Omnichannel strategies in China: luxury brands’ attempts to multiply consumer touchpoints
China’s luxury market seeks steady recovery amidst challenges in 2022, which rebounded in 2023, as the market is driven by core luxury consumers who are less financially impacted by a slowing GDP. With the vigorous development of domestic luxury e-commerce, omnichannel luxury retail is making progress in China. Luxury brands are not merely adapting to […]
“Why is the air fryer no longer popular?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
After experiencing three years of rapid growth, air fryer sales in China saw a significant decline in the first half of 2023. Online channel sales revenue dropped by 50.59% and sales volume declined by 44.76%. In turn, it led to a decrease in the average product price by 31 RMB. This sudden disinterest in air fryers among Chinese consumers […]
Dating apps in China: Meet the platforms bringing China’s singles together
Balancing work, personal development, social and romantic life is becoming increasingly challenging for Chinese people due to the fast pace of the modern environment. This leaves a lot of singles without life partners, especially in big cities. Recent data released by China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs reveals that the rate drastically decreased from approximately 13.5 […]
Li Ziqi’s comeback: will she regain her popularity following a two-year hiatus?
If you need soothing videos, you need not search any further than Li Ziqi’s captivating rural vlog, which has garnered an impressive audience of nearly 18 million on YouTube. She hand-made soy sauce with beans, hand-dyed calico dress, and turned wood into furniture. People commented that her life is what they’ve been dreaming of. With […]
From Changsha to China: Sexy Tea’s journey through Guochao and product expansion
Sexy Tea（茶颜悦色）is a tea brand originating in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Founded by Zhang Zhongzheng in 2013, the new-style tea chain has expanded its networks of stores, with a strong presence in cities like Wuhan, Chongqing, and Chengdu, although its primary roots remain in Changsha. It’s not just a favorite among Changsha’s residents but has […]
“Why young people don’t love eating snacks anymore?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
Weilong (卫龙), one of China’s most popular snack brands known for its spicy noodles (辣条), is seeing a decrease of 3.5% in revenue for the first time in the past four years. Although as a snack manufacturer, Weilong mainly targets the younger generation of China, mostly under the age of 25 usually with lower purchasing power and […]
“Why are fast fashion brands facing a wave of store closures?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
International fast fashion retail giants such as H&M, Zara, and GAP are finding it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing preferences of Chinese consumers. For example, H&M alone has closed 119 physical stores in China from 479 in 2020 to 445 in 2021, during which the Xinjiang cotton controversy happened, to 360 in 2022. On Weibo, there have […]
“Why people don’t like to buy diamond rings anymore?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
In China, the diamond ring market is shrinking, the market size of which decreased by 18% as compared to 2022 from 82 billion RMB (approximately 11.25 billion USD). Facing a fatigued market, Darry Ring, known as DR, which specializes in engagement rings and marriage rings, experienced a sales decline of 20% in 2022 from the previous year and a net profit […]
“What are the possible drawbacks of pre-prepared meals?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
In the past few years, many regions in China have adopted centralized kitchens for school meals. Catering companies are tasked to distribute meals to local schools. Concerns have arisen about the health implications of such pre-prepared meal, as parents are worried this could potentially be detrimental to students’ health in the long run. There has […]
“Would you still choose Japanese skincare products?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
Twelve years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown in 2011, Japan was set to release treated radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean due to limited space to contain the waste. This raised concerns over safety issues revolving around potential contaminations of Japanese skincare and cosmetic products among Chinese netizens. In the 1st week of April, there […]
“China has banned imports of Japanese aquatic products”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
Japan began to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on August 24th. Although IAEA’s report indicates that it complies with international safety standards and executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company claimed the release would be suspended if there were any issues detected. This controversial act has received strong rebukes from neighboring countries and […]
“The rejuvenation of baijiu should not stop at publicity stunts”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media
As anyone on Chinese social media has already seen from the explosive collaboration, in the 1st week of September, domestic coffee chain Luckin Coffee launched a new product “sauce-flavored latte (酱香拿铁),” in collaboration with Kweichow Moutai (贵州茅台), the producer of China’s “National Liquor”, baijiu. This new drink, containing no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, quickly became a […]