New Year's Eve Dinner, New Year's Eve Flowers, and Smart "New Year's Goods" Decorate the Year of the Rabbit
Consumption boosts the taste of the new year
Buying New Year's goods, posting Spring Festival couplets, and giving New Year's gifts... The Spring Festival is approaching, and the streets and alleys are getting more and more New Year's flavor.
As the most important traditional festival in our country, the Spring Festival is not only the bearer of people's deep attachment to home, but also the peak season for annual consumption.
This year's Spring Festival is the first Spring Festival after the optimization and adjustment of the epidemic prevention and control policy. What kind of vitality will be released when traditional shopping demand meets a favorable shopping environment?
What are the new highlights and new trends of the "New Year's goods economy"?
Reporters conducted interviews and reports.
The catering industry welcomes the "turning point" of recovery, and the issuance of consumer coupons in many places stimulates the city's "firework"
"Everyone has worked hard in the past year. This year, many people choose to go home for the New Year, and they want to get together quickly." At noon on January 17, Mr. Chen and his colleagues came to a hot pot restaurant in Haidian District, Beijing for dinner. After waiting in line for nearly half an hour, everyone enjoyed their meal.
The scene of queuing for dine-in food has reappeared, and the number of take-out orders has continued to increase. Recently, the catering industry in various places has ushered in a new wave of consumption boom.
The rapid growth of consumer demand has also boosted the confidence of merchants. Many stores have stepped up stocking and replenishing manpower to welcome a new round of consumption recovery during the Spring Festival holiday.
"Currently, the restaurant's New Year's Eve dinner reservations are very hot, and the private rooms have already been fully booked!" On January 18, Mr. Chen, the lobby manager of Shenzhen Tianruixuan Cantonese Restaurant, introduced that citizens generally book New Year's Eve dinners half a month to a month in advance. , The first round of New Year's Eve dinner is from 15:30 to 18:00, and the second round of guests will be greeted after half an hour.
"This year's Spring Festival is expected to be an inflection point in the recovery of consumption in the industry." said Zhang Shengtao, head of operations at Hu Da Restaurant in Beijing.
"Through recent data such as New Year's Eve dinner reservations, we found that offline consumption has accelerated and online orders have also increased rapidly." Industry insiders predict that around the Spring Festival, it will reach the best state in the past three years.
The reporter learned from the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce that in view of the characteristics of the current consumption gradually picking up and consumer confidence gradually recovering, Chongqing launched the 2023 "Love Chongqing·Welcome Consumption" campaign to promote consumption, and strive to promote business, gather momentum, and save money. Prosper the city and promote the economic growth of commerce and trade to achieve a "good start".
At the same time, give full play to the guiding role of financial funds at the urban and municipal levels, leverage financial institutions, payment platforms and other social funds to jointly issue consumer vouchers and consumer red envelopes, and drive the catering, accommodation, retail, cultural tourism and other industries to extensively carry out discounts, discounts, and full quotas. Decrease and other activities will further stimulate consumption potential and promote consumption replenishment.
On January 17, Guangzhou issued the second round of 10 million yuan consumer coupons, including large-value coupons such as "1001 minus 1000" and "101 minus 100"; on January 14, the first round of 100,000 New Year's The coupons were sold out in just 1 minute and 15 seconds after they went online, and the first write-off order was generated 22 minutes later; on January 11, Tianjin’s second phase of “Jin Tesco” coupons was officially issued, and the establishment of automobile, A total of 115 million yuan will be issued for the four major types of consumer coupons, including home appliances, department store retail, and catering and tourism...
According to incomplete statistics, more than 27 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) have announced the issuance of consumer vouchers this year, covering fashion shopping, catering, cultural tourism and other fields.
The large amount, wide platform, and many types are rare in the Spring Festival in previous years.
"Consumption within a limited time can make consumer vouchers form real purchasing power as soon as possible, and heat up the consumer market." Liang Haiming, dean of the "Belt and Road" Research Institute of Hainan University, told reporters that data shows that issuing electronic consumer vouchers to the public has a stimulating effect on the economy. It is 2 times that of direct cash distribution.
The government's issuance of electronic consumer vouchers can grasp the big data of consumption, keep abreast of the public's consumption preferences and consumption characteristics, dig out the difficulties and pain points that hinder consumption upgrades, and provide data support for the next step of relief measures.
