Following the indulgent festivities of the Lunar New Year holiday, many are looking to get fit – a trend that’s also been accelerated by consumers’ increased health awareness as a result of the pandemic. According to data from Tmall Supermarket, during the week after Lunar New Year’s Eve*, sales of home fitness equipment, such as weighted jump ropes, steppers and ab wheels, surged 21% year over year to become the best-selling goods on the platform following the holiday.
Female consumers, in particular, have shown an increasing demand for imported protein powders for muscle building. Between March 1 to 4, sales for such products on Kaola witnessed 200% YoY growth among women compared to men, especially among the Gen Z demographic. During the same period, the volume of questions from female Kaola Global VIP members regarding products for fat reduction and muscle gain also increased by 120%.
Sales of meal-replacement shakes and biscuits, chicken breasts that are low in fat and high in protein as well as other healthy, nutritional foodstuffs on Tmall Supermarket also increased 17% YoY in the week after Lunar New Year’s Eve. Sales for such products far exceeded those of passive weight-loss products such as diet beverages, showing that consumers nowadays are looking to get fit through active lifestyles and healthy eating.
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*The duration of the figures refer to a comparison between February 12 to 18, 2021 versus January 25 to 31, 2020