by Zhao Xiaopeng

Chinese consumers are becoming more selective about how they spend. Rather than simply chasing the lowest prices, shoppers are willing to try more products, return those that disappoint and pay for goods and experiences that genuinely meet their expectations.

Price still matters, but it is no longer the only consideration. Quality, authenticity, trust, convenience and experience are playing a greater role in purchasing decisions. The shift is visible across a wide range of sectors, from short-video commerce and branded fashion to local services and entertainment.

The trend is also visible in household spending. Chinese consumers spent an average of Rmb13,602 ($1,900) per person on services in 2025, up 4.5 per cent from the previous year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Services accounted for 46.1 per cent of per-capita consumer spending, while service retail sales rose 5.5 per cent, 1.7 percentage points faster than retail sales of goods.

Executives from Kuaishou (Kwai), Dewu (Poizon), Meituan and iQiyi offered snapshots of that shift at an e-commerce seminar during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), showing how some of China’s largest consumer platforms are adapting to changing spending habits.

More choice, higher expectations

On Kuaishou, a leading Chinese short-video platform, shoppers are exploring a wider range of products while becoming more careful about what they ultimately keep.

Easier returns and faster logistics have encouraged users of the short-video platform to place more orders, according to Chen Zitao, general manager of Kuaishou’s premium consumption business. While the proportion of purchases ultimately retained has fallen, the value of those retained orders has increased.

Chen does not see the pattern as a broad retreat from spending. “Consumers still have purchasing power, but have become more demanding about quality,” he said in an interview with China Economic Net, “Convenient returns allow them to try more products without compromising on what they eventually buy,” he added.

Live-stream commerce is evolving. Long associated with bargain prices and impulse purchases, its appeal increasingly rests on something harder to replicate: the relationship between sellers and buyers.

According to Kuaishou, almost 60 per cent of its e-commerce gross merchandise value comes from followers of live-stream hosts. Shoppers return not only for particular products but because they know and trust the person selling them.

That trust raises the stakes for sellers. The same logistics network that makes experimentation easier also allows shoppers to quickly return products that disappoint. Poor quality can translate into higher returns and, more importantly, damage the relationship a host has built with an audience.

Live-streaming also gives consumers in smaller cities access to products that local shops may not stock, from agricultural goods to lesser-known brands, without requiring suppliers to build extensive local distribution networks.

On Dewu, a fashion and branded-goods marketplace, trust takes a different form.

Han Yinying of Dewu said consumers increasingly ask not simply whether a coveted product is available, but whether it is genuine. Dewu authenticates products before they are shipped to buyers, adding an extra step to the transaction but also offering something many shoppers are willing to pay for: certainty.

Authentication certificates, packaging and even the process of receiving an item can become part of the purchase experience.

In a market crowded with similar products and promotional messages, reassurance itself has acquired value. Price still matters, but shoppers increasingly weigh it alongside authenticity, quality, return convenience and confidence in the platform.

Paying for experiences

That search for value is extending beyond physical goods.

Chen Yifang, a Meituan executive overseeing services retail, pointed to rising demand for recreation, emotional well-being and interest-based social activities. Searches and supply related to “healing” and self-pleasing activities increased 112 per cent on the platform, while categories including animation, cosplay and blind boxes rose 157 per cent, according to company data.

Sport, too, is becoming more than exercise. Tennis, climbing and similar activities offer opportunities to socialise, take photographs and express a lifestyle. Meituan said the number of tennis consumers on its platform doubled over the past year.

Businesses are responding by changing what they sell and how they sell it. Some combine several activities in one venue, while others are replacing long-term memberships with smaller, more flexible packages. Self-service facilities extend opening hours and reduce labour costs. Equipment, instruction, venue access and social interaction are increasingly bundled together.

Consumers may therefore hunt for bargains on everyday purchases while spending more freely on something that offers relaxation, social connection or a memorable experience.

The same appetite for experience is reshaping entertainment.

Gong Yu, founder and chief executive of iQiyi, described audiences as moving from simply watching stories to wanting to step inside them. Since 2021, iQiyi has linked more than 50 productions with tourism destinations, according to the company, while expanding into merchandise, immersive venues and theme-park projects.

A successful programme can now generate spending well beyond a subscription. Viewers may visit a filming location, collect products associated with a favourite character or pay to experience a fictional world offline.

What they are buying is not simply an object or a piece of content, but a sense of participation and connection.

Trust becomes part of the product

Across the four platforms, a common picture emerges: Chinese consumers are making more deliberate trade-offs.

That makes the familiar choice between “consumption upgrading” and “consumption downgrading” increasingly inadequate. The same shopper may compare prices closely when buying household goods, pay a premium for an authenticated fashion item and spend on a tennis lesson or an immersive entertainment experience.

Platforms are responding by making trust and reassurance part of what they sell.

Kuaishou builds repeated relationships between hosts and audiences. Dewu authenticates products before they reach buyers. Meituan helps consumers discover and arrange unfamiliar services. iQiyi is extending familiar intellectual property into real-world experiences.

In a market with abundant choice, the challenge is increasingly not simply getting a product in front of consumers, but convincing them that it is worth their money and time.