China's 'cleanfluencers' signal sustainable trend

International brands still see China as their route to growth, but they may need to revise their approach as younger Chinese consumers develop a taste for a simpler lifestyle.

Why it matters

Years of economic growth and enthusiastic purchasing of all manner of consumer goods, not least during sales festivals like Singles Day, have resulted in people accumulating a lot of stuff. Now comes the backlash as a younger generation looks to not only declutter their living space but to embrace a new “inspirational minimalism” that can bring greater happiness and less financial stress. 

Takeaways 

• Searches for wardrobe organisation and decluttering content on China’s search engine Baidu have tripled in two years, Vogue Business reports, leading to a growing number of “cleanfluencers” on social media (but especially video sharing site Bilibili) advising on these issues.
• Consumers are looking beyond simply decluttering to the root cause of the problem.
• Shopping as a relaxation activity may be replaced with a “low-desire life” as younger consumers fight back against constant encouragement to buy things.
• There is now a RMB 100bn ($15.6bn) professional organiser industry in the country, according to research firm CIRN, one that is forecast to grow at more than 20% a year for the next five years.

Sourced from Vogue Business