Nowadays, brands have started to compete in terms of "consumption appeal".

Today's young people often feel overwhelmed when shopping, just like being surrounded by a riot of colorful flowers.

The market is flooded with an explosion of products, each boasting a wide variety of selling points. This has once left young people lost in a fog of decision - making due to information overload.

The competition among brands has transformed into a PK of "consumption tension". "Consumption tension" is the undercurrent between products and consumers and also an external manifestation of consumers' purchasing mindset.

To explore the consumption tension of contemporary people, TIDE, in collaboration with ByteDance Marketing Cloud, based on the brand mindset measurement index system of ByteDance Marketing Cloud, jointly analyzed the TOP mindset words of Douyin users in eight major fields such as beauty, food and beverage, and automobiles, and summarized seven major consumption trends of young people.

We've found that contemporary people, who are thrifty when they should be and generous when it's appropriate, are not just after cost - effectiveness and quality - to - price ratio in consumption. Instead, their consumption shows a step - by - step evolution - from the basic pursuit of good looks and immersive experiences, to a deeper deconstruction of ingredients and belief in technology, and then to a more profound sense of social belonging and emotional resonance. The value density of products gradually increases, and the consumption tension of contemporary people is also reaching new heights.

This time, starting from the products' external appeal and internal resonance to young people and based on the mindset words, we will present and analyze the seven levels of young people's consumption tension one by one.

Appearance is undoubtedly the primary driving force when it comes to attracting people's hearts. In the realm of consumption, "Good looks are justice" will never go out of style.

For young people, bringing beautiful things home can not only add some color to their dull lives but also sweeten their tired souls. Whether it's a unique design, high - end texture, or stylish packaging, there are always young people willing to pay for the allure of good looks.

It's obvious that in all industries, there are "beautiful things" that have become popular because of their good looks.

In this year's TOP mindset words of ByteDance Marketing Cloud, we found that young people are paying more and more attention to the fashion style of clothing when making purchases. At the forefront of fashion trends, they are constantly following new dressing styles such as "European - inspired style, dopamine style, Maillard style, Yadan style, Mint Mambo style, and new Chinese style". After all, dressing is not only an expression of emotions but also a proof of their aesthetics.

When choosing a car, good looks have also become a crucial criterion. "Wheels, panoramic sunroof, headlights, and doors" have become the core mindset words. Whether it's the exterior or interior, young people make careful selections. Evidently, a car is no longer just a means of transportation but also a mobile business card of personality and a certificate of aesthetics. The most eye - catching one is the "Chopped Pepper Fish Head Car", which, with its petite size and dopamine - inspired color scheme, has successfully become the latest fashion item for county ladies.

Good looks are the first threshold for contemporary people's consumption. For brands, if they want to win over this generation of appearance - conscious consumers, they need to keep up with the mindset of loving beauty and refine their "appearance power" to the extreme, and perhaps they can reap the "appearance dividend".

Today's young people lead a rather plain life, have a low - key social life, and their emotions are also subdued. Even their consumption behavior is "low - key".

They are starting to pursue a "effortless lightness" in consumption.

In the beauty circle, "The lighter the makeup, the more beautiful the person" has become a new consensus. According to this year's Douyin mindset word trends, we found that young people are increasingly pursuing a natural and clear "skin - like makeup" and a comfortable and refreshing skin - feel experience. Words like "cool, well - fitting, non - whitening, clear, and moisturizing" are among the high - frequency search terms.

In the fashion industry, young people are extending the pursuit of comfort to their entire bodies. They seek the feeling of "wearing nothing at all". Some have abandoned underwires and high heels and started to favor seamless cloud - like underwear and barefoot - style shoes with soft soles and uppers. Others have fallen in love with soft fabrics that feel like a second skin and have made yoga pants a new fashion item.

In the food and beverage industry, young people are also pursuing guilt - free pleasure. Healthy diets like low - sugar, low - calorie, zero - fat, and zero - sugar have become their "eating concepts". Combinations like "sugar - free soda + low - fat cheese + light - meal boxes" have become the new lunch sets for office workers...

In their view, products should serve people rather than becoming a burden or the center of attention. Their ultimate goal is a nearly "invisible" sense of comfort. Brands should also understand the "naked - style" mindset and make their products achieve a pressure - free feeling on the body, low visual interference, and no emotional coercion to successfully open the hearts of the younger generation of consumers.

When studying, young people tried to avoid mathematical formulas and physical terms in textbooks. However, when it comes to consumption, they are enthusiastic about researching various chemical components.

Even those incomprehensible chemical terms have become must - learn words in some young people's consumption dictionaries.

In this year's Douyin mindset words, we found that chemical beauty ingredient words such as "collagen, nicotinamide, amino acids, and vitamin B5" often appear in contemporary people's search boxes. Whether it's for anti - aging, whitening, or improving the skin barrier, young people have the criterion of "ingredients equal efficacy". In their minds, clear ingredient support can double the product's effectiveness.

In the field of mother and baby products, contemporary consumers are also paying more attention to the safety of ingredients. "Probiotics, DHA, lactoferrin, scientific formula" have become popular search terms. The ingredients of mother and baby products represent the safety index, and in - depth understanding ensures peace of mind when using them.

Even in daily chemical products, "nicotinamide, probiotics, and essential oils" have become popular ingredients. Young people will become "ingredient judges" and actively search for test reports, regarding transparent ingredients as the ticket to their quality lives.

