[Asia Economy Reporter Park Soyeon] 'Idol fandom', 'subculture fandom', 'patriotic consumption group'. Recently, Generation Z is leading new consumption trends in the Chinese consumer market as well. The population of Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2009 in China, was approximately 260 million in 2019, accounting for 18.6% of the total population.
Seventy-eight percent of the idol fandom are women, who mainly consume through media commerce specialized apps where content consumption and product transactions occur simultaneously, such as Xiaohongshu, the Chinese version of Instagram. On the other hand, the subculture fandom is a male-majority consumer group characterized by enthusiasts of animation, comics, and online/mobile games who are passionate about related content.
As the market size of webtoons and online animation in China reached 16.46 billion yuan and 2.68 billion yuan respectively in 2019, the subculture industry in China continues to grow. Consequently, companies producing daily necessities such as beverages, mobile phones, and lipsticks are actively collaborating with game companies for marketing purposes.
The patriotic consumption group prefers cost-effective Chinese brands and Chinese-style designs. According to a survey by Ali Research Institute in China, over 50% of purchasers of domestic Chinese brands belong to Generation Z. With the rapid improvement in the quality of Chinese domestic products, the government's promotion of domestic brands since 2000, and the recent rise in China's international status, a patriotic consumption trend is emerging.
Shim Junseok, head of the Shanghai branch of the Korea Trade Association, stated, "China's per capita national income grew rapidly from $540 in 1985 to $10,410 in 2019, and Generation Z is a generation born alongside China's economic growth." He added, "However, having grown up witnessing the economic difficulties of their parents' generation, Generation X, even in a prosperous environment, Generation Z also shows practical consumption tendencies. Therefore, segmented marketing targeting key groups is important to effectively appeal to Generation Z."
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