According to recent reports released by multiple industry organizations, in 2026, the consumer market will experience three major trends: an increase in differentiated experiential service demands, an increase in "self pleasing" consumer spending, and the rise of green consumption. At the same time, major domestic and foreign manufacturers are vigorously expanding their offline channels, enhancing the comprehensive consumer experience, and strengthening emotional connections with consumers. Several recently released institutional reports have pointed out that emotional consumption and the concept of "pleasing oneself" have gradually become new trends in consumption. The "2025 Generation Z Emotional Consumption Report" released by institutions such as the Shanghai Youth Research Center shows that most young people choose to alleviate anxiety through consumption. The recently released "Forecast 2026: China Industry Trends Report" by global consulting firm Roland Berger pointed out that the focus of competition in China's consumer goods and retail industry has shifted from "competing for market share" to "creating meaning", and has upgraded from "reaching the audience" to "business lifecycle value". Consumers are becoming more mature and rational than ever before, no longer satisfied with the product itself, but pursuing emotional resonance, identity recognition, and life solutions. According to data from iMedia Consulting, the size of China's emotional consumption market is expected to reach 2.72 trillion yuan in 2026, and is expected to exceed 4.5 trillion yuan in 2029. Nielsen IQ's recently released "Towards 2026: Insights into Chinese Consumer Trends" pointed out that it is expected that the Chinese consumer market will present core characteristics of "steady progress, intergenerational differentiation, and diversified demand" in 2026. According to Luo Qi, Chief Customer Officer of Nielsen IQ China, "Chinese consumers are undergoing significant changes, with their consumption preferences shifting from 'external consumption' to 'internal self' investment. 'Related to me' has become the core of the new driving force for consumption, and the market presents a dual track new normal of rationality and sensibility." Experts such as Ni Yili, Chairman of McKinsey&Company China, pointed out in an article that customer psychological demands and the value in their 'eyes' should become the focus of future enterprises. For major enterprises, seeking growth opportunities in the Chinese consumer market lies in tapping into considerable household savings. Consumers are waiting for goods worth buying, and the challenge is whether they can provide products and services that are truly valuable in the eyes of Chinese consumers. Offline experience seeking differentiated services. Consumers' demands for differentiated experiences and services are reshaping the market ecology and channels. In this context, many manufacturers have increased their investment in offline experiences, introduced various IPs, and established emotional connections with consumers. Luo Qi said that in order for a brand to succeed, it must build differentiation and trust by responding to consumers' new lifestyle characteristics on the basis of continuously providing stable product quality, and win consumers' favor with a high-quality shopping experience across all channels. Nike, a sportswear brand that focuses on transforming retail experience, has been making frequent moves recently. Nike stated that the company is promoting store upgrades globally and striving to create a "community+retail+culture" complex centered on athletes. The core of the company's transformation revolves around sports scenes, optimizing offline store experience and services to establish emotional connections with consumers beyond product transactions. Industry insiders say that brand stores are no longer just simple sales yards, but key carriers for consumers to immerse themselves in IP co branding experiences. Starbucks, which has just completed the adjustment of its operations team in the Chinese market, recently collaborated with Harry Potter on product collaborations and launched activities at its stores in Shamian, Guangzhou and Henglong Plaza, Tianjin, organically combining the local century old European architectural style with product IP to enhance consumer experience. Mobile phone manufacturer OPPO has recently opened OPPO OnePlus flagship stores in Zhengzhou and Xi'an, enhancing the shopping experience for specific offline audiences through the integration of technology trends and urban culture. Li Jie, vice president of the company and head of large retail, said that the new store is an immersive fun trend space for local young users. He hoped that by integrating elements that young people are familiar with and love, such as anime, games, videos, etc., the store would break through the functional boundaries of traditional retail and evolve into a city park integrating cultural experience, interest, social interaction and technology interaction. In the next three years, OPPO plans to establish 50 flagship stores in core cities in China. According to IDC data, in the Chinese market, OPPO will grow by 10.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025 against the trend, making it the only brand in the Android camp to experience growth. Roland Berger's report points out that Eastern aesthetics is becoming the key to breaking through the consumer market, and many brands are opening up new paths through cultural narrative and aesthetic innovation. Many representative local Chinese brands have transformed the Eastern atmosphere into spatial language by setting up themed stores, achieving regional expression of brand value. Green consumption has led the industry's transformation and become a positive direction for all parties. We will continue to make efforts at the policy level to accelerate the formation of green consumption trends. According to relevant policies, China provides subsidies to individual consumers who purchase 6 types of household appliances with Level 1 energy efficiency or water efficiency standards, as well as 4 types of digital and intelligent products with a unit price not exceeding 6000 yuan, and eligible new energy passenger vehicles and fuel passenger vehicles; Promote the inclusion of equipment upgrades for consumer commercial facilities, energy conservation, carbon reduction, and environmental protection in the scope of large-scale equipment upgrade policy support; Key tasks such as promoting green consumption and piloting new forms, models, and scenarios of consumption, as well as building an international consumption environment, will be linked to form a policy synergy effect. Merchants and brands are increasingly adhering to green concepts such as low emissions throughout the entire production chain, resonating with consumers' demands for environmental protection and low-carbon. The trade in policy also guides green consumption in the automotive industry, optimizing the range of new car models for replacement and upgrading. According to the latest policy, the replacement update has optimized the scope requirements for new cars, focusing on guiding the automotive market towards a green and low-carbon direction. The new car purchased by consumers must be within the range of new energy passenger vehicles or fuel passenger vehicles with a displacement of 2.0 liters or less in the "Catalogue of New Energy Vehicle Models Exempted from Vehicle Purchase Tax". By 2025, new energy vehicles will account for nearly 60% of the car trade in program. In fact, replacing old cars with new ones is not simply a matter of "replacing new ones". The constantly rising "green content" has become the core driving force for promoting the dual upgrading of consumption and industry. In addition, many foreign car companies have also accelerated their transformation towards "green", and the significant price reduction of BMW's electric vehicles in the Chinese market reflects this trend. The rise of green consumption across the industry is also a reflection of enterprises deeply practicing the concept of sustainable development. The tentacles of low-carbon transformation are extending from single product enterprises to the entire supply chain. Multiple consumer goods companies have stated that products produced using low-carbon technology throughout the entire industry chain are more likely to be favored by consumers. (New Society)