‘She Economy’ Continues to Expand to More Sectors in China
Source: Comms8 blog
The Chinese female-targeted market, the so-called she economy, is expected to expand into more sectors in the post-pandemic era. According to CBNData, the female consumer market in China exceeded USD 1.5 trillion in 2020.
In terms of e-commerce sector, Tmall reported that 80% of the new leading brands on this platform focus on female consumer demand. As the women-focused advertising keeps extending to more parts in China, retailers turn various celebrations into female-skewed marketing opportunities, such as International Women’s Day — a shopping festival for females to treat themselves.
Meanwhile, with higher consumption power of women consumers in different sectors, some traditionally men-skewed businesses are putting more focus on female consumers. WuLing Hongguang Mini EV, for example, believes EV are not just for men. It is constantly debuting new colors, especially ones that are popular among female consumers. For instance its newest series of ‘macaroon’ colors are avocado green, peach pink, and lemon yellow. It became an instant hit among all generations, especially young female consumers. After launching, Hongguang Mini EV sold more than 200,000 vehicles within the first 200 days, setting a sales record for new energy vehicles in China.
Another emerging female-targeted segment is the game industry. In China, there are over 300 million female gamers, according to the 2020 China Gaming Industry Report, accounting for over 46% of China’s entire gamers population. With the traditional male-focused gaming market getting saturated, games for female players are likely to be the next big thing. Both tech giants like Tencent, NetEase as well as Bilibili, and smaller Chinese studios have begun to target the relatively untapped market of female gamers.
Marketing to Chinese women is not easy. Brands should be very cautious about perpetuating stereotypes. Tmall, for example, faced a lot of backlash for their 2018 Women’s Day campaign “Living with Feminine Power”, as their idea of “feminine power” included things like dealing with a blister from high-heel shoes and exercising to try to lose weight. Also, brands should not be tokenistic and launch a campaign simply for the sake of being feminist. An impactful campaign is one that builds upon the existing brand identity and storytelling. Brands should consider how to relate their story to women in a positive way.
