One person eats, one person swims, clones cats… Your loneliness is propping up a trillion-level market.
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “Fueling Finance” (ID :rancaijing), author Su Qi, editor Wei Jia.
“It’s less than twelve o’clock, and it’s too late to eat at half past two.”
The 11th holiday has not yet ended. There are already “empty nest youths” who can’t help but squander their own holiday life, and even look forward to going to work early.
There was an “international loneliness scale” on the Internet. However, it seems that a person who visits a supermarket, eats alone, watches a movie, etc. has become a lot of “empty nest youth.” Everyday, especially during the holidays.
International Lonely Ratings Table
The Institute of Pulse Data has conducted a “lonely” survey of tens of thousands of people in the workplace, and nearly 61.47% of people usually feel lonely. Among the reasons for feeling lonely, the first place is the one who left the country. According to statistics, among the young people in the Beijing network, the foreign household registration accounted for 65.1%, of which 72.7% were shared with others.
This is a group of young people who are single and live alone (renting), known as the “empty nest youth.” They are alone in the big city, the strong economic sentiment and the economic industry chain derived from the convenience of life, called the lonely economy.
The empty nest youths are not really “lonely.” According to the data of China Statistical Yearbook 2018, the total number of unmarried people over the age of 15 in 2017 was 215 million, plus the number of divorcees of 23 million. The size of the single population in China has reached 240 million. The total population in 2017 was 1.39 billion people, that is to say, one out of every six people was in an “empty nest” state.
“All parties have been eyeing single people, except love.” Behind this sadness is the huge business opportunities brought by the empty nest youth: single apartment, small appliances, one-person food, custom travel, pet economy and many more. These business opportunities have already supported a large number of listed companies and have gradually become the mainstream of consumption.
“You are like aLonely patient, self-pull. “Chen Yixun sang a lot of “empty nest youth” voices. But in the eyes of the business, these pulled loneliness is the lively market they need to snatch.
The number of young people in the empty nest exceeds 50 million
The rise of the lonely economy was in 2015.
According to Baidu Index data, before the first half of 2015, the search volume with “lonely” as the key word remained stable; in the second half of 2015, along with the continuous rise in housing prices and the continued downturn in the stock market, The search volume with the word “lonely” reached its peak.
The change in Baidu Index for the word “lonely”
However, when talking about the “lonely economy”, you have to mention our neighbor Japan. In 2011, the famous Japanese management scientist and economic critic Daqian Yanyi put forward the concept of “one person’s economy” in response to the problem of “networking + declining child + aging” in the development of Japanese society. He pointed out that due to Japan Single-person living has replaced the family of four to become the mainstream. Young people, middle-aged people and the elderly are quickly joining the ranks of singles. “One person” has become a way of life.
In the view of Daisuke Kenichi, “The biggest consumer claim of one’s life is to buy what you like, even if it is not cheap. In young people, they mostly buy a way of life.”
Jiang Mengyu, a researcher at the Tianfeng Securities Research Institute, told Combustion Finance, which is one of the consumption characteristics of the empty nest youth – Yue Caihua consumption. Different from the conspicuous consumption of please others, more attention to their own needs, expressed as “experience consumption” and “pay for their own hobbies.” In addition, the empty nest youth also has the characteristics of private consumption, and loneliness and youth are important driving forces for private consumption.
Hua Ying Capital VP Zhang Qianxi also has the same point of view. She told the Finance and Economy that the consumption characteristics of the lonely people are more manifested in: consumption is more independent, and “a trip to go and go” is more suitable for lonely people. The rapid rise of the blind box company POPMART, a large part of the reason is to hit the soul comfort needs of the lonely people. “
As more and more people in our country join the tide of the lonely economy, the cake behind it has become more and more attractive. The 2017 White Paper on Lonely Economy released by the pulse shows that 70% to 80% of the people who spend 1000-5000 yuan a month alone have formed a large number of markets.
Unexpectedly, in 2017, Alibaba released the “China Empty Nest Youth Picture Book”, claiming that there are 50 million “empty nest youths” in the country. In China, there are only 10 provinces and cities with a population of more than 50 million. If the population of “empty youth” is added together, it is the 11th largest province and city in China.
Alibaba’s “China Empty Nest Youth Picture Book” with map
If the empty nest youth is calculated by 50 million people, the monthly per capita consumption is 5,000 yuan, and this market will reach about 3 trillion. According to data from consulting firm Euromonitor International, since 2012, the number of adults living alone in China has reached 77 million, and it is expected to increase to 92 million in 2021. It is foreseeable that the market will further expand in the future.
A savvy businessman can always smell business opportunities and turn loneliness into a business. Among them, the “one-person” consumption and experience have gradually become a popular outlet, providing an outlet for human “loneness.”
What companies have survived the lonely economy?
