Personalization and diversification have become important development trends
Market segmentation to leverage consumption potential (economic focus)
Our reporter Lin Lili
"People's Daily" (10th edition on August 11, 2021)
Core reading
At present, the momentum of consumption recovery continues to strengthen.
Among them, various new consumer groups continue to emerge, and personalized and diversified market segments are developing rapidly, showing strong consumption power.
With the increasing number of consumer market segments, the production organization on the supply side is changing accordingly, and companies focusing on the needs of segmented groups will usher in more development opportunities.
In the first half of the year, the economy continued to recover steadily, with steady improvement, the momentum of consumption recovery continued to increase, and some consumption-upgraded commodities maintained rapid growth.
"Behind the consumption upgrade, market segmentation is becoming more and more obvious, and personalized and diversified consumption will become an important trend in consumption growth." said Zhao Ping, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Research Institute.
Relevant research reports show that the economy of many sub-groups such as young people in small towns, female consumers, and elderly consumers have entered the trillion-yuan market, releasing strong consumption potential.
Various consumer groups continue to emerge
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go to the link!" With the host's password, Yan Shi, a resident of Zhangcun Town, Weihai City, Shandong Province, quickly clicked the link to place an order.
"I like fitness. I just bought a fascia gun. This is a new product I saw in the live broadcast room. It is also convenient to live in a small town and to shop. When I am fine at night, I will check the live broadcast for some prices. It's very affordable, and there are many detailed introductions of new products."
In recent years, young people in small towns have shown a strong willingness to consume.
According to the analysis of the "Small Town Youth Consumption Research Report" released by "Liaowang" News Weekly in 2020, compared with first- and second-tier cities, the rigid cost of living of residents in small cities is lower in their disposable income, and many factors make them more willing to consume and more capable. Consumption.
Not only is the consumption demand of young people in small towns strong, but various new consumer groups continue to emerge in my country.
Zhao Ping said: "On the whole, the current consumer market is becoming more and more segmented. In the process of consumption upgrade, the market is divided mainly based on multiple dimensions such as geography, family stage, gender, and income. Among them, single groups and female consumers And elderly consumers belong to a typical segmented consumer group."
Rent a single apartment, order "food for one person" takeaway, watch videos at home after get off work, and listen to online classes on weekends. Yang Yang, a 35-year-old resident of Yangpu District, Shanghai, has lived in Shanghai like this for 12 years.
A report by a research institution shows that 42% of single consumer groups like Yang Yang are willing to spend for themselves, which is higher than the proportion of 27% of non-single consumers. The consumption potential of single groups should not be underestimated.
During holidays, major e-commerce platforms must launch special marketing activities for different groups of people to stimulate consumption.
Before and after Women's Day this year, e-commerce platforms have fully tapped the consumption potential of women.
The sales of more than 20,000 brands on an e-commerce platform increased by more than 100% year-on-year, and the sales of fashion home makeup kits on an e-commerce platform increased by 13 times year-on-year.
Before and after Children's Day, sales of children's boxing gloves, children's motorcycle helmets, sports balance bikes, travel safety seats, and camping tents increased significantly.
In addition, the consumer market focusing on serving the elderly has also begun to grow rapidly.
The change in life concepts and the improvement of living standards have made the consumption structure and consumption needs of the elderly generally present trends such as quality, diversification, individualization, and convenience.
Relevant departments predict that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the country's elderly population will exceed 300 million, and the consumption of this group also has great potential.
Consumption upgrade drives consumption segmentation
“In the past, it was practical to buy things, but now we have to choose whether the quality is good or not.” said Zhuo Ben, a resident of Tangyuan County, Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province. For example, whether the noise is loud, it is inconvenient to clean, whether there is an air purification function, etc. This year, I plan to replace the air conditioner at home so that parents can use new products."
"As the information learned by going out to work or through the Internet becomes more comprehensive and cutting-edge, young people in small towns have a significant increase in demand for quality consumption. At present, the home appliance industry is in a period of transformation and development, and intelligence and health have become home appliances consumption in the county and township markets. New label.” said the person in charge of an e-commerce platform.
Ren Xingzhou, a researcher at the Institute of Market Economy of the Development Research Center of the State Council, believes that consumption upgrades are manifested in the higher quality requirements of any consumer group.
In the process of upgrading, market segmentation becomes more and more important. In the future, whoever draws consumer portraits more specific and appropriate will develop faster.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first half of the year, the national online retail sales of physical goods increased by 18.7% year-on-year, and the growth rate was 4.4 percentage points higher than the same period last year; the two-year average growth rate was 16.5%, 1.1 percentage points faster than the first quarter.
From the perspective of the development of the postal express delivery industry, which is closely related to online shopping, as of the beginning of July this year, my country's express delivery business volume exceeded 50 billion pieces, which is close to the business volume of 2018.
Online retail is growing rapidly, accumulating a large amount of consumption data.
"Through these data, we can see the precise classification of consumer groups. For example, young people's consumption is more diversified, and their consumption orientation is more social. These characteristics are very obvious." said Li Mingtao, director of the China International Electronic Commerce Center Research Institute.
Promote the matching of supply and demand in market segments
At present, there are more and more subdivided groups in the consumer market in my country. To meet the individualized and subdivided needs of these consumers, the production organization on the supply side will also change accordingly, and more companies focusing on the needs of subdivided groups will usher in more Development Opportunities.
The person in charge of the product research and development department of Liangpinpu said: "Now standardized products are difficult to meet the different needs of consumers. We do addition with one hand, and subtraction with the other. Add functionality to the needs of subdivided groups of people, for pregnant women, pregnant women, children, and the elderly. Provide specific products; reduce sugar, oil, and salt at the same time, "subtract" additives such as flavors and colors, and pay more attention to the nutrition and health of food."
Many businesses have also captured business opportunities from single groups: "one person eating barbecue" and "one person eating hot pot" are very popular; the sales of small and multi-functional small appliances are growing rapidly in the home appliance market; the rental demand for small single apartment apartments Strong; traditional merchants have also launched small-packaged products, 1 kg of rice, 500 ml of edible oil, etc.
However, some businesses use segmentation as a marketing gimmick.
Some products for infants, children and the elderly only change their appearance, but there is no difference in internal functions.
For example, as long as some products are tainted with the word "children", their prices are much higher, but they do not necessarily have special functions for children.
Experts said that the emergence of new consumer groups deserves corporate attention.
But only by truly understanding the consumer needs of different groups, adjusting products and services, and promoting the matching of supply and demand, can we better tap the consumption potential.
Zhao Ping suggested that manufacturing companies can improve their supply chain systems, use big data systems to carry out C2M (User Direct Manufacturing) reverse customization, and fully realize digitalization and networking in product development, price setting, channel selection, and advertising promotion. , Improve consumer satisfaction.