The Taobao Wish Report of 2025 is actually a prediction of the future industry trends.
The Spring Festival marks the end of one year and the beginning of another. It is a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and to add blessings and joys to the new year. This Year of the Snake Spring Festival, young people have developed a new way to celebrate - placing their "wish orders" on Taobao.
Since January 21, Taobao has launched a New Year wish-making activity. 60 million people have made their New Year wishes on Taobao, with those born after 1995 accounting for more than 60%. Taobao has seemingly become a wishing well for young people. The "Post-Wave Research Institute" has further analyzed this wish data of young people and discovered many interesting conclusions. This wish map of young people is precisely a future industry trend.
In the top 5 wish lists of young people, "Good health" surpasses "Earning some small money" and becomes the top concern for young people. And "Earning some small money" surpasses "Getting a promotion and a salary increase". For young people, the money that can be actually obtained is more important than career advancement.
Obviously, the mindset of young people has changed, and these subtle emotional changes are also reflected in several newly emerging competition tracks in 2024. Starting from the Taobao wish data, we have summarized three key words to see what products young people are paying for and which competition tracks they are voting for.
When post-90s want to take their parents on a trip, they are likely to be complained by the older generation, "Why travel? It's a waste of money!" For the previous generation, being hardworking and plain-living is a way of life. But Generation Z doesn't think so at all. They refuse to "endure hardship without reason" and pursue "self-enrichment" - traveling, watching performances, and taking interest classes are all consumption tracks that young people pursue and that are the trend.
In the Taobao wish data, there are 1.13 million wishes related to "travel", and the most popular destination is "Antarctica". Since they are making wishes to travel, of course, the dream should be as big as possible. And Iceland, the cold wonderland at the end of the world, is also ranked second, becoming the romantic destination that young people think "must go once in a lifetime".
In 2024, there is a very popular topic on social media, "Many people around me are NPCs". They repeat the same routine every day, getting up, commuting, clocking in at work, clocking out at work, and going home to sleep. After a long time of the same routine, it is inevitable to feel that they have lost the initiative of life. But traveling makes people feel that they are players.
In the hearts of young people, paying for a temporary experience is not a waste. Saving a few thousand yuan for half a year to go on a trip can gain beautiful memories that are sealed in the mind for decades, which is completely worth the money.
So we can also see that in 2024, cultural and tourism industries in various places are also striving to attract the attention of young people. The 99,800-yuan ticket for the China National Geographic Antarctic Scientific Expedition Tour is in high demand; the Dunhuang tourism group has innovated the form and launched an immersive RV script killing experience; the Yandang Mountain Scenic Area has launched Via Ferrata to provide young people with a thrilling rock climbing experience; "Black Myth: Wukong" has made the ancient architectural complex in Shanxi popular, and the Shanxi Cultural and Tourism Bureau has launched the Black Myth Passport... In 2025, there will definitely be more internet-famous cities competing for the position.
On the other hand, there is the booming performance market. According to the data of the China Association of Performing Arts, the number of national commercial performances in 2024 increased by 10.85% year-on-year, and the box office increased by 15.37% year-on-year. The number of large-scale performances with more than 5,000 people has increased by 49.90%. The Renaissance has arrived, and Phoenix Legend, David Tao, and Jay Chou are still popular singers; Dao Lang, Cyndi Wang, Mayday, and JJ Lin, the golden song killers of childhood memories, have also started live performances. The most simple wish of young people is to get a ticket. After all, they don't want to see the scene of "out of stock" immediately after clicking the ticket purchasing software for the second time.
Of course, some young people have taken a different approach and started the "star-chasing consumption downgrade" - instead of chasing big-name stars, they chase small theater actors and amusement park NPCs. They are closer and can get a more intimate interaction experience. As a result, musicals have emerged as a new force. According to the "2024 China Musical Market Annual Report", from January to October alone, the number of national musical performances reached 13,600, and the box office reached 1.396 billion yuan, an increase of 26.7% compared with 2023. In performance consumption, young people are also paying more attention to the "emotional cost performance". If they spend money, they want to get the fullest emotional experience.
Not only traveling to distant places, but also in daily life, young people are decorating their spiritual world. They have started to sign up for various courses frantically. First, they crowded the youth night school, and then they took the 9.9-yuan interest class trial courses. Calligraphy, painting, guitar, piano, drums and other musical instruments, they try everything to find their true interests. On the road of all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness and aesthetics, even the tennis lessons and badminton court fees have experienced a price increase.
There is a saying that when you become an adult and have enough time, energy and economic basis, you should raise yourself again and boldly pay for your interests. As long as a clearly priced experience can bring continuous spiritual pleasure, young people will not hesitate to go all in.
According to the Taobao wish data, there are no wishes related to "relationships" in the top five wishes. Post-00s have deeply understood that health is the foundation of revolution. After all, after one relationship ends, they will meet a better one, but if their own body is ruined, it will be very difficult to save. It is worth paying any amount of money for their own health.
Just like the three health focuses in the wish data - No hair loss, Have a good sleep, Lose weight, and the corresponding big health competition tracks also have a remarkable growth performance in 2024.
First is the sleep economy. In the past three years, the national sleep quality has been decreasing every year. According to the "China National Health Sleep White Paper", more than 90% of the national population often or occasionally have sleep quality problems. Shallow sleep and difficulty falling asleep are the main problems affecting sleep quality. In 2024, the sleep economy market continues to expand, and it is expected to reach 495.58 billion yuan.
