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Consumers

Consumers
News about consumer spending and shifting shopping habits from around the world with a focus on developments in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Alibaba Group Holding’s Amap navigation app has nearly 1 billion monthly users. Photo: Handout
Alibaba

China’s answer to Google Maps now tells you where local taxi drivers eat lunch

Amap is harnessing AI to offer an array of new features, from 3D maps of indoor spaces to hyper-specific restaurant recommendations.

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China travel

Before Apec meeting, China’s mobile-payment overhaul is helping foreigners spend

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China consumption

Mooncakes for the dog? How China is reinventing its iconic festive snack

Mainland China

Blue Bottle bets that premium coffee has room to grow in China

US brand, recently sold by Nestlé to Chinese capital firm, will need to offer unique experiences and ‘new taste combinations’, analyst says.

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Blue Bottle Coffee’s first Beijing store will be in the city’s central business district in China World Mall. Photo: Handout
The location was previously occupied by a Japanese jeweller. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

3,800 Hong Kong food outlets offering up to 30% off to celebrate National Day

Food and catering businesses say they will offer an array of tasty deals across the city.

India

What can Asia, Global South learn from India’s new digital payment fee?

The roll-out is a good test of whether the system can generate enough revenue to pay for its own maintenance and expansion, experts say.

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China travel

Next-level travel: how up to 13 days off could push China’s tourism to new highs

An alignment of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays stretches time off for millions of Chinese, with breaks reaching up to 13 days.

Tourists visit Tangqi town in Hangzhou, eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Photo: Xinhua
Style Edit

Style Edit: Why De Beers Group sees ‘authentic individuality’ driving diamond demand

Cook says natural stones’ provenance and rarity as well as warm Desert diamond colours are reshaping the jewellery industry as lab-grown prices fall.

China consumption

Boosting China’s social safety net could address consumption woes: IMF director

The global organisation found that savings of rural households decrease when social and healthcare spending is higher.

Swire Group

Swire Coca-Cola gets robots for heavy lifting in demanding China market

New automated facility to help meet increasingly diverse demand across emerging sales channels, company says.

A robot developed by Hangzhou-based Seth Robotics picking goods at Swire Coca-Cola’s smart factory in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Friday. Photo: Handout
China's economic recovery

Economists urge Beijing to act fast on local-level debt while prices remain low

Prominent advisers note importance of central authorities expanding borrowing to fund infrastructure before the current window of subdued inflation closes.

People carry bags while walking through the central business district in Beijing. Photo: Getty Images
World Gold Council

As China’s consumption of gold jewellery slumps 34%, sellers pivot abroad: WGC

Domestic gold jewellers are seeking to leverage advanced crafting techniques as market sees turbulence, says World Gold Council executive.

DJI

China’s Insta360 opens first US flagship store in New York’s Times Square

Action camera maker Insta360 is opening a New York City flagship as it navigates price wars with DJI, soaring memory costs.

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China consumption

How Perfect Diary owner Yatsen plans to give its business a glow-up

The Chinese beauty firm has snapped up a string of overseas skincare brands, but it now plans to focus on expanding its existing portfolio.

Customers browse cosmetics at a Perfect Diary store in Shanghai. Photo: Getty Images
Retailing

How major sporting events are becoming part of Hong Kong’s mall retail playbook

Mall operators are expanding sports-themed campaigns and experiences as retailers fight for consumer attention.

Malls use major sporting events to draw visitors and support tenant sales. Photo: Sun Yeung
China consumption

Pets and personal touches: how China’s luxury hotel market is changing

Today’s Chinese guests expect hotels to offer cultural experiences, personalised touches and a pet-friendly environment, Hang Lung director says.

China consumption

China’s economy to see slower loan growth amid sluggish consumption, investment

Loans reverse record contraction a month earlier but fall far short of expectations as property slump drags and deposits rise.

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China GDP

China’s worsening retail slowdown bolsters case for stimulus

Slower-than-expected retail sales growth and a deepening investment slump support the argument for government investment even as industrial output booms.

Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

Pressure on China’s economy persists in August as investment, consumption slow

The drop in overall fixed-asset investment widened last month, as retail sales grew 0.4 per cent year on year.

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Architecture and design

How Vinterior turned the hunt for pre-loved furniture into a global business – interview

While fashion resale has matured thanks to Vinted and Vestiaire Collective, Vinterior is scaling the untapped global market for antique and second-hand homeware.

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong malls see growth with new stores and events: Hang Lung CEO

Leasing situation ‘steadily improving’ with new stores set to ‘open one after another’ in fourth quarter and beyond, Weber Lo says.

A view of Hang Lung Properties’ Hang Lung Centre in Causeway Bay. Photo: Google map
China travel

How China’s inbound tourism could ease strain on weak domestic consumption

Country’s inbound travel revenue forecast to double share of economy and capture 15 per cent of global holiday market, Swiss bank says.

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Policymakers increasingly see inbound tourism as an incremental consumption driver amid weak domestic demand, a UBS report says. Photo: Xinhua
Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Hong Kong consumer watchdog questions supermarkets’ buy one, get one free deals

Consumer Council urges shoppers to compare unit prices after finding some offers provide smaller-than-expected discounts or no savings at all.

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Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Huge gaps in sanitary pad absorption speeds, over half poorly labelled: watchdog

Among 36 products tested, one pad took 73 seconds to fully absorb simulated menstrual blood, exceeding 60-second standard.

Crime in Hong Kong

Number of suspicious credit card transactions involving iPhones surges to 1,209

Apple spokesman says all current orders are being reviewed before processing as total amount involved rises to HK$25 million.

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Hong Kong police received more than 700 reports of unauthorised credit card transactions worth HK$14.7 million linked to pre-orders for Apple’s latest phone models. Photo: Sam Tsang
Beauty

How today’s curling tools are making heat styling less intimidating

Dyson, Shark, GHD, T3 and Hershesons are changing the game with smarter, gentler ways to create waves and curls at home.

Today’s curling tools combine improved heat control, gentler materials and innovative styling technology to create waves and curls with less risk of damage. Photo: Handout
China consumption

End of the supermarket? Why China’s shoppers flock to small ‘community stores’

Young Chinese favour local grocery stores offering low prices and fast delivery, with some saying they haven’t been to a supermarket in years.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong to table cooling-off period bill for beauty, fitness deals by mid-2027

Commerce chief Algernon Yau says both sectors supported seven-day cooling-off period but differed on exemption thresholds.

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