Published on: 2026-04-14
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
When the value of a cup of tea with milk surpasses the cost of the drink itself, turning into an instant emotional comfort and a “little happiness” in the hectic everyday life, the philosophy of consumption of modern youth changes imperceptibly.
Traditional economics teaches us that consumers primarily strive for a “price-quality ratio” — obtaining maximum functional value at a minimal cost.
But today this logic is being reconsidered. The report “Emotional consumption of Generation Z in 2025” shows that almost six out of ten young people are ready to pay for emotional value: the share of those who choose “consumption for pleasure,” and those ready to “pay for emotional value/interest,” reaches 56.3%. More and more young people are choosing “consumption with an optimal ratio of emotional value and price” (striving for the maximum ratio of emotional value and price).
This is not just “impulse purchases,” but a calculation of the “ratio of price to emotions” — a search for the optimal balance between price and emotional benefit. The study “Trends in consumption of services in the household services sector in 2025,” published by the Meituan Research Institute, shows that in 2025 the number of orders for services related to “joyful life” in the Meituan app increased by 36% compared to the previous year, and the share of consumers born after 1995 was almost 60%. A cup of tea with milk for 20 yuan is exchanged for a good mood for the whole day — young people perfectly understand this arithmetic.
In the “Work plan for accelerating the cultivation of new growth points in the service consumption sector” (hereinafter “Plan”), published on the day of the State Council Office, it is clearly stated that emotional and experimental services are considered priority areas of development. Notably, the “Plan” also proposes to include relevant professions related to emotional and experimental services into the national classification of professions, as well as to support the creation of a number of new scenarios for the consumption of emotional and experimental services, which have a strong stimulating effect on consumption.
According to data published by iMedia Research, in 2025 the volume of the emotional economy market in China will reach 2.72 trillion yuan, and by 2029, according to forecasts, will exceed 4.5 trillion yuan. Consumer scenarios centered around emotional experiences are gradually becoming an important driver of consumption growth. The reason why the emotional economy has become a driver of growth is that it has a triple multiplicative effect:
Frequency multiplier. Emotional needs are characterized by high frequency and repetition. Unlike “one-time” decisions to purchase long-lasting goods, emotional consumption, such as tea with milk, coffee, and anti-stress procedures, can happen daily. When a consumer experiences positive emotions, such as pleasure and recognition during purchases, “joyful memories” are formed in the brain, which encourage repeated purchases and create stable consumer inertia.
Scenario multiplier. The experience economy breaks down barriers between industries, generating hybrid business models such as “tea with milk + cultural and creative industry,” “takeaway food + healing,” and “flash sales + social networks.” Researcher Pen Bo from the Ministry of Commerce Institute of China notes that in the future, consumption will cease to be a simple transaction with goods and will become a complex space combining “culture and tourism, commerce and social networks.”Shopping complexes are being transformed into “thematic exhibition spaces”; within the framework of urban reconstruction, places will be created that are worth visiting to gain positive emotions, and consumption will naturally occur within the framework of immersive storytelling.
Value multiplier. When a product acquires emotional value, its potential for a price premium increases significantly. An ordinary cup of tea with milk may cost 10 yuan, but a collaborative or limited edition version can sell for 30 yuan, and this price difference is the “emotional premium.” In 2025, collaborations with IP characters became a key trend in the consumption sphere: young people pay for IP characters, “voting with their wallets for their passions and identity.”
When “ordering tea with the help of AI with one click” becomes an everyday “ritual” for millions of young people, we see not only the growth of the food delivery platform business but also a sustainable transformation of the economy under conditions of increased demand. The emotional economy market, with a volume of 2.72 trillion yuan, an increase in orders related to a happy life by 36%, and the readiness of almost sixty percent of youth for emotional consumption — all these figures point to one conclusion: in the era of the experience economy, those who can understand consumer emotions will open up new growth opportunities for themselves.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.