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Forward-looking Chinese Sei-katsu-sha

・74% Want to cherish their families more
・Score for Want to review the way I live (57.2) > Concerned about my future (35.8%),
Feel something is missing in my life (30.9%)
・Make more effort with cooking and menus (57.4%) > Use frozen food, etc. more (28.1%)
・Spend more time on my smartphone (70%) led to Read posts on social media more (51%)

Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living Shanghai (HILL Shanghai) conducted a survey and other research into Chinese sei-katsu-sha’s(*) attitudes and behavior in the period February 24–March 4. We summarize the findings of this research, titled “Survey into Changes in Sei-katsu-sha Attitudes Due to COVID-19,” below.

China is gradually returning to normal since Wuhan, the capital of Hunan Province, came out of its 75-day lockdown on April 8.

HILL Shanghai, which has operated in Shanghai since 2012, conducted a questionnaire survey to find out how sei-katsu-sha’s lifestyles, attitudes and behavior changed from spending so long quarantined in their homes to prevent the spread of the virus. The following is a summary of the findings.

The survey painted a picture of indomitable Chinese sei-katsu-sha reviewing their and their families’ lives in a positive way and moving forward, even while forced to live inconvenient lives under severe restrictions.

Changes in lifestyle attitudes and behavior

・As time at home increased, the top-scoring item was Want to cherish my family more (74%).
・Family was followed by health-related items Started eating a healthy diet (63%) and Started consciously exercising to stay healthy (62%).
・Positive responses like Started wanting to review the way I live (57.2%) came in ahead of negative responses such as Started feeling vaguely concerned about my future lifestyle (35.8%) and Started feeling something is missing in my life today (30.9%).

Changes in consumption attitudes and behavior

・As the period people were unable to eat out dragged on, Started making more effort with cooking and menus at home (57.4%) came in higher than Opportunities to use frozen food, etc. increased (28.1%).
・The highest scoring items included Opportunities for indoor leisure activities increased over opportunities for outdoor leisure (63.4%), Opportunities to use online supermarkets increased (56.2%) and Opportunities to use e-commerce increased (54.6%), indicating the advent of new “indoor consumption.” Conversely, the score for Opportunities to order take-out using food delivery services increased was a low 31.7%.
・Respondents became cannier in their shopping behavior, as seen in the scores for Started wanting to spend as little as possible when shopping (49.2%), Make fewer impulse purchases (45.1%) and Started taking my time selecting products when shopping (41.1%).

Changes in attitudes and behavior related to information

・Some 69.7% of respondents said they Spend more time on my smartphone, and due to this, 50.8% reported that they Started reading posts from other people on social media more.
・In online/app service use, the top three changes were increased use of Short video services/apps (53.4%), Net shopping services/apps (51.5%) and O2O supermarket services/apps (50.5%).

The current report introduced changes in Chinese sei-katsu-sha’s attitudes and behavior as a result of COVID-19. HILL Shanghai will continue to monitor and analyze attitudinal and behavioral changes in Chinese sei-katsu-sha resulting from the novel coronavirus and share this information to support our clients’ marketing activities in China.

* Sei-katsu-sha are more than simply consumers, just as people’s lives and lifestyles include more than just shopping. Hakuhodo introduced this term in the 1980s to emphasize its commitment to a comprehensive, 360-degree perspective on consumers’ lives.

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