Previous data from business departments in many places shows that consumer coupons have a significant effect on stimulating consumption.
From June to December last year, Hubei Province successively invested 1.259 billion yuan in financial funds to issue consumer vouchers, stimulating consumption by 5.046 billion yuan.
According to calculations by the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce, the 115 million yuan of consumer coupons released this round, combined with discounts and subsidies for companies and platforms, is expected to boost consumption by more than 3.3 billion yuan.
"Reunion banquet" and "full table solution"... Prefabricated dishes that are convenient and easy to operate and restore the flavor of restaurants have become new favorites
With the implementation of the "Class B and B Management" measures and the increase in the number of people returning to their hometowns, this year's Spring Festival major brands' pre-made dishes and New Year's dishes have changed from the previous two years of "Chinese New Year on the spot", "one-person food" and "small family packs". For "reunion banquet", "full seat solution" and so on.
From traditional New Year’s dishes such as pickled meat with preserved vegetables and Sixi meatballs to health-preserving dishes such as pepper pork belly chicken and pepper chicken, pre-made dishes that are easy to operate and restore restaurant flavors have become a new choice for more and more families.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Qiang, who works in Huai'an, Jiangsu, set out on his way home. Unlike previous years, he prepared a New Year gift full of prefabricated vegetables in the trunk of his car.
He told the reporter, "The hotel is full for the New Year's Eve dinner, and the reservations have to be made half a month in advance. This year, I didn't make any reservations. I might as well bring Huaiyang Delicacy home, and I can also make a sumptuous reunion dinner!"
"The state banquet and family banquet series products we developed meet the needs of Chinese New Year reunions, especially the 'Huaiyang Yipin' and 'Buddha Jumping Wall' products, which are deeply loved by customers because of their delicious taste, fresh ingredients, good quality, and safety." According to Best Western Wang Qiangzhong, chairman of the special company, introduced that the pre-made dishes are delicious and convenient. The scientific ingredients and advanced fresh-keeping technology make the New Year's Eve dinner more delicious and simple, allowing family members to have more time to talk warmly.
The "2023 Douyin New Year's Goods Festival" data report shows that Douyin's e-commerce New Year's Eve dinner pre-made dishes have entered the peak of booking early, and sales have increased by 248% over the same period last year.
Among the more than 4,000 pre-made New Year’s Eve dishes that have been launched online, the top five best-selling dishes are: Niannianyouyu koi-shaped eight-treasure rice, Sichuan-style New Year’s Eve dinner set, Buddha jumping over the wall, sea cucumber, abalone and flower maw pot dishes, semi-finished pork belly and chicken soup, Jiaodong Huabobo Rabbit New Year gift box.
Industry insiders said that in the past, the booking peak usually occurred a week before the Spring Festival, but this year it was more than half a month earlier.
"A major feature of this year's New Year's Eve pre-made vegetable market is that it starts early. The major platforms generally start to set up new year's market in mid-December 2022. We found that many consumers plan their New Year arrangements in advance, and the consumption of pre-made vegetables is earlier than platforms and channels. , more active.” The person in charge of Dingdong Maicai’s pre-made dishes introduced.
"At present, young people have mastered the power of family consumption and become the main consumer of New Year's Eve dinner. The characteristics of post-80s and 90s who pursue efficiency and lack confidence in cooking skills are becoming more and more obvious." According to Hema research, "Eating New Year's Eve dinner at home" still It is the mainstream of the Spring Festival, and more than 50% of users will use pre-made dishes.
In 2022, the sales of Hema Workshop's prefabricated dishes will increase by 50% year-on-year.
More and more young people are becoming the leaders of the New Year's Eve dinner, and pre-made dishes have become the better choice.
According to the data, 32% of the respondents "make their own + buy some pre-made dishes", enjoy the fun of cooking ingredients and eat hard dishes; 21% of consumers will directly choose set meal gift boxes, mostly as gifts or Minimize cooking burden and risk of failure.
