Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Chinese consumers are facing stressful surroundings – family/friend connections are the most important way to de-stress
- China government zooms in caring for depression
- Company strategies and innovations
- Marketing highlight: lifting up confidence for the vulnerable
- Category highlight: supplements, cleaning products, sports nutrition
- Ingredient highlight: aromatic ingredients, minerals, psychobiotics
- Service highlight: viewing mental treatment as building healthy habits by going to the ‘gym’
- The consumer
- Highlight on key demographics
- Young people: not only looking for nighttime but also morning occasions to improve emotion
- Parents: different strategies to manage emotions across different parenting stages
- High earners: renewed definition of comfort foods
- Lower tier city consumers: fast increasing interest in using aromatherapy/essential oils
- Rising feeling of loneliness and short temper besides popular emotional issues
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- Figure 1: Emotional issues, China, February 2021
- Low-intensity exercise and meditation are most attractive
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- Figure 2: Analysis of current usage and future interest of emotional wellbeing management products/services, China, February 2021
- Demand for detailed occasions is on the rise besides popular deadline/work/study occasion
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- Figure 3: Emotional issues occasions, China, February 2021
- Different comfort foods have their unique emotional associations
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- Figure 4: Correspondence analysis of comfort food association, China, February 2021
- Consumers embrace both classic and niche scents and look for blue colour to improve mood
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- Figure 5: Smell association with emotion, China, February 2021
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- Figure 6: Top six colours that consumers associate with mood enhancement, China, February 2021
- Mood-boosting products fit into specific usage occasions
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- Figure 7: Attitude towards products vs lifestyle changes in improving emotional wellbeing, by emotional issues occasion - exercise, China, February 2021
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- Figure 8: Products and services usage – Aromatherapy/essential oil and health supplements (have tried and will continue to do), by attitude towards products vs lifestyle changes in improving emotional wellbeing, China, February 2021
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Tapping into the interest in meditation concepts
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 9: Examples of meditation concepts products/services targeting young generations, China and overseas, 2018-20
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- Figure 10: Examples of products and services using meditation to target a variety of demographics, China and overseas, 2021
- Figure 11: Examples of integrating meditation into a variety of occasions, China and overseas, 2018-20
- Playing up the scent factors
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 12: Examples of products using creative aromatherapy/scents, China and US, 2020-21
- Figure 13: Examples of brands that use storytelling to convey the meaning of the scents, China and Thailand, 2021
- Taking a role play approach in marketing comfort foods
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 14: Examples of comfort food products taking a role play approach in marketing communications and product innovations, China and overseas, 2020-21
- Figure 15: Examples of nostalgic marketing of comfort foods that use vegetables, Global, 2016-20
Market Factors
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- Consumers are facing stressful surroundings
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- Figure 16: COVID-19 worry about lifestyle changes, China, February 2020-February 2021
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- Figure 17: Ways to de-stress, China, March 2020-March 2021
- Mental health support most needed during personal growth and nourishment
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- Figure 18: Areas of need for mental health services, China, 2017-20
- Chinese government zooms in caring for depression issues
- Research continues to provide new angles for emotional wellness management
Marketing Strategies
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- Lifting up young people’s confidence in the era of ‘involution’
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- Figure 19: Vivo’s “Get in with a Smile” campus recruitment activity, China, 2021
- Providing support for return-to-work mums to build mental resilience
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- Figure 20: Examples of marketing campaigns that aim to provide support for mums to build mental resilience on going back to work, China and Australia, 2021
Product Innovations
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- Category highlights
- Popular mood-claimed categories are entering into sleep improving occasions
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- Figure 21: Share of food, drink and supplement launches mentioning ‘mood’ on pack, APAC, April 2018-March 2021
- Figure 22: Examples of tea and supplement launches that look into ‘mood’ claims, Global, 2020-21
- COVID-19 brings emotional imprinting to cleaning
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- Figure 23: Examples of cleaning products that emphasise emotional benefits, Global, 2020-21
- Complementing mood-boosting sports
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- Figure 24: Examples of product innovations that support professional sports, Global, 2021
- Ingredient highlights
- Aromatic ingredients expand from BPC into food and drinks
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- Figure 25: Share of product launches* with mentions pertaining to aroma** stated on pack, APAC, April 2018-March 2021 (moving annual)
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- Figure 26: Examples of food and drink that highlights aromatic ingredients, Global, 2019-21
- Herbal ingredients show popularity in food and drinks with sleep/stress functional claim
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- Figure 27: % of select ingredients used in food and drink products with sleep/stress functional claim, APAC, April 2018-March 2021 (moving annual)
- Figure 28: Top five herbal substances used in food and drink products with sleep/stress functional claim, APAC, April 2018-March 2021 (moving annual)
