Pop culture breathes new life into offline biz

    In excess of 10,000 guzi stores set up in China market between Jan-Nov

    By LI JIAYING | China Daily | Updated: 2024-12-31 10:36
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    A view of Synear Food's latest co-branded tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) in the shape of a popular video game Eggy Party character. [CHINA DAILY]

    In 2023, Bailian ZX finished its renovation of the old Hualian commercial building, which once struggled to attract new tenants even on Shanghai's most bustling Nanjing Road due to sluggish offline attractions.

    Sensing a rapid rise of younger consumer demographics and ACGN culture, the mall swiftly adjusted strategy and pivoted to this younger audience.

    "From the day we began our operations, Bailian ZX has positioned itself as the mecca for China's ACGN culture," said Li Ling, general manager of Bailian ZX. "Our goal is to set a good example in the emerging sector and contribute when the country's offline ACGN businesses take shape."

    Li added that by targeting only the ACGN and guzi culture, the mall's customer base is highly vertical, which allows even niche IPs to thrive and offers a platform for lesser-known works to reach their core fans and "make their voice heard", eventually leading to a supportive ecology for ACGN culture.

    Since its reopening in January 2023, Bailian ZX has welcomed over 15 million visitors, earned 500 million yuan in revenue and hosted more than 700 events in the first 18 months.

    The transformation of Bailian ZX is not alone. ACGN-themed stores and malls have emerged as a powerful booster to brick-and-mortar businesses around the nation. Shopping complexes such as Beijing's Huawei Building, BOM Xifanli, and The Box Chaowai, Shanghai's Metro City and Wuhan's Trend Box X118 have all introduced the new guzi business form into their space.

    "In an era where e-commerce challenges physical retail, guzi stores have provided traditional shopping malls with an opportunity to regain foot traffic," said Shi Changzheng, a management executive at Huawei Building.

    For example, the third floor of the shopping mall, where sit most ACGN and guzi stores, saw its sales double from January to July and also witnessed a significant increase in visitors, Shi added.

    Data from corporate data provider Tianyancha show that over 10,000 new businesses related to the guzi economy were established between January and November 2024, up 14 percent year-on-year, bringing the existing total number to over 64,000.

    Unwilling to fall behind in the ACGN trend, established domestic brands are also leveraging the new cultural elements for younger buyers with crossover products.

    Synear Food Co Ltd, a Zhengzhou, Henan province-based frozen food company, released its co-branded tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) with NetEase Games' popular video game Eggy Party in December, with the round ball designs looking just like the game's cute characters. Touted by the game's fans, the products were sold out soon after launch on major e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Tmall.

    "In the past, tangyuan was primarily consumed during traditional festivals. This collaboration has expanded the consumption scenarios, offering a new choice for young consumers as everyday snacks and afternoon treats, and further boosting sales opportunities," said Song Jia, a senior executive at Synear Food.

    As a 27-year-old traditional brand, Synear aims to rejuvenate its brand image through such co-branding, catering to Gen-Z's demand for differentiated tastes, Song added.

    "As today's consumer needs are changing rapidly, we've been thinking about how to not only maintain our existing market share, but also achieve new growth in a continuously evolving landscape," Song said, adding that the company will continue to explore collaborations with ACGN culture IPs, combining traditional products with emerging cultural trends to attract more young consumers.

    Similarly, Shanghai-based Laofengxiang, a time-honored jewelry brand, collaborated with Bandai Namco to release pure gold collectibles inspired by anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

    Related Stories

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    亚洲精品无码永久中文字幕| 亚洲国产精彩中文乱码AV| 中文字幕无码播放免费| 亚洲自偷自偷偷色无码中文 | 久久久久综合中文字幕| 精品人妻无码专区中文字幕| 亚洲成AV人片在线观看无码 | 天堂中文8资源在线8| 一区二区三区无码高清视频| 毛片无码免费无码播放| 精品亚洲成在人线AV无码| 中文字幕视频在线| 欧美日韩亚洲中文字幕一区二区三区| 亚洲av成人无码久久精品| 久久精品中文无码资源站| 一区二区三区观看免费中文视频在线播放 | 4hu亚洲人成人无码网www电影首页| 四虎影视无码永久免费| 亚欧成人中文字幕一区| 人妻无码人妻有码中文字幕| 亚欧无码精品无码有性视频| 国产av无码专区亚洲国产精品| 无码国内精品人妻少妇| 中出人妻中文字幕无码| 日韩AV高清无码| 精品无码免费专区毛片| 无码福利一区二区三区| 中文字幕无码毛片免费看| 日韩乱码人妻无码中文视频| 最近2019中文字幕免费直播| 最近中文字幕免费2019| 国产欧美日韩中文字幕| 日韩精品一区二区三区中文字幕| 中文字幕精品一区二区三区视频| 亚洲av中文无码| av无码人妻一区二区三区牛牛| 国产AⅤ无码专区亚洲AV| 亚洲AV永久无码精品一百度影院 | 日韩精品久久无码中文字幕| 无码性午夜视频在线观看| 无码国产精成人午夜视频一区二区|