Apple Watch, protein powders are all the rage in China as Gen Zs rediscover the benefits of good health amid resurging Covid infections
- The wearable devices market in China is expected to grow 20 per cent per year to US$20 billion in 2025
- Health issues such as hair loss, obesity and depression are becoming common among China’s younger generation, a report found
A lot of people have been turning to wearable fitness devices to help them get into shape.
George Yang, 22, said he bought his Apple Watch when Shanghai went into a strict lockdown in April. The university student said he had suffered chronic neck pain for over a year, which he believes was caused by too much time spent on his computer attending online courses.
“Young, healthy people [in China] look for wearables that feature health monitoring as well as other functionalities such as entertainment and smart-home functions,” said Anthony Siu, partner and co-head of BDA Shanghai.
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The children’s smartwatch subsegment alone has been expanding at a 20 per cent annual clip, according to the joint report released on November 29.
Sam Hu, a 24 year-old graduate from Nanning, became increasingly worried about his physical and mental health during the pandemic. To avoid catching Covid-19, Hu had limited the time he would spend socialising.
He too has turned to wearable devices to help.
“I bought the Apple Watch 3, mainly because of its low price and the function of detecting heart rate and recording steps,” said Hu.
Millennials are the largest target group of the sports and fitness market in China, accounting for 40 per cent, the publication released in September found.
Their larger disposable incomes also allowed them to buy more innovative health products such as vitamins and supplements, organic foods, protein powders – a trend exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Protein powder and other “functional foods”, already popular in the West, are booming in China as people become more used to the idea of protein powder as a source of nutrition and energy, said Siu.
Jade Tang, a 23-year-old recent graduate from Chongqing, said the pandemic had left her worried about falling ill.
“I am paying more attention to my diet, especially my protein and vitamin intake,” said Tang, whose parents both recently bought Huawei fitness watches. Tang regularly consumes protein powder, multivitamins and vitamin C.
“Next year I plan to lose fat and gain muscle because I don’t think I’m strong enough and I hope to get fitter,” she said.
People aged between 20 and 35 make up half of functional food sales in China, a market that was worth US$100 billion in 2022. Functional food brands are aimed at young people who prefer nutritional products with better flavour and texture, such as soft confectionery, jelly, and soda water, rather than taking pills.
Chinese consumers also prefer products made with natural ingredients, such as fruit and vegetable extracts. Emerging functional food brands in China have been growing in recent years and have received strong support from venture capital firms.
Brands like Wonderlab, a nutritional meal replacement brand for young females, and NELO, which targets 20- to 40-year-olds and focuses on the eyes and gastrointestinal health, have all received growth capital from VC firms in recent years.
The AR and VR market is expected to see 25 per cent year-on-year growth, with 34 per cent of that coming from Asia-Pacific. Aside from the gaming industry, education, medical, retail and training uses will further boost the global growth of this technology, the report said.
