The dynamic of China consumer behaviour changes faster than the market itself. The role of behaviour is important to understand as the basis of establishing the business. This country has different behaviour because the country has the largest economy in the world.
Shopping in China has become far more efficient than in previous years. The government is supported by welcoming a lot of app developers to create super apps. With social media and e-commerce, the way they spend is different than before as well.
China Consumer Behaviour by Age
China has different stages of how people spend their money for their daily life and satisfaction. According to market research China, the post-1980 generation has more knowledge to get the stuff they want for themselves, family, and their children. This pattern occurs in some cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing.
Meanwhile, the people who were born before 1980 are spending much more money because they don’t have enough knowledge of better stuff in the market. The post-80 generation is more aware of saving and spending money only to buy high-quality stuff.
Health and Safety Awareness
People in China are more aware of safety and health concerns than the elderly now. Product variety in China is larger now with improvements in standard and quality. Consumer tends to buy higher quality or with premium claims because they get better products than those without a claim.
Because of this concern, people also spend more money on luxury stuff even though it is in the food category. In 2023, consumption is getting higher because people are aware of this health concern after the pandemic. For some people, money is no longer a main issue to get a better product.
Branded Stuff Pick
Chinese are picky nowadays because they have higher expectations to buy stuff, especially electronics, and the F&B category. For electronics, it is no longer about the price but the quality, value, and preference. More brands are coming to China to fill the gap based on market research China.
It also occurs in the cosmetic category. China itself has a lot of cosmetic brands. However, the industries which use cosmetics a lot such as entertainment tend to buy international brands rather than local ones. Their reason is quality, competition, and prestige. Local brands are only the option for 19% in China.
Understanding China consumer behaviour is an important key to establishing the market in this country. Besides picky consumers, they tend to see the quality and save more money for premium stuff. It is the opposite of the stereotype that China is the country with a lot of cheap option stuff in the world.