Author | Bai Yang

Editor | Fang Fang

Design | Xing Jing

Reviewer | Song Wen

Standing at the new starting point in 2026, the “14th Five-Year Plan” officially begins, and the Baijiu industry enters a critical period of high-quality development. The entire industry is exploring new growth drivers to navigate cycles. At this juncture, industry leader Luzhou Laojiao presented a completely different approach to industry challenges during its annual distributor conference on March 22.

Two major core signals released at the meeting attracted widespread attention: First, the company’s core strategy has officially upgraded from “marketing breakthroughs” to “ecosystem co-creation”; second, for the first time, key operational data at the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan were disclosed: core product bottle openings exceeded 110 million, and C-end member count surpassed 50 million…

This strategic upgrade and data disclosure not only outline Luzhou Laojiao’s strategic evolution over the past few years of steady development but also, amidst industry-wide confusion during the adjustment cycle, present a “Laojiao Solution” that differs from traditional liquor growth logic.

In the broader context of deep transformation in the Baijiu industry, a key question worth exploring is: Why did Luzhou Laojiao choose to shift from “marketing breakthroughs” to “ecosystem co-creation” amid fierce industry competition? Can this “Laojiao Solution,” widely discussed in the industry, help the deeply adjusting Baijiu sector find a sustainable new growth path?

1. The “Luzhou Signal” in the Opening Year

In the Baijiu industry, distributor conferences have always been an important window to observe corporate strategic directions.

In recent years, most companies’ conference themes focused on performance targets and market expansion, with the core logic being channel inventory push to drive growth. This model worked smoothly during industry upcycles, but as the industry entered a deep adjustment period, inventory backlog became widespread.

At this distributor conference, Luzhou Laojiao’s senior executives proposed “ecosystem co-creation,” signaling a fundamental shift in thinking: the core is to build a “symbiotic factory-supplier, industry-cooperative community of shared destiny.” Moving from “marketing breakthroughs” to “ecosystem co-creation” is not just a wording change but a redefinition of growth logic: as the marginal effect of channel inventory push diminishes, relationships between manufacturers and distributors must evolve toward symbiosis.

The deeper implication of this shift is: in an era of stock competition, future growth must be based on value sharing across all links of the industrial chain. The manufacturer’s role will shift to rule-maker and resource enabler; the distributor’s role to value co-creator. Both sides aim to serve consumers together, crossing cycles hand in hand.

Luzhou Laojiao’s willingness to make this strategic upgrade during industry adjustment relies on a solid foundation of hard data accumulated during the 14th Five-Year Plan:

Core product bottle openings exceeded 110 million. In the Baijiu industry’s evaluation system, bottle opening data is more valuable than shipment volume because it reflects actual consumer behavior. Luzhou Laojiao was among the first in the industry to emphasize “bottle opening as king,” and this concept has been systematically implemented in its digital layout over the past five years:

By implementing full-chain digital marketing, operations, and management, during the 14th Five-Year Plan, Luzhou Laojiao’s five major product lines delivered over 50 million cases, with a total of 110 million bottles opened, and consumer scan rates exceeding 50%. This means that for every two bottles of the five major products launched, one is scanned and opened by consumers, providing real-time sales data and validating healthy channel inventory levels.

Member base surpasses 50 million. This figure is not just a simple number but represents accessible, operable, and convertible private domain assets. These members have been accumulated through years of activities such as tasting events, member days, and real consumer engagement. These 50 million members are not only a super interface connecting directly with the brand but also one of Luzhou Laojiao’s core competitive barriers.

Additionally, product line and channel data are equally noteworthy: Guojiao 1573 remains among the top three high-end Baijiu brands; 38-degree Guojiao 1573 becomes the industry’s first low-alcohol product to reach a billion yuan in sales; Luzhou Laojiao’s series brands have broken the 100 billion yuan mark.

All these data points indicate that Luzhou Laojiao has accumulated key assets: real consumer data and direct user access capabilities. These assets provide the foundation for the “ecosystem co-creation” strategy: with sales data and user profiles in hand, the company can offer data insights to distributors and assist in sales promotion, making the relationship more conducive to symbiosis.

