Entering 2025, young people’s consumption concepts become more pragmatic. Not only do we have a careful calculation of daily expenses, but even luxury goods consumption has begun to focus on cost-effectiveness. Guozi, 28, admitted that he had long changed from his past state of “gripping his teeth and buying big names” to his current “actuarial calculations everywhere”.
“Only choose the right one in daily consumption, not the expensive ones, cost-effectiveness is the core; you can buy expensive ones for quality consumption, but you must never buy expensive ones. You should spend money smarter now. Almost all the friends around you have done this.” Guozi’s words express the current consumption consensus of young people.
The consumption logic of young people is undergoing drastic changes, and the consumer market is also adjusting. Brands in the luxury industry clearly feel that the business logic of “storytelling” alone in the past is becoming increasingly unfavorable.
A series of changes are happening quietly, and the most intuitive thing is the intensive emergence of special sales. Nowadays, the frequency of offline special sales has increased significantly, and a large number of luxury brands such as Chanel, Hermes, and Burberry have come to participate. Taking Fruit as an example, she has already rushed for several brand sales this year.
The popularity of online specials is also high. The brand sales that once held low-key have now become the “traffic password” on social platforms, and major brands have come to the stage for high-profile Amway. On the Xiaohongshu platform alone, the number of notes related to “special sale” has reached 270 million views.
In addition to queuing offline to grab special sales, the popularity of online instant sales remains high, and brand sales platforms such as Vipshop have quietly become popular. On the evening of August 14, Vipshop released its financial report showing that its second-quarter private sale event introduced more luxury brands and international brands, and was exclusively available to SVIP users through deeper discounts, among which many BURBERRY bags were sold out shortly after they were launched.
Guozi has recently adjusted its shopping strategy – instead of rushing to offline sales, it is better to participate in Vipshop’s online sales. The advantages of this method are obvious: there is no need to worry about getting tickets, no need to buy face-to-face, and it saves the trouble of running errands.
Because of this, Guozi has become a new fan of Vipshop, and he goes to the platform special sale area to “treasure hunt”. Data shows that in the second quarter, the number of active users of Vipshop’s Super VIP increased by 15% year-on-year, contributing 52% of online sales, and user stickiness is unique in the industry.
Nowadays, more and more young people are skilled in online and offline luxury discounts like Guozi, and the luxury discount market is ushering in a boom. Research data shows that luxury brand in-house purchase and sale (private sales) has accounted for 18% of the total global fashion market value, corresponding to a market size of 1.47 trillion euros.
There are also forecasts that between 2025 and 2030, off-price sales will grow five times higher than full-price sales. Obviously, the rational consumption attitude of young people is bringing profound changes to the luxury goods industry.
