "high traffic" message within one minute. Products with January and March production dates were already sold out, leaving only limited February dates available. The entire day’s allocation was sold out within about two minutes of the sale opening.
This is not the first time Moutai has allowed consumers to select production dates. Last year, when the Snake Zodiac Moutai underperformed in the market and even fell below its issue price, the company introduced a similar service to stimulate sales, though it was then limited to selecting dates for whole cases. The current policy for the Horse Zodiac edition differs in that both loose bottles and cases support date selection, and a fixed quantity is released on the platform daily.
Some distributors believe the measure will help stimulate genuine consumer demand but remain pessimistic about the future price trend of the Horse Zodiac Moutai. They note that, in terms of quality, the zodiac edition is not superior to the regular Flying Fairy Moutai. Current consumers are less willing to pay premiums for baijiu products and are making more rational purchasing decisions. This year, the market price of the Snake Zodiac Moutai is only around 2,000 yuan, below its issue price and lacking investment appeal.
In contrast to the "bubble deflation" seen in the zodiac liquor segment, Flying Fairy Moutai prices have stabilized after the holiday, remaining nearly unchanged from pre-holiday levels. Several brokerages' Spring Festival sales reports also highlighted that the investment appeal of the Horse Zodiac Moutai has receded significantly, with market enthusiasm cooling and sales momentum lagging behind that of the regular Flying Fairy edition.
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