Lonely Economy This business covers all aspects of life.
The most direct is the rise of single apartments.
In Tokyo, Japan, this 8m2 “ultra-mini” apartment with arms that can’t be reached, the occupancy rate is as high as 99%. It seems that the house is small, but it is “completely equipped”, designed for one person, and only enough for one person to live.
Tokyo “Super Mini” apartment designed for one person
The design company behind it, Spilytus, specializes in designing mini-family and applied for its own patent in 2018.
Spilytus official website
Nowadays, rents are getting more expensive, houses are getting smaller and smaller, and major real estate developers are starting to launch small-sized single apartments of 30-40 square meters. The white paper on loneliness shows that a small apartment of about 40 square meters has become a single apartment for real estate developers to launch for young people.
In order to adapt to such a type of household, household appliances have also begun to be miniaturized, generally less than two-thirds of the normal size, and the capacity is just enough for one person. In Jingdong, the sales volume of mini appliances such as mini ovens and one-person electric hot cups generally exceeded 200,000 orders.
Mini Oven, One-Piece Electric Cup Selling
It’s hard to adjust, and one person’s food is actually a more convenient choice. As early as 2012, Japan launched a “Lonely Foodie”, which is about a middle-aged man with a single shadow, looking for food in the streets of Japan. The hot commentary first wrote: “The director is really lonely, and the psychological activities are made into a drama. But even I have seen such a lonely drama, and I still like it very much.” It is a psychological portrayal of the contemporary empty nest youth.
When “diet alone” became just a necessity, a variety of one-person restaurants came into being. Recently, Japan has introduced a “one-person seat” setting with charging and WiFi, and is not limited to time.
“One-person” restaurant
Japan’s Ilan Ramen is the ultimate in one-person food. Once the customer enters the door, they can place an order at the door-to-door self-service ordering machine. Each person has a small compartment. The clerk serves the food from behind the curtain. If you want to add vegetables, you can press the small bell on the table. The whole process is not disturbed by other people.
Japan’s Ilan Ramen Image from the Internet
Compared with Japan, in recent years, there have been restaurants in the country that have been the mainstay of “one person to eat”, such as Zhapu Zhapu, vying fresh, Helu rotary sushi, Liuding one-person food burning pot, etc. on various platforms. There are also many related lists and reviews.
The domestic one-person restaurant is on the rise
But most of these restaurants focus on the amount of food consumed by one person. The dining environment is not fundamentally different from ordinary restaurants, and there is no real match between operation and service.
Eating out for a long time, take-away will become a more common choice, and businesses are beginning to design packages for this group of people. In the US group take-out to enter the “single-person package”, there are 229 results. The US Mission Review Institute said that in 2017, a total of 130 million single people called the US group to take out.
According to the “2018 China Single Crowd Consumer Behavior Research Report”, in terms of the frequency of single-person group take-outs, the proportion of people who have been more than three times a week is more than 60%.
Hua Ying Capital VP Zhang Qianxi mentioned that she was deeply impressed by the self-heating small hot pot that entered the market in 2015. Thanks to the rapid growth of the one-person food crowd, this track became popular in 2017, selling 1.7 million copies on the same day and selling nearly 5 million copies on the double 11 in 2018. “According to the calculationThe potential market demand for small hot pots is 600 million, and the market scale exceeds 10 billion. There are also a number of companies in the industry, including sea fishing, self-cooking pots, Xiaolongkan, Mo Xiaoxian, chopsticks fashion and so on. “
Last year, a “travel frog” developed by a Japanese game company was in the north and south of the river. For a time, “the son of the cloud frog” became the soul placebo for the lonely people. Of course, compared to cloud raising frogs, cloud sucking cats, and cloud dogs, everyone prefers to have a real pet around.
Pets need people to take care of them. People need pets to accompany them. From a certain perspective, pets and pet owners are a kind of relationship that needs each other. “When you talk about love, it is better to raise a cat.” The voice of the empty nest youth was revealed.
According to the “2019 China Pet Industry White Paper” data, the size of China’s pet market reached 202.4 billion yuan in 2019, and the compound growth rate in the past three years exceeded 20%. Behind the billion-dollar business, the lonely crowd is the main force. In 2017, among the pet-loving people, the total number of unmarried and married children without children accounted for 65.2%.
In the pet market, pet food and pet medical care have emerged as several core companies, and several listed companies have emerged. For example, Zhongdian shares and Petty shares, which specialize in pet food, have market capitalization of 3.592 billion yuan and 4.215 billion yuan respectively. There are also Ripple creatures specializing in pet medicine, with a market value of 5.165 billion yuan, and on August 15, 2018. Rui Peng, a leading domestic pet hospital company delisted by the New Third Board.
