Young Chinese women’s consumption revolution and the cause of their consumption behavior
If there are any groups in this consumption revolution being experienced in China who can't be absent, they are young people and especially young women. Certainly, their focal point is young women, who have strong consumption views, and frequently lead consumption trends.
1. Beauty is considered as first choice
Love-of-beauty is woman's instinct. In order to be beautiful, the female appears very generously to pull their wallet out. The newest investigation reveals that, urban young women spend as much as several hundred billion RMB on beauty products every year. Especially for clothing, cosmetics, wash and care products, skin-care and hair-care, dieting, body exercise and health care.
2. Famous brands lead young women’s consumption
In the urban young female consumers’ mind, famous brand equals quality, personal taste and classic fashion. More than 60 percent believe that famous brands are expensive, but come with a guarantee of quality and about half think famous brands are excellently produced, and have long lasting use.
3. Credit consumption for fashion purchases becomes a habit
Young urban women frequently use credit cards for consumption. For these young feminine cardholders, more than 70 percent primarily use the credit card for daily consumption; over 30 percent frequently get a discount from the credit cards additional service and more than 20 percent use the credit card for installment payment shopping. To them, a credit card has already substituted traditional cash spending.
4. Online consumption is more and more popular
About 90 percent of young urban women habitually use the internet, and frequently spend about five hours a day on-line. Their work, leisure, and social activities are all close related with internet use. Besides the conventional shopping ways in shopping malls and supermarkets, online shopping is becoming more and more popular among young urban women.
5. Digital products are favorite
As shown by current statistical data, the ranking of Chinese urban young women’s individual consumption wishes is, in order: digital products (including DC, computers, DV, mp4 players and so on), clothing, cosmetics, house wares, practical goods and automotive products.
After carefully analyzing the evolution of young Chinese feminine consumption, we may conclude that a fundamental reason for this consumption revolution is the change of feminine consumers’ values.
Chinese young feminine consumer's values are mainly influenced by Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist traditional cultural values. Confucian values include three characteristics in the feminine consumer values architecture: conforming to status, family prestige and listening attentively to the other people; Taoism values include two characteristics: advocating nature and having a harmonious nature; Buddhist values include three characteristics: justice and equality, luxury is useless, and believing in fate. (For details see chart below)
Buddhist and Confucian thought values have led the Chinese feminine consumer for a long time. However, along with recent historical evolution, the status of Chinese females has undergone a profound change, which was followed by a change in their values. According to our analysis, nowadays Taoism culture values have the strongest influence on the young woman. Next are Confucian cultural values, followed by Buddhist culture values.
Kind of Chinese traditional values |
Characteristics |
Taoist values |
- I pursue natural beauty
- Ideal living place is where the scenery and atmosphere looks like a landscape painting
- I prefer to buy green food
- Things may naturally vary from their original rhythm
|
Confucian values |
- Consumption behavior should coincide with social status
- Actions should coincide with social status
- Dressing should coincide with social status
- I will choose to go shopping at high-level shops when I go shopping with a friend richer them me
- I will avoid buying discounted commodities in front of my colleagues
- The purpose of women’s make-up is to please their husband
|
Buddhist values |
- As you sow, so shall you reap
- One cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs
- Though a lie be well dressed, it is still not true
- Luxury goods are useless
- I basically do not buy luxury goods, because of price
- I believe in the existence of fate
|
Young women’s consumption psychology has a new change of direction due to the change in their values. These new directions may be expressed as:
- Wish for a varied life. They hope to try different life styles, to change their personal identity and to have many different experiences. All of these factors display in aspects of their daily life, i.e. request of diversification in clothing, hairstyle, and accessories.
- A trend towards challenge. They hope to try any manner of thing that they want to do, to take a risk, to challenge certain things and to have experience along with personal development.
- A trend of self-reliance. They hope to support themselves in all aspects of economy and spirit, to be separated from tradition and to live how they want to live.
- The trend of instant gratification. They hope to save time and be efficient. The housewife hopes to find products and services which can not only look after their family members, but also effectively save their own time and resources.
- A Trend towards joy. They hope to live joyfully, to do what they like. Their consumption priorities of ‘1: fashion, 2: leisure and 3: culture’, represent the increased importance they place on enjoying the present moment.
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