Where does China's luxury goods consumption wind blow?

"The savior of the global luxury market"? "The world's second largest luxury consumer market"? The developing China is "luxury" and it is somewhat embarrassing. The world's top luxury brands are more gorgeous and fashionable, but does China's deep and thick land have multiple bearing capacity?

China's luxury goods consumption: Where does the wind blow?

Last month, a research report of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences came out and caused some heated discussions.

This "Commercial Blue Book: China Business Development Report (2009-2010)" shows that as of last year, China's total luxury consumption has increased to US$9.4 billion with a global share of 27.5%, and for the first time surpassed the United States to become the second largest in the world. Luxury consumer countries. The Blue Book also made predictions that in the next five years, the Chinese luxury goods market will occupy the top position in global luxury spending.

The fact that luxury goods are consuming large countries has attracted luxury brands such as LV, CHANEL, and GUCCI to step up to the Chinese market. The latest news is that at Louis Vuitton Champs-Elysees in Paris, there was even a pair of mahjong tiles custom-made for the Chinese by LV.

In 2007, the American film "The Devil Wears PRADA" was released. Between the hurried transitions of the camera, the world's top designer clothes, cosmetics, and automobiles appeared one by one, showing a fashion "mainstream world" of lively fragrance. Immediately after, the original author Lauren? Weisberger launched its sister version of the "New York Party Season", which showcases the daily lives of fashion elites. The rhythmic but exciting world of light and shadow has become a major element in attracting young people.

The advocating, interpreting and chasing of the brand not only led the topic of the Chinese white-collar workers and the middle-class and above, but also guided their consumer life. Publisher Li Bo thinks: “These novels with descriptions of luxury goods and fashion scenes provide contemporary young people with a model of living in society. This is exactly what they need.”

Pang Lei (a pseudonym) is a second-year graduate student in the economic news department of Beijing Technology and Business University. Several female students in the same dormitory have different economic conditions and different spending power. "Some classmates don't have a top-brand object, but it doesn't mean that this is not her concern. I think that for modern girls, paying attention to famous brands represents a kind of life attitude." There is a market in her professional class. Marketing class, where you learned about luxury content. Therefore, she has more emotional perception. "Also need to buy a handbag, in the case of their own purchasing power, you can choose a few hundred dollars, you can also choose more expensive. But those internationally renowned brand handbags are of high quality, appearance, skillful, beautiful, more easily let people never forget "It is an art appreciation," she thinks.

Now, in the Italian and French Pavilions of the Shanghai World Expo, the display of the history and development process of luxury brands such as top sports cars, fashion and accessories has enabled people to get acquainted with these luxury products at close quarters, which also reduces the sense of mystery in the heart. “To a certain extent, this is a good thing. It can promote an equal consumer culture awareness in Chinese society, rather than having luxury goods to prove that they are different.” Wang Xiaohui, School of Fashion, University of London, UK After graduating from a master's degree in luxury market management, she told reporters that everyone wanted something that was not easily available to others. Nowadays, Chinese people are pursuing a luxury product. In fact, they are pursuing self-confidence and emotional satisfaction.

Misunderstanding Wang Xiaohui once worked in the CHANEL shop in the UK for a period of time. She has a deep understanding of the fashion consumption of Chinese consumers. “After some wealthy people from mainland China enter the store, they don’t ask, 'Which is the latest in this season?' 'Is this color suitable for me?' Instead, he asks without hesitation, 'Which is the most expensive?' ”

“They are mostly out of a state of mind to show off in front of their domestic friends and relatives.” She believes that ordinary Europeans will not choose particularly expensive luxury goods, so in their eyes, they do not understand the Chinese people's consumption habits. "For the cultural connotation of luxury goods, the Chinese are less interested in understanding. This is actually a misreading of luxury goods."

Outbound tourism, auto shows, luxury and famous products exhibitions... On various occasions, the Chinese people's news that the top brands in the world have been spending billions of dollars has been buzzing in the past two years. To this end, Ma Huiyi, director of the Leisure Arts Research Center of the Chinese Art Academy, has his own views. She believes that there is no shortage of “upstart” mentality that only emphasizes status and identity in the wave of consumer spending. "Most people only have the corresponding economic strength, but the level of cognition of luxury goods is still relatively simple. Luxury goods are part of human creativity and they should be shaped and changed by appreciation of its refinement and taste." Shi brand advocates a low-key, some stars also like to use. But if my temperament and brand fit is not very appropriate, sometimes it is a failure.”

Zhang Dunfu, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Shanghai University, told reporters that the "spectrum" is not necessarily temperament. The famous American scholar Thorstein? Veblen proposed conspicuous consumption, but he also did not ignore the part of etiquette, rituals, and long-term cultivation. "The misunderstanding of this concept has led many people to regard 'showing the spectrum' and 'conspicuous consumption' as one thing and confusing price and elegance."

The difference between China and the West is undeniable. Economic development will lead to rapid social progress. However, due to the differences in the stage of development, culture and social background, Chinese and Westerners have great differences in the consumer psychology of luxury goods.

Zhu Mingxia is the director of Xiangxiang Luxury Goods Research Center of the University of International Business and Economics. In an interview with the “Global People”, she said that Westerners are looking for aristocratic temperament or out of the ordinary and that luxury goods are a personal thing for them. However, this concept is not currently applicable in China. “Some media reported that a Chinese couple had traveled to Europe and had been directed by industry insiders to come to Bottega Veneta (BV)’s flagship store in the Italian headquarters. They fancy a handbag that is very elegant in design and its price is only the domestic price. In half, it was extremely cost-effective, but in the end they gave up and instead bought LV, because “BV is more top class than LV, but it is bought back, others do not know, or LV value.” This is China's special consumer culture.

In the investigation and research conducted with the tutor, Wang Xiaohui learned that five to six decades ago, Europeans had experienced the same period of conspicuous consumption, but with the development of economic society, nowadays, luxury goods have naturally integrated into their In life, most of the time, consumption is not directed at the brand, but is more optimistic about quality and practicality. "So I believe that as people's aesthetic ability increases, the interaction between luxury brands and the public increases, people can learn to look at these luxury brands, they will choose to buy according to their own needs, rather than simply facing the face."

How to guide many scholars to varying degrees of concern about China becoming a big consumer of luxury goods. Sociologists draw conclusions from their perspective. Ma Huixi tried to write an article on "Reflections on luxury issues." She said that in 1899, Solstein? Not long after the publication of Veblen's book “The Theory of Leisure Class”, Chanel, Tiffany, Louis? Vuitton, Prada, Gucci and other luxury brands were born. In most countries and regions, the middle class is creating a new way of life and behavior, while cultural innovation and market effects of luxury brands are playing an important role in contemporary society. She believes that from the point of view of leisure, consumption should bring more simple life and spiritual enrichment.

"In the home countries of luxury goods, we can see that the wealthy people like Gates are advocating simple life." Zhang Dunfu said that human satisfaction and happiness mainly stem from the three major sources of social relations, work and leisure, not From the market consumption. He suggested that from the perspective of sociology of sustainable consumption, the state should encourage individual and community associations to play, entertain, party, read, drill and other activities rather than encourage consumption and commercial activities; encourage consumers or consumer cooperatives to organize The sharing of information and resources, rather than allowing consumers to rely on the market. The mass media should encourage discussions in the fields of literature, art, aesthetics, and ethics rather than advertising information; encourage people to associate with people rather than indulge in material desires. He believes that these multi-channel initiatives should be used to guide people to correctly understand consumption.