Trendy, fun, and individual...
The market turns into a trend gathering place, and young fashionistas fall in love with the big market
During the National Day holiday, the 24-year-old illustrator Alan (pseudonym) did not take a break, but took his own "Wonderful Three Minutes" to a market event in Chengdu, and opened the "Live Painting Little Head" again. "Skills.
Bringing his own designed accessories to Beijing from Shenzhen, Shi Yao, the manager of the "Shiyao Original" brand, started a 7-day market tour in Beijing's 798 Art District...
The reporter visited and found that market activities like Alan and Shi Yao's participation have become a favorite "trend gathering place" for young people who flaunt their individuality and fashion.
In the market, young people can not only buy trendy items and novelties, but also taste niche coffee, hand-baked food, and even enjoy a musical performance after nightfall.
According to incomplete statistics, from the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday to the National Day, dozens of markets with different themes were held in different neighborhoods and shopping malls in Beijing alone. Young people who love to share even clicked and swiped pictures on social platforms. Screen.
Unlike the older generation’s catch-up fairs, traditional bazaars are in line with fashion, and they become what young people like.
Personality, fun, fun, everything can be marketed
"The market is not only fun, but you can also buy things that are completely different from those in the mall, especially niche and individual things. You can see and try them on in person to know if it's right for you."
When I was traveling in Beijing during the holiday, I happened to encounter the "Mid-Autumn Limited" market hosted by Woodcuttock. Wang Huan and his friends came to "check in".
Here, she not only bought a few uniquely designed necklaces, tasted niche internet celebrity coffee, but also harvested a personal portrait in front of Alan's booth, which was replaced with a WeChat portrait on the spot.
This is also the first time Alan has come to Beijing from Chengdu to participate in the market.
After graduating from university, her plan to study abroad was temporarily suspended due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic. In order to do "what she likes" during the "gap period", she began to run around the markets in major cities as an illustrator and also designed her own booth. "Wonderful Three Points" name.
Sitting in front of a well-decorated booth, Alan likes to draw cartoon heads for guests face to face. This is also her "unique trick". "At the market, in order to ensure the quality of creation, we will control 20 to 25 orders every day. Getting to know many like-minded friends has also become a new way of my life and social life."
Shaanxi male teacher Yao, born in 1995, often brings his original designed necklaces, rings, ornaments and other products to and from major cities to participate in market activities.
"Since the studio was established in 2017 for original design, we usually run 20 or 30 bazaars every year. The sales in the bazaar can account for one-third of the annual sales." Shi Yao told China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily The reporter said that for original design brands, young people are often more "tempted" to try them offline than to look at pictures online.
"Many young people hope that their clothes or accessories have storytelling and uniqueness, and use different clothes to show their individuality. Original designers, artists, etc. observe the world from their personal perspectives, and extract beautiful meanings and present them in their works. This will be especially loved by young people."
Post-95s and post-00s are becoming the mainstay of the fashion consumer market, and their consumption habits have also undergone earth-shaking changes.
Reporters have observed in many market activities in Beijing that products that are trendy, interesting, and even have stories are often welcomed by young people.
At the above-mentioned "Mid-Autumn Limited" market, Xiao Cheng, who came to the market with his girlfriend, told the China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter that because he has a lot of research on insects, he loves the painting of violin insect specimens that he has just started. "The stall owner also told me where these insects were caught, which is very interesting."
His girlfriend likes to drink coffee and did not hesitate to buy a pair of ear studs at the original coffee bean handmade jewelry nearby.
During the National Day holiday, at the market held in Beijing’s 798 Art Center Plaza, Beijing girl Chen Shuang and her friends bought handmade aroma candlesticks. They told the China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily reporter: “I like the shape of the candles, and I prefer the stalls. The candle advertised by the Lord's concept of'refusal of body anxiety'."
Why do young people like to go to the market?
Alan believes that contemporary young people like to take photos and punch cards, and they want to go to different places in different ways. They are both interesting and trendy, and they can also find unique items to show their differences.
"Even if you can't find what you like, take a picture, eat something and go home, it's a happy day."
Niche brands come together to "test the waters" at the market
Driving a modified RV, Wang Yifan, the founder of Split Coffee, participated in many fairs this year.
Since the registration of the Split Coffee brand in July 2020, the physical coffee shops that have been stagnant due to the epidemic have turned into "go and go, stop and stop" coffee carts.
For Wang Yifan, participating in more market activities means more opportunities for brand promotion in front of young people.
"At present, if you want to get the brand recognized, whether you make money or not is not the main factor." He said, for example, in the market that participated in the "May 1st" period, sales were basically the same as manpower, booth fees, material costs and other expenses. .
However, to his surprise, "loyal customers" have begun to appear. "Some young people will come to have a cup of coffee when they see updates on my circle of friends and promotion on other social platforms."
As a trendy gathering place for young people, the market has become a testing ground for niche brands.
