The core characteristics of the new consumption model can be summarised as: digitalisation, emotionalisation, health-consciousness, personalisation, and experientialisation. These characteristics do not exist in isolation but are intertwined, collectively reshaping the business ecosystem. Based on these characteristics, the following industries will see significant development opportunities:
1. The Big Health and Preventive Healthcare Industry
Core Drivers: Health-Oriented, Digital, and Personalised
Opportunity Analysis:
In the post-pandemic era, consumers' focus on health has shifted from ‘passive treatment’ to ‘active prevention.’ They no longer settle for traditional health supplements but seek technology-driven, personalised health management solutions.
Smart Health Wearable Devices: Devices that go beyond basic fitness trackers and offer medical-grade functions such as ECG, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, sleep stage analysis, and non-invasive blood glucose trend monitoring will become mainstream. The industry will transition from a ‘hardware sales’ model to a subscription-based model combining ‘hardware + data + services.’
Personalised nutrition and health management: Platforms that provide customised nutritional supplements, healthy meal plans, and lifestyle recommendations based on biological data such as genetic testing and gut microbiota testing will thrive. AI algorithms will become the core of providing personalised solutions.
Mental Health and Digital Therapies: Online psychological counselling, mindfulness apps (such as Calm and Headspace), and digital therapy products for alleviating anxiety, depression, and other issues will see significant market demand and increasing willingness to pay.
2. ‘Emotional Economy’ and Companion-Based Consumption Industry
Core Drivers: Emotionalisation, Experientialisation
Opportunity Analysis:
The fast-paced and high-pressure urban lifestyle has exacerbated feelings of loneliness and emotional needs, prompting consumers to pay for emotional comfort, spiritual companionship, and social value.
Pet Economy: This is a typical ‘emotional substitute’ and ‘family-oriented’ consumption sector. Opportunities lie not only in pet food but also in pet services (smart feeding, insurance, healthcare, grooming, training, and funeral services) and pet smart home devices (automatic cat litter boxes, smart cameras, GPS trackers).
Trendy Toys and Collectibles Market: Blind boxes, designer toys, models, digital collectibles (NFTs), etc., satisfy young people's emotional needs and social demands through IP culture, community belonging, and collectible value. IP operations and community building are at the core.
Virtual companionship and socialising: This includes AI companions, virtual live streaming, and virtual social games (such as Animal Crossing, a prototype of the ‘metaverse’), providing users with emotional support and new social experiences.
3. Smart Home and Whole-House Intelligence Industry
Core Drivers: Digitalisation, Experience-Oriented, Personalisation
Opportunity Analysis:
The home is no longer merely a place to live but has been reimagined by technology as a personalised space integrating rest, entertainment, work, and health management. Consumers seek more convenient, comfortable, and energy-efficient home experiences.
Whole-Home Smart Solutions: The market for standalone smart products (such as smart light bulbs) has become highly competitive, while integrated design, installation, and after-sales services for whole-home smart solutions have emerged as new growth areas. The key lies in breaking down brand barriers to achieve seamless interoperability between devices (e.g., the development of the Matter protocol).
Smart Appliance Upgrades: Home appliances are becoming fully intelligent and connected. For example, air conditioners that automatically adjust operating modes via AI algorithms, smart refrigerators that recommend recipes based on ingredients, and smart mirrors with integrated audio-visual entertainment functions.
Home Energy Management: With fluctuating electricity prices and growing environmental awareness, demand for home smart energy storage systems, solar system integration, and smart electricity management will increase.
4. Local Living and Instant Retail Industry
Core Drivers: Digitalisation, Experience-Driven (Ultimate Efficiency Experience)
Opportunity Analysis:
Consumers' patience is increasingly limited, and the demand for instant delivery of ‘everything to your doorstep’ has expanded from food delivery to nearly all product categories, with ‘what you want is what you get’ becoming the new standard.
Instant Retail Platforms: Platforms such as Meituan Flash Purchase, JD Daojia, and Eleme will continue to integrate offline retail resources (supermarkets, convenience stores, specialty stores), further expand and densify their delivery networks, and significantly expand product categories.
Deepening of the Front-End Warehouse Model: The pre-distribution warehouse model is no longer limited to fresh produce (e.g., Dingdong Maicai, Pupu Supermarket) but is now being adopted by categories such as cosmetics, baby products, and daily necessities to achieve faster delivery speeds.
Digital Transformation of Offline Retail Stores: Traditional supermarkets and brand stores must transform into ‘pre-distribution warehouses + experience centres,’ using digital tools to manage inventory, process online orders, and provide same-city delivery services. Otherwise, they will face elimination.
5. Silver Economy and Age-Friendly Industry
Core Drivers: Personalisation, Health-Oriented
Opportunity Analysis:
Population ageing is an irreversible trend, but the new generation of elderly consumers has stronger purchasing power, more open-minded attitudes, and higher standards for quality of life, representing a long-underestimated massive market.
Age-friendly Technology Products: User-friendly large-screen smartphones, smartwatches/smartbands with fall detection and SOS call functions, smart wheelchairs for mobility assistance, and adjustable-height toilets, etc.
Senior Tourism and Entertainment: Customised senior travel groups, senior interest classes (photography, calligraphy, painting, dance), online senior universities, etc., to meet spiritual and cultural needs.
Home-based elderly care and nursing services: Professional home nursing, rehabilitation therapy, bathing assistance services, and smart home ageing-friendly renovations (such as installing handrails, anti-slip flooring, and smart alarm systems) have strong market demand.
Overall, future development opportunities will no longer come from demographic dividends, but from ‘value dividends.’ Companies and industries that deeply understand the essence of new consumption models and truly provide consumers with health value, emotional value, convenience value, and personal value through technological, model, or service innovation will be at the forefront of the new era. For entrepreneurs and investors, focusing on leading brands or core technology suppliers in these niche markets will be the key to seizing opportunities.
