Ninety-four percent of Mainland China consumers would select products or experiences rooted in events, technology, entertainment or gaming, research from Asia omni-brand operator and distributor Bluebell Group has shown.

Customers from Taiwan (90%) and Hong Kong (83%) display a similarly high level of engagement, according to research from the company’s latest ‘Asia Lifestyle Consumer Profile’.

Bluebell’s first Asia-wide consumer study tracks the consumption drivers and trends of 2,100 premium lifestyle consumers across six markets – Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia (Singapore and Malaysia).

SIGNALS OF INTENT

The study unboxes five leading consumer traits and consumption behaviours across the region (Experientalist, Culturalist, Traditionalist, Comfort-me-ist and Neophilist); interest and intent for brand experiences; purchasing drivers; lifestyle behaviours, and product categories.

The last includes fashion; accessories & footwear; skincare; makeup & fragrances; and active lifestyle.

The findings reveal that fragrance consumers in particular show a preference for exploring niche brands, with 69-75% of customers across Asia now more interested in the category, the exception being Japan (47%).

A strong appeal for virtual products is also apparent among Mainland Chinese (85%), Taiwanese (77%) and Hongkongers (73%), with brand reputation ranking highly among the same group.

Purchasing luxury items as a reward is particularly prevalent among Mainland China consumers (94%) followed by those from Hong Kong (86%), Korea (86%) and Taiwan (85%).

Ashley Micklewright, President and CEO, Bluebell Group said: “As lifestyle brands enter a new phase of planning post-Covid, there is a fundamental need to understand the differences and commonalities across Asia’s consumers’ outlooks.

“This is not just about the impacts of the pandemic on Asian consumer trends. It is about a region in evolution and each market within evolving differently, with regards to consumers’ state of mind, purchasing intent and preferences.

“In essence, this is a playbook for brands whether they have retail operations across Asia, or in specific Asian markets.”

Family owned Bluebell Group says it plans to launch more studies in 2022.

With a turnover of US$2 billion, Bluebell operates across multiple product categories and boasts a distribution network including flagship stores, shop-in-shops, counters, its own multi-brand concepts, a selective wholesale network and direct e- commerce and marketplaces covering domestic and travel retail markets.

Star Brands Travel Retail – a partnership between Star Brands Asia and Bluebell Group – launched operations in China’s travel retail market earlier this year.

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