In addition, the innovative services that accompany the pets also occupy a part of the market, such as pet grooming, etiquette training, pet funeral and so on.
Recently, there have been reports that some 250,000 people have cloned their sick pet cats. He said that he cloned not only a cat, but also a “particularly needed feeling.”
The company that provides cloned pet services behind it is Beijing Sino Bio Biotechnology Co., Ltd., the company’s deputy general Zhao Jianping said in an interview that “the third round of financing is about to be carried out” and said that the Hino Valley plan is from 20 The number of cloned pets has grown to 300 orders a year. The company expects to achieve 20 million yuan in turnover in 2019, achieving basic profitability.
Nuogu financing data
When going out, the group of “one person swims” is also increasing. On the IT Orange, the search for single-customized tour, the emergence of related companies up to 870; on Ctrip, single travel related travel has reached more than 1,300.
Single-person travel has brought a short-term rent platform to a certain extent. According to the white paper on loneliness, when one travels, 51.3% are willing to choose short-term rentals, and only 48.7% are willing to choose hotels.
Going out, especially those who are single-handedly, the reason for choosing short-term rent is not only the cheap price, but more importantly, the communication and communication with the landlord and the tenant. “This is a way of socializing, even if you leave. Keep in touch, just like a friend,” said a short-rent tenant.
Of course, technological progress meets the needs of the lonely people’s lives, but it does not eliminate people’s spiritual loneliness.
According to relevant statistics, starting from the second half of 2018, pay-to-play companion apps such as voice dating rooms and game sparring apps have appeared in large numbers. The number one game sparring app, the iOS version has exceeded 80,000 downloads.
Companion App is popular
In addition, smart speakers have become a tool for lonely young people to chat and get bored. However, the human-computer interaction of smart speakers currently on the market is still at an early stage. Is it possible to make bold guesses, like the artificial intelligence operating system in the movie “Her”, Samantha provides emotional comfort to the lonely male protagonist, “love with artificial intelligence” will become a reality in the near future?
Lonely economic development, stock industry upgrades and upgrades
Behind the solitary people, it supports a higher national economic level and a sound social welfare system. “Based on this law, there is reason to believe that the size of China’s solitary population will further grow.” Jiang Mengyu said.
The Internet entrepreneurial dividend is gradually fading, and the demographic dividend is coming. At present, the stage has reached the point of lean operation, and the user’s personalized needs and crowd attributes are gradually becoming prominent. The track of the lonely economy is also coming soon.The period of the outbreak.
In Zhang Qianxi’s view, one-person consumption era will bring many business changes, including changes in commodity categories, retail channel transformation, marketing perspectives and scene changes.
She believes that the future of “lonely economy” is more about upgrading and upgrading the stock industry. For example, the development of the pet industry brought about by the economic development of one person, the transformation of clothing, food, housing and transportation in the pet industry will bring new consumption opportunities. Pet food health products, pet smart hardware, pet subscription consumption, etc. are all good business opportunities. For example, fitness direction, AI fitness, mini fitness warehouse, the fitness scene will be diversified to better serve the fitness needs of lonely people.
Of course, the solitary people are not necessarily suffering from loneliness, and the mentality of this group is also changing.
Sura Takashi Murakami once wrote in “When I talk about running,” I wrote: “I am the kind of temperament that loves to be alone, or the kind of temperament that is not too singular.” I don’t talk to anyone every day or two, running alone, writing articles, I don’t feel bored. Compared with doing things with people, I prefer to read a book silently or concentrate on listening to music. I can think of a lot of things that only one person can do.”
An Internet practitioner who has lived alone for a long time told the story of burning money. In the past, one person felt that the order was low and the mood was low. The Singles Day looked at those who showed love and felt that the whole person was not good. Now that I know more about what I want, one can do a lot of things, enjoy the freedom and relaxation brought by singles, and live a more exciting self.
In fact, the “lonely economy” is expanding, those who like to be alone, who like to live alone, married people who want to catch their breath, and those who want their children who don’t want to get married can also be counted in the target group. As the fertility rate decreases, all income will be spent on itself, which will lead to the growth of the entire consumer upgrade market.
Therefore, in Zhang Qianxi’s view, the biggest challenge of “lonely economy” is the interpretation of the needs of the crowd. Although the number of lonely people is growing, the grasp of demand needs to be adjusted dynamically with the growth of the population, and fine Operation. “Lonely people, though large in size, but because they are independent and not bad, they exist in first- and second-tier developed urban areas, and the requirements for services will be higher, which undoubtedly put pressure on entrepreneurs.” < /span>
The current lonely economic format, on the one hand, is to provide users with services to solve their loneliness needs, to make the user’s life more convenient and more temperature; but at the same time it will make it into this kind of life and deepen the user’s loneliness. This contradiction may coexist for a long time.
Note: The title map is from Pexles.