People regard food as their heaven, and food safety is the first priority. Food safety is the "lifeline" for the healthy development of the prepared vegetable industry.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, the 11th Disciplinary Inspection and Supervision Committee of Huai'an District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province dispatched a disciplinary inspection and supervision team to give full play to the role of a "probe" for supervision, and cooperated with the District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau to go deep into the district's catering companies, large supermarkets, and catering companies to carry out a special project on the safety of prefabricated dishes Supervision, focusing on checking the food business license qualifications of the units involved in the inspection, and systematically testing prepared dishes from food raw material procurement, production, packaging, inspection, storage conditions, and sales.
"We focused on problems such as lack of weight, damaged packaging, and expired food. We conducted on-site spot checks on pre-made dishes in large supermarkets and catering companies. We made a list of the problems we found and handed them over to them on the spot to urge them to make immediate changes. Make sure everyone has a safe and happy year," said Guo Rongliang, head of the discipline inspection and supervision team.
New Year's Eve flowers are popular, New Year's goods are hot, and consumption upgrades decorate the New Year's flavor
"The flower market has been very lively recently, and my father and I are almost overwhelmed. Now that the living standard has improved, the festival flowers with festive colors and auspicious meanings have also been included in the list of many people's New Year's purchases. Like this "good luck" It’s very popular if you come here, and it’s a good start for the New Year.” On the eve of the Spring Festival, the Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, Yunnan was crowded with people, and a stall owner pointed to the flowers in front of him and enthusiastically introduced them.
The Spring Festival is approaching and the taste of the New Year is strong. Going to Dounan Flower Market to buy fresh flowers and potted flowers has become an important "ceremony" for Spring City people before the New Year.
According to the staff, all kinds of narcissus, red flowers and orchid flowers are currently favored by consumers, implying wealth, prosperity, auspiciousness and harmony.
Seven out of every 10 flowers across the country come from the Dounan Flower Market.
With the recovery of the market, the Dounan flower market is booming.
Merchants have made simultaneous efforts online and offline, and have prepared goods reserves in advance to welcome the peak sales season of the Spring Festival. At the same time, they have used platforms such as Douyin to expand sales channels, and there are voices of live broadcasts in the market.
"This year, more people go home to visit relatives and friends for the holidays. Weddings are also the peak around the Chinese New Year. The demand for flowers is very high, and our orders have also increased. I want to take advantage of these few days to replenish the stock." The wholesale florist said.
Citrus such as jelly oranges, tangerines, tangerines, red pomelo, etc. are selling well, and cherries, strawberries, durians, etc. have also become regular customers on the purchase list of citizens' new year goods... Entering the peak period of new year's goods purchases, Beijing Xinfadi market has started from Major fruit-producing areas across the country have stored and transported sufficient fruit, and the market volume of fruit has remained at around 12,000 tons in recent days.
On January 17, on the opening day of the first Xinfadi New Year’s Goods Festival, the transaction volume reached 105,000 tons, with a transaction value of 726 million yuan, which greatly enriched the citizens’ dining table for the Spring Festival.
According to the person in charge of the Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market, there are 4,500 merchants in the Xinfadi market. During the Spring Festival this year, 2,000 merchants stayed in the market and increased their reserves in the production area to ensure that the "vegetable basket" and "fruit plate" in the capital during the Spring Festival.
With the changes of the times, the definition of New Year’s goods is not limited to New Year’s Eve dinners, New Year’s Eve flowers, etc., and the purchase of New Year’s goods does not necessarily have to be done in supermarkets.
In the "New Year's Shopping Festival" activities of major e-commerce platforms, sales of food, beauty, home, entertainment and other categories have soared.
Data from Taobao and Tmall show that products containing "rabbit" have grown significantly, and couplets, red envelopes, lanterns, and Chinese knots have become "standard items" for Spring Festival consumption.
Judging from the statistical report of the Tmall New Year’s Festival, consumers’ shopping directions are mainly focused on improving immunity, caring for health, smart companionship, cute pet healing, immersive home, cloud life, suburban social, retro trend and cultural confidence, etc. aspect.
Among home furnishing products, projectors, mini bars, and health teas rank among the top three in terms of sales; liftable desks, ergonomic chairs, and small inkless printers have become the "new three major items" in the office industry.
In the context of consumption upgrades, smart products have become a new choice in the "New Year's goods list", and trendy smart products such as sweeping robots, window cleaning robots, and drones have been on the sales list of New Year's goods.
