The new consumption model concerns whose inner needs?, From "Being Alone" to "Sharing Economy" Products | Consumption | Economy
"Solitary consumption" - "Being alone but not alone" pursues more convenient and suitable consumption. It is not about whether you live alone or have friends, but more about a kind of inner need.
The economic logic surrounding "solitary consumption" may be a manifestation of social progress. The products of "one person to eat" and "one meal to eat all" are becoming increasingly diverse, and household appliances are becoming smaller and more exquisite; "Anime" is full of consumption potential, and domestic brands may become winners; "Solitary consumption" and "sharing economy" complement each other... All of these point to people's future lifestyles, from which we can expect a better life.
Changes in dietary psychology
Let's give a rough definition of "lonely consumption" first.
It is not only targeted at single individuals, but also a consumption model that meets individual unique needs on an individual basis. It is a product of social and economic development, pursuing more convenient and suitable consumption, and also satisfying inner needs.
Ruirui, a 29 year old Wenzhou girl, is a typical overseas returnee worker. She has been floating in Shanghai for three years, but resigned early this year. While renovating the old house her parents bought her in the suburbs of Shanghai, she is also preparing for her own entrepreneurial project.
In her brand new small home, there is very little furniture in the room, almost no decorations or unnecessary items, it is simply "minimalist", and the various soups, health teas, and desserts she treats guests are all homemade, surprisingly rich and exquisite.
Ruirui said she is a fan of "lonely consumption". Although she is not alone and has plans to get married and have children, she is still enjoying living alone. "Most of it's for eating! Only when you're alone can you fully indulge in the food you want to eat."
Ruirui usually buys small dishes on the Internet platform, and uses small appliances for simple processing of prefabricated dishes. In her words, she didn't spend much money or time on food, but the benefits were high. Not only did she satisfy her appetite, but she also saved time and money to do more valuable things.
Ruirui may not have thought that the small dishes and pre made dishes she relies on for survival are new things that have emerged and developed in the market in recent years. They cater to the new consumption concept of "zero waste", reduce food and beverage waste, and better meet the needs of modern consumers.
The popular "Eat All" series on fresh food platforms
Tian Lin is a senior research and development chef for the fresh food platform "Dingdong Maicai". He is responsible for the development and innovation of prefabricated dishes and braised and cooked foods, as well as the standardized production of factories. Most of the ready to eat and ready to cook foods available on the platform are developed by his 9-person team.
For example, the German style salted pork elbow that Ruirui has repurchased countless times is the new product developed by Tianlin this year. This product was also an unexpected success for Tianlin.
Tian Lin said that this is the new product of the company in the second quarter of this year. At that time, they were trying to develop pre made Western dishes, integrating German and Chinese brine techniques for improvement. "Dingdong Maicai" first made the formula, and made detailed regulations on the origin and quality of raw materials, as well as the specific grams of salt, sugar, natural spices, etc., which were handed over to OEM factories for standardized production. When selling this "air fryer food" specially designed for urbanites, we also prepared side dishes for consumers and detailed the heating method on the shopping page. "Unexpectedly, the German style salted pork elbow became very popular as soon as it was launched. The total monthly sales in the East China region exceeded one million yuan. We pay attention to the product reviews written by customers every day, especially the negative reviews, so as to make timely improvements."
At the beginning of joining "Dingdong Maicai" two years ago, Tianlin developed the "Eat All in One" series, which was launched on the platform in 2020, focusing on small portions of clean vegetables. In a short period of time, "Eating it all in one meal" has gone from four products at the beginning to dozens of SKUs now, and even star products with monthly sales of millions of yuan such as "Lotus Pond stir fry" have emerged.
The "Lotus Pond stir fry" with astonishing sales focuses on "convenience"
Nowadays, small portions, no waste, and independent consumption have become the key considerations for Tianlin and his team in developing new products. The changes in people's lifestyles and business models are driving each other forward. Tian Lin revealed, "During this period, the 'Dingding Bag' series of small pre made dishes that can be put into the microwave without opening the bag have just been launched. We are planning new products such as one person hot pot meals and one person barbecue."
Tian Lin, who has been conducting in-depth research on consumer dietary psychology, has his own perspective on lonely consumption. He increasingly felt that the fast pace of society caused frequent switching between people's daily life and work scenes, and people often remained alone, which had little to do with whether a person had a family or a partner. Therefore, the Internet economy should seize this feature and operate from the perspective of "companion economy".
