January 18, 2023

Xiaohongshu Marketing Lifestyle Trend Analysis Report 2023

The “2023 Life Trends” report was released by Xiaohongshu and the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, with the theme of “Into Real Life” to observe and study the lifestyles of young people. The report uses Xiaohongshu’s data statistics and topic content of Xiaohongshu in the past year to subdivide several life keywords to mine and analyse the life trends in 2023, and the following is an excerpt of some from the report.

The situation and coping patterns of the new generation of young people

Situation 1: Young people in Generation Z, who have experienced the stage of national economic transformation and economic slowdown, resulting in fewer opportunities for young people to start their own businesses or start a business to get rich, further the competition for opportunities and pressure in society is more intense. Thus it is unfair to many people from ordinary family backgrounds

Situation 2: Due to the normalization of the epidemic, young people have begun to reflect on the consequences of industrialization, the internet, and penetration of globalization into the world, and have cultivated an optimistic attitude and engaged in the so-called “real life”

Situation 3: Social networks and life are closely linked, young people share ‘real life” through social networks, find users with the same life philosophy and hobbies and form interest circles

Coping mode:

Self-sustainment: Under the influence of uncertainty and powerlessness in the general environment, young people should focus and care about themselves, whether physically, mentally or conceptually. Appropriately pursuing a stable and happy life with a peaceful mind is also an acceptable life
Look around: This generation of young people is considered a “lifestyle social” generation, and online platforms based on similar interests and hobbies are more influential for them. Therefore young people should be more aware of the importance of their surroundings and pay more attention to the people around them, even if they are geographic, such as neighbours, friends and parents
Rational decision-making: The data shows that young people in this generation are a generation group with high cultural literacy. They have a strong sense of reflection, and a better understanding of social risk, relatively they are more cautious in making any decision, especially when it comes to self-needs and self-esteem, and can be more rational in relationships, consumption, marriage and work

Invest in real-life emerging trends

Warming up neighbourhood: The number of related notes increased by 213% YoY in 2022, and many people began to know neighbours in the community by looking for “nearby” people to buy in groups and barter due to the shortage of materials during the epidemic. For this reason, young people are more willing to actively participate in community activities, go to community alleys, or drink coffee and chat with neighbours. Keywords in note include community activities, community shops, community building, etc.

Eat local authentic flavours: The number of relevant notes increased by 227% YoY in 2022, mainly due to young people no longer wanting to be limited to restaurants marketed by chains, homogenization, and influencer, and have begun to explore authentic restaurants that only locals known as new targets. Young people are beginning to prefer local characteristics and local customs, such as Liuzhou luosifen snail noodles, Hainan coconut chicken and other local delicacies. Keywords in the note are greasy spoon, local delicacies, home-cooked dishes for a super meal, etc.

On a trip: The number of notes increased by 193% YoY in 2022, and compensatory travel has become a long-term expectation for many people in the new year due to the long stay at home caused by the epidemic, so they cherish the opportunity to travel more and willing to invest more effort, time and money in travel. Young people in first-tier cities are generally under intense pressure, and travel will be a much-needed way to relieve stress. The searchable keywords on the notes include self-driving tour, GanQing Grand Ring Road, Chuanxi self-driving tour, etc.

Light decompression: The number of related notes increased by 303% YoY in 2022. In recent years, due to the environmental impact, most people feel powerless and unable to control their fate, so they need to decompress quickly and easily. Over the past few years, the simple and easy ways to decompress include watching short decompression videos, knocking electronic wooden fish to gain tranquillity, walking paper dogs for companionship and fun, etc. Relevant notes that people often search for include decompression videos, slimes, yoga and so on

As a whole, the life trend in 2023 is more inclined to invest and enter real life, and after experiencing various environmental pressures and difficulties, actively feeling and pursuing innovative life will be the new trend of contemporary young people, which is also Xiaohongshu’s wish for 2023 in this report.

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