"From the perspective of young people, the concept of New Year's goods is no longer about eating and drinking, but about a happy experience." Industry insiders believe that in order to attract more young consumers in the booming new consumer market, it is necessary to vigorously promote The supply structure is optimized to guide brands to actively innovate.
The online and offline shopping carts are full, which is the portrayal of the booming "New Year's goods economy".
In 2023, China's economy will improve as a whole, and the consumer market is expected to recover gradually
"In 2023, we have full confidence in China's consumer market." On January 17, Kang Yi, director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said at the press conference of the State Council Information Office that as the epidemic prevention and control enters a new stage, normal production and living order will resume The expansion of offline and offline consumption scenarios is accelerating, and the consumption market is expected to recover gradually.
According to Kang Yi, at the end of last year, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a medium- and long-term planning plan for expanding consumption and expanding domestic demand, which will provide convenience for expanding the domestic market, promoting consumption, expanding employment, increasing income, improving income distribution, and improving the pattern of income distribution. In order to optimize consumption scenarios, a series of arrangements have been made to combine the expansion of domestic demand with the deepening of supply-side structural reforms.
The implementation of these consumption-promoting policies will continuously improve the consumption capacity of residents, and the consumption market and consumption scale will both recover and increase steadily.
When consumption is active, the economy is active, and when consumption is prosperous, cities are prosperous.
The Central Economic Work Conference in 2022 proposed: "Put priority on restoring and expanding consumption. Enhance consumption capacity, improve consumption conditions, and innovate consumption scenarios."
Expanding domestic demand in the domestic consumer market is one of the priorities of this year's work.
Talking about the Chinese consumer market this year, Kang Yi summarized several favorable conditions: First, the consumption potential of Chinese residents is huge.
Second, offline consumption and service consumption are gradually recovering.
Third, new consumption hotspots are constantly emerging.
Fourth, stable employment and increased income are conducive to stimulating consumption.
"In 2023, China's economy will definitely improve as a whole. When the economy improves, employment will improve accordingly, and residents' income will also increase accordingly, which will effectively drive the improvement of residents' consumption ability and willingness to consume." Kang Yi said.
"Consumption depends on two factors, one is purchasing power, and the other is the desire to purchase." Su Jian, director of the National Economic Research Center of Peking University, believes that "to promote consumption from the root, we must rely on the government's external force to achieve stable growth and stable employment. Regardless of Whether it is through fiscal policy, monetary policy, or foreign trade, only when the economy grows and people’s income increases will they enter a virtuous circle of consumption growth.”
"In the three years of the epidemic, under the call of 'don't return to your hometown if it is not necessary' and 'advocate local Chinese New Year', many people who have worked hard outside have not returned home for the New Year for two or three years. This year is the first time after the optimization and adjustment of the epidemic prevention and control policy. The Spring Festival is also a peak consumption season in the process of economic recovery." Su Jian said.
According to Su Jian, the Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival. Visiting relatives and friends is indispensable for family reunion. Consumer demand mainly focuses on food, clothing, etc. In addition, some families will choose to arrange weddings during the Spring Festival, and the consumption of home appliances and furniture will also increase. has grown.
In addition, with the relaxation of travel policies, the tourism industry will also accelerate its recovery.
"The best way to promote festival consumption is the government's tax cuts and enterprises and merchants' price cuts." Su Jian told reporters that consumers are the most sensitive to prices, and it is suggested that the government cooperate with enterprises and merchants on some important festivals such as the Spring Festival to stimulate short-term consumption. The prices of commodities such as daily necessities, home appliances, automobiles and tourism products will be substantially reduced, while the government will reduce or exempt relevant taxes for enterprises and merchants participating in price reductions.
On the one hand, it can reduce the cost of merchants and enterprises, allowing them to reduce prices, and finally stimulate consumption with attractive price concessions; on the other hand, it can directly bind consumption and get twice the result with half the effort.
Foreign media have generally paid attention to the continued recovery of Chinese consumption.
Even as growth in other major economies is slowing sharply, China could offer an attractive domestic demand-driven recovery story, according to Bloomberg.
The US Consumer News and Business Channel commented that as China continues to optimize its epidemic prevention policies, the Chinese economy is bound to usher in a strong rebound. "In the next 10 years, China will become a consumer market with stronger growth."
Author: Our reporter Guan Xiaopu