What are the differences between the shopping ideas of customers in China and those in Europe and America?

Over the past 30 years of reform and opening up, China's economy has undergone earth-shaking changes, China's market environment has undergone fundamental changes, and China's economy is gradually moving towards marketization. In this process, consumer behavior presents its unique characteristics, which are different from those under the original planned system and from those in mature market economy countries such as the United States.

Any kind of consumption behavior is closely related to its external environment and internal environment. However, the internal and external environments of China and the United States are very different, because the behavioral characteristics of residents in China and the United States will naturally be very different. Similarities and differences between Chinese and American consumer behaviors;

1. Consumption tendency

Consumption tendency can be divided into average consumption tendency and marginal consumption tendency. The former refers to the proportion of total consumption to total disposable income, while the latter refers to the proportion of incremental consumption to incremental disposable income. Generally speaking, there is a functional relationship between consumption and disposable income. With the increase of income, consumption increases correspondingly, but the marginal propensity to consume decreases.

The survey shows that the marginal propensity to consume in the United States is about 0.68 and that in China is about 0.48. China's marginal propensity to consume is much lower than that of the United States. Why is there such a big difference in marginal propensity to consume between China and the United States?

First of all, because of the different consumption concepts between China and the United States, Americans advocate enjoyment and dare to spend money today and tomorrow. China people have a tradition of thrift, and you get what you pay for.

Secondly, the difference between system and income, whether people dare to spend money depends on the perfection of social security system. The social security system in the United States is relatively perfect, but the social security system in China under the new market economy has not been fully established. Residents should save for necessary expenses such as getting sick, providing for the aged and sending their children to school in the future. At the same time, the income of American residents is stable, much higher than that of China residents.

Finally, marginal propensity to consume is also related to income distribution. When the total income is fixed, the more equal the income distribution, the higher the marginal propensity to consume, the more unequal the income distribution, and the lower the marginal propensity to consume. This is because the rich have a low marginal propensity to consume, while the poor have a high marginal propensity to consume. At present, the income inequality in China is more serious than that in the United States, so it is normal that the marginal propensity to consume is low.

2. China residents' current consumption is excessively sensitive to current income. China residents' current income changes have a significant positive impact on consumption changes, and people are greatly influenced by spot income. This is because China's economic environment is constrained by a closed budget and strong liquidity, people try not to borrow money, and recurrent expenditure is based on recurrent income.

In the United States, due to the developed credit market and weakened liquidity constraints, people's current expenditures are not necessarily based on current income. People can borrow money or spend it, and the liquidity constraint has little effect on American residents. Therefore, the increase of recurrent income does not significantly lead to the increase of recurrent expenditure, which means that consumers try not to borrow money from outside. This closed budget constraint is caused by the traditional thought of "no internal debt and no external debt".

On the other hand, the United States has open budget constraints, which have been weakened. On the one hand, this is because the national concepts of China and the United States are different. What is important is that American nationals have a high income, which has always been the case, and vice versa.

3. Consumers in China rely too much on advertisements.

In the process of consumers' purchase decision, there are four sources of information: personal sources, commercial sources, public sources and experience sources. Commercial sources play the role of information notification, and non-commercial sources play the role of information verification and evaluation.

Judging from the market environment of Chinese consumers, the underdevelopment of information leads consumers to rely on commercial sources, of which advertising is the main source. According to the survey, in 2005, more than 80% of China city consumers' shopping was influenced by advertisements. At present, the main reason why consumers in China are highly dependent on advertising information is the lack of non-advertising information, especially personal source information, mass source information and experience source information, and the general lack of knowledge and ability to evaluate all kinds of information. In addition, judging from the cultural characteristics of China, consumers in China are more likely to trust advertisements than their own judgments on commodities.

Because of the developed market economy and information in the United States, consumers have many means to understand the information sources of goods. Advertising is not the only way, and non-advertising information is enough. Advertising is just a very common source of information. In addition, American consumers have a high cultural quality and have enough knowledge and ability to self-evaluate all kinds of information; From the perspective of American culture, Americans respect individuality, are more willing to trust their own judgments, and are critical of the information conveyed by advertisements, so their dependence on advertisements is not high.

4. The consumption behavior of Chinese consumers has two remarkable characteristics: worshipping foreign things and obsessing over cost performance.

Worship foreign things and obsess over foreign things mean that foreign representatives have better quality, and they are more inclined to buy international brands with the same price. Consumers have great enthusiasm for foreign products. For example, they think that European and American products must be of good quality, even if the price is more expensive than domestic products, they are more inclined to buy foreign products; The ultimate cost performance is to buy the best and give the lowest price at the same time.

These two characteristics are in sharp contrast with American consumers. American culture has its own clear value core and pursuit, so the United States is not very keen on foreign domestic products. Consumers do not exclude consumers of foreign products, but they will also deliberately tend to buy foreign products. On the premise of clear product and brand stratification, Americans are more willing to accept a clear price system than to bargain on a large scale. This certainty comes down in one continuous line with the American values of stable jobs, stable communities and stable interpersonal relationships.

5. Under the influence of traditional ideas, China consumers' personal material desires are often restrained. For example, China's traditional concept advocates "modesty, kindness, courtesy, frugality and concession". Under its influence, frugality and consumption have become the consumption concept pursued by most people in China. Although this concept is now impacted by consumerism and hedonism, it is still widely held and adhered to by consumers in China. Under the influence and domination of the concept of thrift, the demand of consumers, especially the demand and growth of high-end luxury products and services, will be relatively limited. Consumers will pay more attention to the practical utility and value of products and services when purchasing, and oppose blind comparison and extravagance.

American consumers, on the other hand, have strong self-concept and believe in living for themselves, and everything is for their better life. Therefore, the motivation for Americans to earn money is to enjoy life and pursue a higher quality of life. There is no sense of thrift in the concept of American consumers. Therefore, most of the income of American consumers is used for consumption, with a small proportion of savings and a high propensity to consume. Sometimes they even borrow money to spend in advance to meet the current consumption needs and desires.

Your market research should first determine a theme, that is, the industry and products you are engaged in, and make a market research plan on this basis. If we only do extensive research on the theme of the difference between Chinese and American consumption concepts, this market research report is probably a book, because it contains many aspects. I hope I can help you, and I hope to adopt it!