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- Figure 29: Examples of sleep-improving products that uses herbal ingredients and minerals/amino acids, Global, 2020-21
- Psychobiotics shows potential
- Service highlights
- Emotional fitness concept on trend
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- Figure 30: Coa’s online “Emotional Fitness Studio”, US, 2021
- Mental treatment for physical health issues
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- Figure 31: Examples of health apps that solve physical health issues using psychological approach, Global, 2021
Emotional Issues
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- Rising feeling of loneliness and short temper besides popular emotional issues
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- Figure 32: Ranking of emotional issues, China, 2020 vs 2021
- Parents with toddlers are more likely to feel low and lonely
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- Figure 33: Emotional issues – Feeling low and lonely, by age of children under 18 in household, China, February 2021
- Lower tier city consumers have increased incidence of feeling tired
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- Figure 34: Emotional issues – Feeling tired, by city, China, February 2021
Products and Services Usage
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- Low-intensity exercise and meditation are most attractive
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- Figure 35: Analysis of current usage and future interest of emotional wellbeing management products/services, China, February 2021
- Opportunity for meditation lies with late middle-aged consumers
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- Figure 36: Products and services usage – Meditation (haven’t tried but are interested in trying), by age, China, February 2021
- Opportunity for aromatherapy lies with men
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- Figure 37: Products and services usage – Aromatherapy/essential oil (haven’t tried but are interested in trying), by gender, China, February 2021
- Parents show diversified interest in emotional wellbeing products and services
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- Figure 38: Products and services usage – Health supplements and meditation (haven’t tried but are interested in trying), by age of children under 18 in household, China, February 2021
Emotional Issues Occasions
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- Emotional issues peak at before deadlines and work/study occasion
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- Figure 39: Emotional issues occasions, China, February 2021
- Addressing emotional needs during night and day are most sought by young and early middle-aged consumers
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- Figure 40: Emotional issues occasions (waking up and before going to bed), by age, China, February 2021
- At-home occasion helps relieve exercise-induced stress
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- Figure 41: Attitude towards staying at home in improving mood, by emotional issues occasions, China, February 2021
- Those experiencing emotional issues during cleaning would love a sense of social connectedness
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- Figure 42: Attitude towards talking with family/friends to improve emotional wellbeing, by emotional issues occasions, China, February 2021
Comfort Food Association
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- Different comfort foods have their unique emotional associations
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- Figure 43: Correspondence analysis of comfort food association, China, February 2021
- High-income earners eat healthy comfort food in time of being nostalgic
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- Figure 44: Consumers who choose to eat vegetable salad when they are nostalgic, by monthly personal income, China, February 2021
Sensorial Associations with Emotional Wellbeing
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- Smell association with emotion
- Consumers embrace both classic and niche scents
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- Figure 45: Smell association with emotion, China, February 2021
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- Figure 46: Gaps between scents used in BPC and FD products and consumers’ demand for different scents to improve emotional wellbeing, China
- Herbal and dessert scents attract aromatherapy heavy users
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- Figure 47: Smell association with emotion – Herbal and sweet smell of dessert, by consumers who have tried and will continue to use aromatherapy/essential oils to improve emotion, China, February 2021
- Colour association with emotion
- Blue sets to explode as a popular mood-enhancing colour
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- Figure 48: Top six colours that consumers associate with mood enhancement, China, 2021
- Moderate/extremely worried consumers seek after pink
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- Figure 49: Association of pink and mood enhancement, by COVID-19 worry on lifestyle, China, 2021
Attitudes towards Emotional Wellbeing
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- Good understanding of the relationship between mood and gut
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- Figure 50: Attitude towards mood and gut health, China, February 2021
- Widening interest in adopting meditation practices
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- Figure 51: Attitude towards meditation, by consumers who state they have had depression in last 12 months, China, February 2021
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- Figure 52: Future interest of meditation, by attitude towards career and hobbies in life fulfilment, China, February 2021
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- Figure 53: Attitude towards meditation, by select emotional issues occasion, China, February 2021
- Mood-boosting products fit into specific usage occasions
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- Figure 54: Attitude towards products vs. lifestyle changes in improving emotional wellbeing, by emotional issues occasion - exercise, China, February 2021
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- Figure 55: Products and services usage – Aromatherapy/essential oil and health supplements (have tried and will continue to do), by attitude towards products vs lifestyle changes in improving emotional wellbeing, China, February 2021
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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