"If loneliness is closely related to consumer behavior, then 'eating' is undoubtedly the most healing among various consumer behaviors." Tian Lin believes that the fresh food app that people frequently open should not only be a consumer platform, but also focus on personalized 'temperature'. Chatting with your customers may not only be possible offline, but a friendly page and a thoughtful instruction manual attached to the delivery can all be a source of warmth. For example, if each online dish comes with a short video teaching you how to cook, it is similar to live streaming on the internet and can also achieve the effect of "chatting with you".
Setting off a wave of domestic products
The business logic surrounding "lonely consumption" may be simple or more complex than people imagine.
"The manufacturers of these products know me well," Ruirui said, pointing to dozens of smart home appliances at home. Among them, she likes three things the most - smart electric curtains, a folding washing machine that is only about 10 centimeters tall when folded, and a pair of smart glasses with high aesthetics.
Surprisingly small folding washing machines from domestic brands on the Pinduoduo platform
"Can't you pull the curtains yourself?" Ruirui strongly disagrees with this statement. She described a scene like this: every morning at 7 o'clock, the alarm clock rings, the smart curtain guide starts, and the double layered curtains are slowly and uniformly pulled open, with almost no sound. Sometimes it brings her a bright sky, and sometimes it shows her a hazy rain scene. But no matter what the weather outside the window is, she can feel the first warmth of every day from that silent service.
"Some smart home appliances always promote 'freeing hands', while some products constantly upgrade in a single dimension, indicating' I want to make you easier '. However, consumers may rebel and argue in their hearts,' I'm not that lazy or stupid! 'Consumers obviously want more, such as aesthetic pleasure, technological sense in details, warm service and companionship, and so on."
"What aspects of your needs do folding washing machines meet?" This question once again aroused Ruirui's desire to express herself: "Folding washing machines have overturned the traditional concept of washing machines, with technological content and affordable appearance. Isn't it not like our '90s generation'?"
According to big data from domestic home appliance consulting company Aowei Yunwang, the sales analysis of small home appliances in the first half of this year shows that the characteristics of products such as refinement, specialization, and health are upgrading. The demand for small volume is no longer a new phenomenon in the industry, but this year the market share of this type of product is increasing, and the average price has also increased. This indicates that consumers' demand for personalized refinement is becoming increasingly evident. For example, the average price of rice cookers with a volume less than 3L has significantly increased by 10.3%; The decoction pot has replaced the electric boiling pot as the best-selling item on the weekly list; Floor scrubbers, high-speed hair dryers, and coffee machines are currently popular products, while electronic OOTD devices such as smart glasses and bone conduction headphones are also trending upwards
Ruirui told the reporter that many young people around her, like her, experienced three stages of "entering the pit" smart appliances - at first, watching various videos of single people's "immersive homecoming" on the short video platform, and following them every ten minutes, from the owner of the home to change shoes and disinfection and sterilization, to remove makeup, take a bath, and then cook supper and tidy up the room, there are new smart appliances in every link, and most of these videos have shopping links, she will order a lot of products to meet her consumption desire; In the second stage, she is relatively rational. Before wanting to buy a certain product, she will go online to study the evaluation report, compare it repeatedly, and buy the most suitable one; In the third stage, she has become a senior fan of smart home appliances and can integrate home smart planning into the decoration process, designing various smart living scenes for herself.
In the process of "entering the pit" of smart home appliances, Ruirui gradually discovered that many user-friendly and considerate products are domestic products. Compared with foreign companies, local manufacturing companies have a better understanding of consumer psychology, are more sensitive to market trends, and can quickly develop new products that meet the needs of Chinese people.
As a self media person pointed out, after a country's per capita GDP exceeds $10000, consumer awareness will gradually awaken and it will favor local brands more. The United States and Japan in the 1960s were like this, and South Korea was also like this. In our country, domestic products will be increasingly sought after by more and more people due to their better understanding of Chinese people's needs and aesthetics, as well as their advantages of quality and price equality.
It is undoubtedly the shopping platform that realized this power early on. Pinduoduo's newly established "New China-Chic" special team is all young people. They have opened "brain holes" to provide digital services for traditional brands in the fields of design, research and development, production, manufacturing, brand building, etc; The data from the Dewu App this summer also shows that "lonely sports" such as cycling, motorcycles, and fishing are favored by young people. Domestic bicycle brands such as "Flying Pigeon" and "Forever" have seen an increase in sales, and "Phoenix" bicycles have also launched a new product "Cool Flying Road Bike" on the platform, attracting a large number of new generation consumers.
