Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-01-15 Origin: Site
Market size growth
2022: 1.63 trillion yuan
2024: 2.31 trillion yuan
2025: 2.72 trillion yuan
2029 projection: Exceed 4.5 trillion yuan
Core coverage: Trendy toys, shopping, cultural tourism, pets, technology, catering, etc.
Definition: Consumption behavior centered on pleasing oneself, caring for inner feelings and achieving emotional satisfaction, transcending basic living needs to pursue spiritual value.
Micro-level shift: From collective identity to individual expression, with consumption as a self-narration medium via social media, such as checking in at internet-famous restaurants, collecting niche brands and blind boxes.
Macro social changes
Middle-income group in China exceeded 400 million by 2024, focusing more on experience and self-fulfillment than material possession.
Urbanization leads to interpersonal alienation; single economy and miniaturized families drive people to seek connection through consumption.
78.6% of respondents recognize consumption for oneself as important self-care (2023 Social Mentality Survey Report).
Value standard reshaping: From cost-effectiveness and practicality to emotional value and aesthetic experience.
Market scale
2026: 312.6 billion yuan (China’s urban pet consumption market)
2028 projection: Exceed 400 billion yuan
Core attributes linking to self-pleasure consumption
Emotional comfort: Pet interaction reduces stress and promotes oxytocin secretion, compensating for emotional gaps in interpersonal relationships.
Anthropomorphic consumption: Full categories of pet clothing, birthday cakes, photography and hotels, reflecting pet owners’ recognition of pets as family members (91.2% of post-90s pet owners view pets as children/family).
Social currency function: Sharing pet daily content builds personal image and gains social recognition in an atomized society.
Tech-driven consumption: Rising sales of smart feeders, litter boxes and cameras; booming pet-friendly cafes, restaurants and tour groups expand pet consumption scenarios.
Current challenges: Balancing human emotional needs with pet welfare; standardizing derivative services like pet medical care, insurance and funeral services.
Future trends
Shift from human-centered to human-pet mutual satisfaction, emphasizing scientific, ethical and sustainable consumption.
Emergence of new forms such as VR pets and AI companions to expand the emotional economy boundary.
