China has yet to produce a retailer with the authority, bargaining power, and brand aggregation capabilities of Sephora, Space NK, or Ulta Beauty. The reasons are structural, historical, and deeply linked to how China’s beauty economy developed.

The absence of subscription models in China is not due to technological limitations or lack of platform capability. Instead, it is rooted in deep structural differences: ● China skipped credit cards ● Consumers distrust auto-pay ● Brand loyalty is low ● Promotions dominate shopping behavior ● Consumers prefer high control and flexibility

Known as a “club for China’s middle class,” Sam's Club, one the most successful foreign retailers in China, sparked controversy by introducing more mass-market domestic snack brands - products that consumers noted were already widely available in regular supermarkets or even roadside convenience stores.

China’s largest trading card company, Kayou (卡游), holds the licenses for hits like Ultraman and My Little Pony. According to its IPO prospectus, the company generated 10 billion RMB (≈1.4B USD) in revenue in 2024, with a staggering net margin exceeding 40%.

Summer is peak travel season in China. But beyond theme parks and scenic landmarks, a new type of destination is capturing attention: factory tours. Increasingly, manufacturing companies are opening their production lines to the public, charging admission fees, and transforming their industrial sites into tourism destinations.

In China's consumer market, paying for  brand merchandise (品牌周边)  is no longer a niche hobby, but fast becoming mainstream. Shoppers are...

In recent years, a fascinating cultural shift has swept across China’s consumer landscape — the rise of mystical consumption. More than just superstition, this trend reflects a deep yearning among young people for meaning, comfort, and hope in uncertain times.

A recent social media trend in China has taken the internet by storm: “经济上行的美” — the aesthetics of economic upturn . On Xiaohongshu...

In China’s hyper-competitive consumer market,  price wars  are no longer isolated incidents—they are now business as usual. In the...

Earlier this week, I walked past a pop-up booth inside a mall near our office in Shenzhen. It wasn’t a skincare launch, fashion flash...