New China-Chic attracts young consumers
Pay for the mood
Recently, there has been a bit of pressure for Ruirui to prepare for entrepreneurship. In order to relieve stress, she went alone to the Bubble Mart global flagship store on Nanjing East Road, where she "shook" several new models and discovered a candy like "cute" new series, which made her happy for a while. For several consecutive days, her last thing before going to bed was to draw her favorite Labubu online and summarize her luck for that day.
"If you need a sense of relaxation in your heart, you will fall in love with the blind box." Despite being questioned about the ups and downs of Bubble Mart's stock price and lack of innovation, Ruirui still believes that regardless of its business logic, the blind box has precisely met the psychological needs of modern people who are "lonely".
Ruirui said that a few years ago, she watched the young people in the company who were passionate about blind boxes and couldn't understand or participate. They often make wishes together and squat on a new series of dolls. Before company gatherings, they take turns buying a whole blind box, and after making a wish, they each draw one before starting to eat.
Until one day, Ruirui borrowed her colleague's desk to do a PPT, and the project was particularly difficult and her mood was particularly anxious. Suddenly, she felt as if the bunch of little dolls in front of her were saying something to her, and was immediately moved by those cute kids. She then went to the official website to search for their names and understand their personalities: Little Rabbit Labubu is clever and mischievous, with an invincible smile; The appearance of the hairy monster hides a soft heart; The cool Ono student has a great sense of camera, especially suitable for accompanying her host on trips and posing at various attractions... She used to not like the silly "protagonist" Molly, but a steampunk style Molly suddenly let her glimpse a hidden self in her heart.
The flagship store of blind boxes is crowded with people, captured by Luan Yin
Later, Ruirui wrote a paragraph in Douban's diary: "I kept asking myself why I suddenly fell in love with blind boxes. One day, I understood that the pressure of my career made my mentality no longer relaxed and my soul less interesting. After crossing a stage of struggle, I relaxed again, and it can be said that my mental state had advanced, so I accepted those 'useless' pleasures of life. Who can say that this is not the true meaning of life?"
For many young people who love blind boxes, "I don't know what I will open, but at least I am happy during the process.". Willing to pay not only for material needs, but also for your mood and the fun of life is a feature of "lonely consumption", and the rise of anime consumption is also an important trend.
Interestingly, recently, reporters found not only young people participating in blind box offline stores and online live streaming rooms, but also the figures of middle-aged and even elderly people. The changes in consumer psychology and trends caused by the tense and high-pressure modern life may be happening to more and more people.
Photo of Luan Yin, the anime cultural logo of the city center
"Loneliness" leads to "sharing"
After playing blind boxes for a long time, Ruirui gradually shares her blind box collection on social media like her colleagues did back then, occasionally exchanging information about dolls with "like-minded people", exchanging their own dolls, and unintentionally increasing connections with others.
At first, it was a solitary enjoyment, but in the end, it gained a certain social experience, which seems to be a metaphor for "lonely consumption". After all, humans are social animals with their indelible social attributes, so they always share while being lonely. The market for "lonely consumption" is vast, but it will eventually integrate into society. Perhaps the next stop for "lonely consumption" is the "sharing economy".
In Zhenru Town Street, Shanghai resident Shen Yanqian noticed this.
There is indeed a popular internet market called "Gaoling Market". The first floor has a vegetable market and dining stalls, while the second floor has a community cafeteria, elderly day care center, shared laundry room, shared fitness space, and baby house, covering an area of over a thousand square meters. Shen Yanqian's team has reached a cooperation agreement with the street to acquire a portion of the second floor area for "packaging" operation.
The "shared gym" is very popular
The uniqueness of the community has nurtured a unique model of both public welfare and commerce. The consumption needs of residents are diverse, difficult to adjust, and generally have low expectations for community services. It is necessary to gradually cultivate emotions; The government also has its own position, hoping to choose reputable teams and avoid purely commercial operations. This kind of "business" may be difficult for pure commercial teams and pure public welfare organizations to control, but it has given Shen Yanqian some opportunities.
