Week #25: Pre-made food faces cultural battle 🍲, Milestone in China's streetwear market 🏆, Consumer brands' ESG efforts ♻️ | Following the yuan

A hot, hot, hot sector post-Covid, can pre-made food win the cultural war and the public's respect in China?

I’m very proud of my latest consumption decision this week — in essence, I chose not to go down a rabbit hole but instead invested.

Last week, a subscriber informed me about this exciting deal of 3,399 yuan from Spring Airlines (China’s Southwest/Ryanair) that includes short-range international trips. It first looked great; it allows customers to take unlimited domestic and international flights (to certain cities in Japan, South Korea, and Thailand) for over four months. However, upon further investigation, I discovered that it doesn’t cover taxes or luggage, which could end up costing more than airfares. I also reminded myself that I only plan to take one more outbound trip before the year ends. That was the deciding factor.

Bye bye Bangkok. Image: Tourism Thailand

And, by ‘invested’, I mean I paid for a beginner Cantonese class that costs around 2,400 yuan. I don’t have a strong reason for it — I'm not relocating to Hong Kong, nor do I specifically need it. But at least I can prolong my gratification for 10 weeks until Christmas.

Wow, I'm really adulting. I have a theory about the change in consumer behavior being driven by three major factors: age, significant events like Covid, and economic outlook. I feel I'm experiencing all three.

1. Pre-made food faces cultural battle 🍲

What happened: Based on my observations from earlier this year, pre-made food has emerged as a highly sought-after sector within the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. This popularity stems from its cost-saving nature for both businesses and consumers, and is further propelled by central policies that promote this category as a core component of the state's 'rural revitalization' agenda.