Many brands are here to contact the young people's market, explore their preferred directions, and continue to adjust and innovate.
When Shi Yao started designing jewelry, he also tried to use bronze and other uniquely shaped silver ornaments, but the acceptance was not high among young people.
"In 2018, I designed a space-themed hand-carved silver jewelry, but it is very popular. This has become one of the main directions of the current brand. There are currently more than 60 products."
With the opening of its popularity, the "Shiyao Original" brand also has a physical store in Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town Creative Culture Park.
But he is still willing to personally come to the large-scale markets in various cities, and each product must be polished personally, "I can't live up to my design, and let young people feel their own hearts."
However, Shi Yao said frankly that as an original designer, “it is a good thing that products can be recognized in the market, but I have to continue to incorporate new designs and ideas, and continue to innovate and upgrade”.
Wang Yifan also observed that today’s bazaars not only allow young people to get in touch with more brands in one place, but there are even more focused themed bazaars such as coffee, burgers, toys, etc. “For example, the coffee youth festival I participated in before, It not only allows everyone to taste enough at a time, but also allows brands to learn from each other, so that young people can experience hand-made coffee by themselves, and everyone can gather around and wait for a cup of coffee to have the atmosphere."
Unlike some super chain coffee brands, Wang Yifan believes that the addition of niche brands gives young people more choices.
"The'ingenuity' of niche brands is a major feature, and they are pursuing their own creativity. In the industry, there are many niche coffee brand owners who are both avant-garde and dare to innovate in taste, making coffee a'check-in single product' 'And'social drinks'".
In Alan's view, hand-painted avatars in the market are more to attract customers, and the key lies in the subsequent conversion of customer sources.
"In the past few years, I have also begun to draw illustrations for some companies and individuals. From continuous participation in the market for preliminary exploration, now the main thing is to screen the source of customers. I will increase the price and receive the big manuscript to make my own time consuming and The value is more matched".
What’s interesting is that when the reporter visited, they found that every original brand’s booth was hung with QR codes of various online sales platforms. It will not be possible to buy offline in the future, and you can continue to buy it at outlets.
"The bazaar is a good way to meet offline, but online sales are also an important form of complementarity."
How can the market format go further
It can not only attract young people to come, but also convene a group of original brands to participate. In recent years, the market format has "flowered" all over the country.
Not only are many shopping malls and art centers keen to increase passenger flow through the bazaar, professional bazaar platforms such as Woodcock are also constantly appearing.
They are committed to building an open platform, promoting consumer brands, and hoping to discover interesting people behind consumer culture.
Ms. Fang, the brand leader of Xiamen Hongding Art Community, who has been participating in and observing the market format for a long time, told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that they hope to build an aggregation platform so that scattered niche brands or independent designers can quickly test and market Customers can also purchase a variety of unique products on the same platform. "The brand value of the market is very high. We are also willing to contact talented independent designers from all over the country. They can rely on the market. Only by getting customers and resources, and no longer worrying about livelihood, can I stick to my talents and devote more attention to art and culture."
But unlike shopping malls hosting free markets, such professional markets often charge entrance fees and booth fees for the stall owners.
The form of "two-way charging" makes some young people puzzled.
However, both Alan and Shi Yao believe that "The market is no longer a primary version of a table and a bench. The professional market platform has professional curators who will unify the overall event materials, brand promotion, etc. Planning and participating in the market don’t have to worry about publicity and passenger flow. The organizer spends a lot of manpower, material resources and venue rent. The charges are understandable. The problem is mainly how to judge and formulate the charging standards."
Wang Yifan also believes that the charges are reasonable. "The hosting team also has operating costs. At present, the tickets for the charging market are less than 100 yuan, which is not very expensive. As long as the limit on the charges to consumers is controlled in the future, everyone will feel that it is worthwhile. NS".
"Ticket fees will screen out young people who are really interested in the market and willing to spend. Even if the painting process requires waiting or taking a break, the guests will express their understanding, which makes me very touched." Alan also admitted that she has paid the most expensive The booth rent is 1,700 yuan per day. The market charges 70 yuan for each guest. However, the organizer has not done a good job in the corresponding venue services and epidemic prevention and control plans. "Because the ticket sales did not control the number, the event The crowd was too dense. Due to the epidemic prevention and control requirements, the current limit on the last day caused the market to end prematurely; even during the exhibition, there were unexpected situations such as power outages. We are very disappointed".
In addition to the organizer’s self-consideration of the charging standards, Ms. Fang also believes that under the flourishing market format, consumers and niche brands are increasingly demanding the market. “On the one hand, if the market cannot change With tricks and innovations, it is difficult to attract more high-quality resources when the market is becoming saturated; on the other hand, the number of high-quality and original brands is still small, leading to the emergence of homogeneity problems in many markets. Although the market is developing now Stable, but how to develop in the long-term requires the joint efforts of all parties to continuously screen and cultivate good brands to provide young people with more choices."
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Meng Peipei Wen and photo Source: China Youth Daily