"I also had a 'disdain' for the community at one point, so I decided to make changes on my own." Shen Yanqian spoke with a hint of Shanghai woman's' coquettishness', but was quick and decisive in handling things. She used to work in marketing for large corporations, dealing with media and celebrities, and later became a full-time mother for two years. In order to find playmates for her children and heal her loneliness when leaving the workplace, she had an intersection with the community she lived in. But she quickly realized that the needs of many residents could not be met, so she conducted her own research, organized communities, and organized community activities, which were far ahead of the nearly two to three years when "community leader" became a popular term.
After accumulating a lot of experience, there was an opportunity for Shen Yanqian to achieve cooperation with the street. At that time, the street was planning to renovate the Gaoling Road vegetable market. The street leaders wanted to maximize the effectiveness of this rare and spacious convenience space, serving residents of all ages and allowing people to experience a better life. "The government has very high requirements, and we have no confidence in ourselves. We can only give it a try." Shen Yanqian recalled the process of adaptation and felt that the consensus between the two sides is a solid foundation for cooperation: the street has persisted and let go in decision-making, and we are bold, meticulous, and open-minded in operation, ultimately achieving a tacit understanding.
And this kind of "tacit understanding" can also be felt by residents. For example, Mr. Chen, the head chef of the community cafeteria, rushed to the cafeteria at 6 o'clock every day to control the quality and proactively upgraded the provision of two meals a day to three meals a day; For example, the elderly day care center puts in a lot of effort in decoration, without any signs of being outdated; The baby houses entrusted by the street to kindergartens have introduced many experiential courses that are no less than those of commercial training institutions, and the elderly and children often get together.
Another impressive feature is the shared laundry room. This laundry room is connected to the community hair salon, and the handsome young barber also manages the shared laundry room. Often, when elderly people come to shave their heads, they bring a bag of clothes to be washed. The young man helps the elderly with laundry, drying, cutting hair, and pulling at home, and the clothes are washed and the price is also very cheap. This can also control costs. The washing machine equipment is provided by the supplier and is responsible for regular cleaning and maintenance. The young man serves here because the nearby community cafeteria has a large flow of people, and he can earn money without having to solicit customers or apply for cards. At the same time, he can also give benefits to the elderly and retired soldiers.
Community elderly people are enjoying the service of "shared laundry room", photographed by Luan Yin
Chen Xiaoli, who is in charge of elderly care work in Zhenru Town Street, often comes here to take a walk and see what is missing. For her, this is the "first scene" for asking residents in need. Next, the street also plans to introduce TCM hospitals into day care centers to increase the number of acupuncture and moxibustion physiotherapy segments needed by many elderly people. "In the future, families will tend to be small-scale, and there will be more and more cases of living alone. We want to deepen community integration and share services."
The street hopes to cultivate more teams to undertake new community projects, so that capable young people can also return to the community and make a difference. Chen Xiaoli believes, "One day, 'lonely consumption' will develop, and the sharing economy in the community will also become popular, truly bringing welfare to people."
Journalist's Notes
The loneliness of modern people can move forward or backward
Thoreau wrote in a small cabin by Walden Lake, "I am as independent as living on a prairie. I have my own sun, moon, and stars, a small world that belongs to me alone."
What if he doesn't want to leave "loneliness" and also wants to feel the presence of people? If born in the contemporary era, it would be simply too easy. On the internet, there are various products and services that match the need for loneliness; In life, "lonely consumption" is everywhere, and within 15 minutes of life, "sharing" can be achieved.
Unexpectedly, "lonely consumption" has become a new trend, and modern people's "loneliness" has become a state of progress and retreat.
The reason why I am writing this topic is because I can feel the inner changes that come with age: despite being in a big family and dealing with various trivial matters of the elderly and children every day, there is an increasing need for "loneliness" in my heart, and I have a strong demand for "lonely consumption".
So I looked around and found that many practitioners in different fields had already paid attention to and been involved in this matter. For example, the internet economy focuses on "companionship", home appliances are shrinking, and community managers are deeply thinking about "sharing"... From an economic perspective and a business mindset, entering this matter is because everything that conforms to economic laws can continue to operate in a sustainable and healthy manner.
The "big logic" of economic development serves the "small trend" of everyone's needs. The community grassroots cadres I interviewed have clearly felt the changes in the "small trend". They say that families are becoming increasingly small-scale, and there will be more elderly people living alone, so many communities are deeply cultivating community integration and sharing services.
Through interviews, I confirmed my implicit intuition that "lonely consumption" has unlimited potential. It can not only become a driving force for economic development, but more importantly, it can make our future lives more secure and happy.
