China’s consumer market is continuing to evolve, with consumers placing greater importance on quality, experience, personalization, and emotional value. For global brands, understanding these changes is becoming increasingly important when developing a China Marketing Strategy or planning market expansion.
The latest data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that from January to August 2026, total retail sales of consumer goods reached RMB 32.76 trillion, up 1.1% year on year. More importantly, retail sales of services grew 4.9%, significantly faster than goods retail sales, while online retail sales of goods and services increased 4.6%.
This points to a broader shift: Chinese consumers are not simply buying more products. They are increasingly spending on services, experiences, quality, and products that match their individual needs.
Chinese Consumer Behavior Is Becoming More Experience-Driven
One of the most notable changes in Chinese Consumer Behavior is the growing importance of experience.
According to recent analysis published by People’s Daily, consumers are increasingly moving from functional consumption toward experience-oriented consumption, with greater attention to emotional value, social sharing, cultural experiences, and personalized services.
This is also reflected in the growth of service consumption. From January to August 2026, China’s service retail sales increased 4.9%, 3.9 percentage points faster than goods retail sales. Tourism, leisure, sports, and cultural services remained among the areas showing relatively strong demand.
For global brands, this means that Chinese Shopping Habits should not be understood only through product purchases. Consumers may also be looking for the experience surrounding a product—from how they discover it to how they interact with the brand and how the purchase fits into their lifestyle.
Young Chinese Consumers Are Paying for Emotional Value
Young consumers are also reshaping what people consider worth buying.
A recent People’s Daily report described a shift among younger consumers from focusing primarily on “value for money” toward what it called “emotional value”—spending on products and experiences that provide enjoyment, personal expression, companionship, or a sense of connection. Examples include collectibles, beauty products, flowers, concerts, travel experiences, and cultural products.
This does not mean that young consumers have stopped caring about price. Rather, their purchasing decisions can increasingly combine practical value with emotional and experiential value.
For brands targeting Chinese Gen Z consumers, Chinese Millennials, and young consumers in China, this creates opportunities to build products and marketing campaigns around identity, lifestyle, community, and personal interests rather than relying only on functional product benefits.
Chinese Consumers Are Looking for More Than Products
Another important development is the growing expectation for quality and service.
The latest national consumption data shows that several categories with stronger growth include communications equipment, cosmetics, cultural and office products, as well as smart, green, and health-related products. From January to August, retail sales of communications equipment, cosmetics, and cultural and office products increased 16.3%, 6.1%, and 6.0%, respectively.
At the same time, demand is becoming increasingly diversified.
A September 2026 Xinhua report on China's new consumption brands noted that consumers are increasingly focusing on their own needs and that personalized demand is creating opportunities for smaller, more specialized brands. The report also highlighted the growing integration of goods and services, with service consumption becoming an important area for consumption innovation.
For international brands, this means that simply offering a globally successful product may not be enough. Brands need to understand what Chinese consumers want, why they want it, and what type of experience they expect around the purchase.
How Chinese Consumers Discover Brands Is Changing
The consumer journey is also becoming more complex.
Consumers increasingly encounter brands through social media, user-generated content, recommendations, digital advertising, and online communities before moving toward purchase.
A September 2026 Xinhua report on the 2026 Kantar BrandZ China Top 100 found that 60% of consumers surveyed use AI to assist with purchase decisions. The report described a shift from a traditional “exposure → search → decision” process toward an “exposure → search + AI recommendation → decision” path. It also noted that social media user content, official brand channels, and real-world product experiences remain important touchpoints before purchase.
For brands, this makes How Chinese Consumers Discover Brands an increasingly important question.
Being visible is only the first step. Brands also need to build credible content, consumer reviews, social proof, and consistent brand information across digital touchpoints.
Chinese Shopping Behavior Is Becoming More Digital and Diverse
Digital consumption continues to play an important role in the Chinese market.
From January to August 2026, online retail sales of goods and services reached RMB 13.48 trillion, up 4.6% year on year. Online goods retail sales increased 4.3%, while online service retail sales increased 5.1%.
At the same time, new retail formats are continuing to develop. Recent data cited by Xinhua shows that membership warehouses and unmanned retail stores both recorded growth of more than 25% during the first eight months of 2026, while instant retail continued to grow at a double-digit rate.
This means that How Chinese Consumers Shop Online is no longer a question of simply choosing between online and offline. Consumers increasingly move between social content, e-commerce, local services, physical stores, and digital experiences.
What Overseas Brands Should Know About Chinese Consumers
For international brands entering or expanding in China, several consumer trends deserve particular attention:
1. Consumers are increasingly experience-oriented
Product quality remains important, but services, experiences, emotional value, and personalization are becoming stronger parts of the consumption decision.
2. Younger consumers are redefining value
Chinese Gen Z and Millennials may evaluate brands through a combination of price, quality, identity, emotional connection, and lifestyle relevance.
3. Digital discovery is part of the customer journey
Social media, user-generated content, reviews, recommendations, and increasingly AI-assisted discovery can influence how consumers research brands.
4. Personalization creates opportunities for niche brands
As consumer needs become more diverse, brands with clearly defined positioning and products designed around specific consumer interests can find new opportunities.
5. Online and offline experiences need to work together
Consumers may discover a brand online, research it through social content, visit a physical store, and continue engaging with the brand digitally after purchase.
For overseas retailers, luxury brands, FMCG companies, and consumer brands from South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and Hong Kong, understanding these changes can provide a stronger foundation for building a localized China Marketing Strategy.
Turn China Consumer Insights into Marketing Opportunities with NEXUS
Understanding Chinese consumers is only the first step. The next challenge is turning China Consumer Insights into an actionable marketing strategy.
NEXUS helps international brands connect market research, consumer insights, localized content, digital advertising, and social media marketing through an integrated China marketing approach.
NeAxis — Provides China Market Research, consumer insights, market analysis, and localization strategy to help brands understand Chinese consumers before entering or expanding in the market.
NeVex — Supports localized content and influencer marketing across platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin, helping brands connect with Chinese consumers through relevant content and creator recommendations.
NeFlux — Uses data-driven audience targeting and digital advertising to help brands reach relevant consumer segments and connect awareness with measurable marketing outcomes.
Whether your goal is to understand Chinese Consumer Trends, improve your China Digital Marketing strategy, or learn How Chinese Consumers Discover Brands and Shop Online, NEXUS helps global brands turn consumer insights into localized marketing strategies and growth opportunities in China.