In order to have a good sleep, young people can be said to have tried every method that can be tried. From the popular Atour pillow to comfortable pajamas, gravity blankets, bedtime sleep aid incense, and melatonin gummies taken, products that can help have a good night's sleep can always gain more attention.
Especially in the light health care track, young people even eat sleep aid health foods as daily snacks - According to the data from Magic Mirror Insights, the sales of gummy sleep aid health foods increased by 249.84% year-on-year in 2024; and the sales of granules and powders also increased by six times year-on-year with product forms such as solid beverages and probiotic powders. Whether it is useful or not, eating it will always bring a little psychological comfort effect.
Next is the "New Chinese-style Health Care" track. When health care has become a daily routine, young people have started a comprehensive study. From shoulder, neck and waist problems to blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids, young people's attention to health care is more vertical and segmented. Here, the blood glucose meter has created a 100-billion-yuan market, and there, anti-hair loss products have become a new blue ocean. According to the data from China Research and Intelligence, in 2024, there are already more than 450 related brands in the anti-hair loss and hair growth market, and the年轻化 trend is still spreading.
Finally, corresponding to weight loss, the "sugar-free" concept is hot in 2024. As long as it is labeled with "sugar-free and healthy", it can always win the favor of young people. The traditional food track has begun to focus on health, emphasizing "no weight gain, zero burden, and light body and slimming". Super foods such as kale, beetroot, chia seeds, avocado, and acai berry have successively become the darlings of brands.
The traditional milk tea market has become saturated, and yogurt, hot drinks, coffee, and new Chinese-style tea drinks have started a fierce competition. I still remember the shock when I saw the nutritional ingredient list of Blueglass yogurt for the first time. Collagen, phycocyanin, collagen hyaluronic acid, after these complex ingredient names, yogurt has been developed to have the effects of weight loss, beauty care, and even enhancing sexual function?
The new battlefield in the food industry is bound to be in health marketing. The "Self-Pleasure Economy" starts with a healthy body. Healthy food can offset the guilt of short-term indulgence and also allow young people to consume more confidently.
Emotional value may be one of the most popular words in 2024. It can also be seen in the wish data: This generation of young people can not be in a relationship, but they cannot lose the ability to be moved. It's just that as long as it can provide sufficient emotional value, everything is worth investing in.
Many people are shocked by the growth of the female-oriented game market in 2024. The revenue of female-oriented games has doubled in 2024. According to QuestMobile statistics, "Love and Deep Space" surpassed "Honor of Kings" and Douyin four times in 2024 and rushed to the top of the iOS best-selling list. The revenue of the iOS version alone exceeded 1.307 billion yuan, followed by "Beyond the World" with more than 370 million yuan.
Otome games provide young girls with a realistic virtual love. In contrast, a new profession called "COS Commission" has emerged this year. It refers to female cosplayers dressing up as designated ACG characters to accompany employers for a day of play. Several characters from "Light and Night" and "Love and Deep Space" have supported a huge market. This is an immersive and highly concentrated emotional experience. For young people, on this day, they can feel that they are being cherished by their favorite characters, as if the two-dimensional paper people on the screen have become real. The crush feeling it brings may not be less than that of a real relationship.
Of course, it's not just about bringing themselves into the role. Some people are more willing to be observers from a god's-eye view. As shown in the wish data, "I myself can not be in a relationship, but the CP I ship must be real." The love for two-dimensional IP characters has also led to a big explosion of the谷子 economy in 2024.
Before the opening of Tmall Double 11 in 2024, Diezhi Xinyi Flagship Store launched a batch of new周边 products of "Love and Deep Space". During the pre-sale period, the transaction volume exceeded 50 million yuan in seconds, and the transaction volume on the first day exceeded 200 million yuan. The same sales volume of more than 100 million yuan also includes the Mihoyo Flagship Store. The sales of IP derivative peripheral products increased by more than 100% compared with last year.
From Jellycat to loopy and Chiikawa (Jii Kawawa), cute things will occupy the attention of young people every once in a while. The phenomenal top trend Jii Kawawa in 2024, after collaborating with MINISO, sold 8 million yuan in 3 days, which can be called the "electronic ibuprofen" for young people, with a full score of healing. Then the official Jii Kawawa Flagship Store settled in Tmall before Double 11, and new products such as Red Temperature Rabbit, Peach Heart Flying Squirrel, and Droopy-Eared Usaqi were sold out quickly. According to the "Analysis of the First Phase of the Double Eleven Promotion" report released by Jiuqian Zhongtai, in the first phase of Double Eleven, the sales of Taotian潮玩 accounted for 69.7% of the total market. Emotional consumption has become a new market increment, especially ACG derivatives and plush products showing an adult-oriented trend.
The "2024 - 2030 China Two-Dimensional Market Research and Investment Opportunity Prospect Special Research Report" released by the China Commerce Industry Research Institute predicts that the market size will approach 350 billion yuan in 2025. The谷子 stores on the B1 and B2 floors have revitalized the dying old shopping malls. In the谷子 stores, there are young people everywhere wearing COS costumes and with a high concentration of two-dimensional elements. There are also many people teaching online how to modify pain bags and pain rooms (referring to bags decorated with anime character badges or dolls and other peripheral products). Only by placing the love for two-dimensional elements in the most obvious place can the maximum emotional value it provides be achieved.
The pet track is also continuing to rise. According to the "2025 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumer Report)", in 2024, the urban (dog and cat) consumption market size exceeded 300 billion yuan, and the number of pets exceeded 120 million