How China’s Gen Z is reshaping consumption

In brief

• The population of China’s Gen Z exceeds 230 million, making them the most influential trendsetters in today’s consumer market.
  
  
• In an era where uncertainty is the norm, Gen Z is rebuilding a sense of control over their lives in a more conscious, responsible, and thoughtful manner.
  
  
• Companies that consistently deliver certainty are more likely to become long-term partners for young consumers and earn their lasting loyalty.

The new reality: Living for today, saving for tomorrow

As China’s Gen Z enters new life stages— forming households, advancing careers and making major financial decisions—their influence is expanding from shaping cultural trends to driving mainstream consumption. They focus on growth paths that center more on tangible returns, career flexibility, and the sense of security, actively seeking certainty in an uncertain world.

• Reconstructing order: In the context of uncertainty, Gen Z consumers place significantly more weight on health, career and financial security.
  
  
• Self-investment: 60% of Gen Z are learning new skills—10 pp higher than the overall sample.
  
  
• Income expansion: 38% have experimented with side hustles, exceeding 32% across the population.

At the same time, Gen Z splits their spending into two buckets, one for today and one for the future. They invest in experiences that offer immediate rewards, while simultaneously building a safety net for the future—be it financial, physical and personal.

Three changes in Gen Z’s consumption

Gen Z’s value changes in “pursuing certainty” are not simply about “spending more” or “spending less,” but about more proactive and cautious decision-making, as well as clearer consumption goals.

The return of rationality

Gen Z is becoming more cautious and selective with their spending. This shift doesn’t mean they’ve lost interest in quality or uniqueness; rather, identity premiums are giving way to risk management. Compared to older cohorts, Gen Z relies far more on multi-source validation. They prefer information vetted through livestream and video platforms, content communities and AI tools over standardized product descriptions.

Budgeting emotions, not just money

Similarly, Gen Z has not abandoned the pursuit of emotional value, they’ve just become more selective about it. Today’s youth are increasingly proactive in managing their emotional bandwidth. They are becoming more intentional about carving out solo time and recalibrating their daily rhythms through travel, self-gifting and taming their screen time to avoid information overload.

Consumption has also emerged as an important tool for emotional regulation. Over half of Gen Z consumers explored new brands in the past year—an 8 pp increase over their peers in 2021, treating novelty as a way to recharge.

AI as a steadying force

Gen Z’s expectations of AI go far beyond efficiency gains. On one hand, AI serves as a decision support tool, helping them cope with information overload, filter options rapidly, and regain a sense of control. On the other hand, for some young people, it offers a low-pressure space for reflection and self-expression. Always available, responsive and free of social risk, AI is beginning to step into roles once held by stable social structures, becoming a dependable source of stability.

Winning the certainty mandate

Influencing Gen Z has become more difficult—not because they are harder to please, but because their tolerance for risk, trial-and-error and emotional cost has fundamentally changed. What is truly scarce today is not novelty, but reliability—delivered consistently and proven over time.