2. Dissecting the “Laojiao Confidence”

As the industry shifts from incremental growth to stock competition, why can Luzhou Laojiao propose “ecosystem co-creation” at this moment? The answer lies in its five years of deep digital and intelligent transformation.

Around 2020, the Baijiu industry was still in a growth expansion cycle, with mainstream companies focusing resources on channel expansion and brand promotion. Luzhou Laojiao, however, broke from industry inertia, proactively deploying two core strategies simultaneously: one on the production side—full-chain digital transformation; the other on the consumer side—accumulating and refining user assets.

First, on the production side, Luzhou Laojiao’s digital layout has followed a clear, progressive upgrade path:

The full operation of the Huangye Distillery ecological park laid the core foundation for its digital transformation. This eco-park set industry records in technological upgrades and fermentation capacity, and achieved industry-leading levels in intelligent manufacturing, marking a major breakthrough in smart brewing and establishing a benchmark in the industry.

In January 2024, the intelligent packaging center officially launched, completing the full digital loop from brewing to finished products. As the industry’s first “lighthouse factory” with the fastest filling speed, strictest quality testing, highest level of automation, and most advanced digital technology, this center reduced order delivery cycles by 33%, tripled warehouse efficiency, and achieved over 99% on-time logistics delivery, significantly提升全流程效率。

Overall, Luzhou Laojiao’s digital transformation is not just about isolated technologies but a comprehensive, end-to-end coverage of brewing, packaging, warehousing, and logistics, forming a replicable and upgradeable digital closed loop, creating a differentiated competitive advantage.

On the consumer side, Luzhou Laojiao has continuously deepened user operations, accumulating 50 million members. The core value of these members is not just in quantity but in a key capability transfer: previously, the distillery’s customers were mainly distributors, with a disconnect from end consumers; now, Luzhou Laojiao can directly reach 50 million users, understanding their geographic distribution, consumption frequency, and preferences.

In summary, the production side is “visible,” and the consumer side is “connectable.” The data from both ends converge in the backend, forming a complete closed loop. This digital operation foundation, spanning the “14th Five-Year Plan,” is a crucial confidence for Luzhou Laojiao to propose strategic upgrades during industry adjustments.

3. Moving Toward “Ecosystem Co-creation”

By 2026, with internal systems reconstructed and digital foundations solidified, Luzhou Laojiao’s strategic goal is to advance toward “ecosystem co-creation” during the “15th Five-Year Plan.”

This transformation aims to continuously enhance the company’s core value by aligning with industry development laws and market changes, creating more long-term and stable returns for all partners.

Looking back at Luzhou Laojiao’s layout over the past five years, its significance extends beyond a corporate strategic upgrade; it provides three key references for the industry seeking direction:

First, industry growth momentum is shifting. The Baijiu industry is transitioning from channel-driven and scale-driven growth to user-driven and value-driven growth. As bottle opening data begins to be valued alongside shipment data, and leading companies focus on consumer operations, member activity becomes a key strategic metric. The “14th Five-Year Plan” of Luzhou Laojiao’s accumulation in C-end operations and digital capabilities is timely and becomes a core competitive advantage to navigate cycles.

Second, the relationship between manufacturers and distributors needs restructuring. Moving from “brand-led, channel-following” to “ecosystem co-creation, win-win collaboration” is an inevitable choice in the stock competition era. Luzhou Laojiao’s strategic shift toward “ecosystem co-creation” provides an answer when the industry seeks breakthroughs.

Third, long-termism will pay off. During deep industry adjustments, short-term arbitrage opportunities are shrinking. Luzhou Laojiao’s long-term focus on C-end and digitalization during the “14th Five-Year Plan,” from Huangye Eco-Park to “lighthouse factories,” from scan code interactions to member accumulation, transforms seemingly “heavy” infrastructure and “slow” investments into the strongest strategic backing. When traffic dividends fade, long-termism becomes the most resilient barrier.

In spring 2026, the signals from Luzhou Laojiao’s distributor conference serve as a systematic review of the past five years’ strategic execution and a clear declaration of the development path for the next five years. The message to the industry is: in the second half of Baijiu competition, victory depends not on who shouts louder but on who has a deeper foundation; not on who can push more product but on who is closer to consumers.