'Beer stock market' draws huge crowds in Qingdao

陈小将

The 3-meter-tall, 360-degree smart beer column called Qingdao Beer Exchange on Taidong pedestrian street has recently become a hot attraction in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A towering 3-meter-tall, 360-degree smart beer column called Qingdao Beer Exchange on Taidong pedestrian street has recently become a hot attraction in Qingdao, Shandong province.

The interactive installation allows consumers to influence real-time price fluctuations of 30 beer varieties simply by scanning QR codes to make purchases.

Combining technology with entertainment, the "beer stock market" has drawn massive crowds, with daily foot traffic exceeding 10,000 visitors and single-day beer sales surpassing 1.2 million milliliters during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday from May 31 to June 2.

At the heart of the experience is a dynamic pricing mechanism that adjusts beer prices every 10 minutes based on sales volume. Prices can rise or fall by up to 10 percent, resetting to a baseline at the start of each business day.