Consumers' unconditional trust comes from brands' unreserved honesty. For brands, being brave enough to be serious about ingredients and showing test reports is a sign of reliable product strength and confidence that can withstand scrutiny. When brands respond to this consumption mindset with "the courage to be seen", they can sign a stable trust contract with young people.

This generation of young people has the "admiration for the strong" gene engraved in their bones.

In their daily lives, they pursue excellence, and in consumption, they become technology believers. When products come up with some cutting - edge technologies, they want to be the first to try them, just to seize the opportunity in the technological wave and feel the thrill of controlling the future.

In the automotive field, more and more young people are falling into performance worship. The halo of BBA no longer guarantees their absolute loyalty. Instead, they are more willing to do some "technical background checks" before buying a car. According to the TOP mindset words of ByteDance Marketing Cloud, the most frequently searched, commented on, and interacted - with content by young people before buying a car includes "engine, plug - in hybrid, 0 - 100km/h acceleration, two - wheel drive, and zero - to - hundred acceleration". Understanding the product configuration and parameter performance of a car in advance may ensure both excitement and safety when driving.

When it comes to buying a mobile phone, tech enthusiasts are in the forefront. The most obvious example is the triple - foldable phone, which has become extremely popular since its launch. Only three days after the global first triple - foldable phone opened for pre - order, more than 4 million young people made reservations. What they want is not only technological iteration but also a complete subversion of the experience.

In the home appliance field, contemporary people's demands are straightforward. "Intelligent, technology, science, and smart appliances" are their high - frequency mindset words. Refrigerators should be able to manage food, vacuum cleaners should learn to clean automatically, and lighting should adapt to day - night cycles. From the previous pursuit of durability to the current pursuit of "AI - controllable everything", the living efficiency of young people has been significantly improved.

Technology changes lives, and products using technology have also enriched contemporary people's lives. As consumers are more and more willing to embrace technology and be infatuated with the thrill brought by "technological power", brands should respond to the consumption mindset with "hard - core innovation" and answer consumers' curiosity and desire for control with every technological upgrade.

When consuming, fun - loving young people also like to have some fun.

For them, consumption is no longer just a buying - selling behavior but a "curiosity experiment". Whenever they come across something new that piques their interest, even if it's just to follow a trend, shoot a video, or simply bring it home as a decorative item, they will make an "experimental purchase".

This trend of "experimental purchase" has spread to all fields.

In the mobile phone industry, the continuous improvement of imaging functions has lowered the threshold for professional photography. Everyone wants to be a photographer. Young people are starting to pay attention to topics such as "photography, video, camera, and lens" of mobile phones. They conduct self - research and spontaneous evaluations. Even if they don't buy a phone, they will go to various mobile phone stores to experience it and leave a photographic work of their own in the world.

In the food and beverage field, young people are also willing to taste various new types of food. From latte with soy sauce flavor to instant noodles with coriander flavor and ice cream with spicy oil flavor, although these seemingly out - of - the - box dark cuisines may seem strange, young people adhere to the belief that "existence is reasonable" and they mainly focus on "not caring whether it tastes good but only whether they've tried it".

Contemporary consumers are no longer only concerned about cost - effectiveness. Instead, they are driven by the impulse of "let me try first". Of course, this is by no means blind following but a selective attempt driven by interest.

When fun becomes the primary driving force for contemporary people's consumption, brand products that understand this mindset can capture the hearts of more young people and complete the perfect cycle from curiosity to consumption power.

The consumption logic of young people is becoming more and more like organizing a party. They need an "office buddy" at work, a "lying - flat buddy" after work, and an "escaping buddy" on weekends.

In different slices of life, they need exclusive "good consumption buddies".

In the field of clothing, young people make impulsive purchases driven by specific scenarios. Behind high - frequency mindset words such as "warmth - keeping, sun - protection, off - road, and extreme outdoor", there is a young people's pursuit of a sense of ritual for scenario - based dressing. At the forefront of fashion, they always need a set of clothes in their wardrobes that can precisely match their life scripts.

In the food and beverage field, contemporary people also have different scenario - matching needs. Instant noodles, duck necks, and melon seeds, which can satisfy cravings without interrupting the fun, are great companions for binge - watching TV shows. Low - oil, low - salt, and low - fat beef, corn, and konjac jelly are healthy partners during fitness. Chocolate, energy bars, and QQ candies are also good "recharging buddies" to boost dopamine at work.

In the mother and baby industry, consumption is refined to the extreme in terms of scenarios. They are not satisfied with providing basic needs for babies but have mapped out a meticulous care plan - from basic nutritional supplements to sterile safety protection and then to delicate skin care, projecting all the "meticulous parenting" they didn't experience in their childhood onto babies.

Through consumption, contemporary people are looking for "tacit buddies" that understand scenarios and themselves for every fragment of their lives. For brands, only by deeply understanding the consumption scenarios of urban people and precisely embedding their products into every frame of their lives can they become indispensable "good buddies" in their lives.

Contemporary young people's consumption not only aims to meet material needs but also to soothe their souls.

This is not being overly sensitive. In a high - pressure life, young people are trying to establish a self - protection mechanism through consumption.

Buying a cute Jellycat plush toy is not just about admiring its lovely appearance. It's also about having something soft like a cloud to touch when feeling down, providing a sense of security and emotional support. This small toy has