The new market sells social

Various new markets are emerging all over the country. With trendy names, vendors of different categories, bands and other performances, they have quickly become a new generation of check-in spots for young people. What do you think of the new markets? Let's take a look at the author's interpretation and analysis.

After music festivals and livehouses, there is another trendy gathering place for young people. Various new markets are constantly emerging in various places. With trendy names, stall owners of different categories and bands and other rich performance forms, they have quickly become the new generation of check-in places for young people.

Compared with traditional markets, today's markets are more fashionable. Among the stall owners, there are many "independent niche brand managers", "fashion trend KOLs on major social platforms" or "well-known bloggers in the cultural and art industry". Young people who come to the "market" must prepare their outfits in advance and have a good strategy for the market.

If people go to traditional markets for the practical purpose of "buying, buying, buying", the new markets place more emphasis on the social atmosphere. The check-in photos taken by young people at the market and the new things they take away are all "social currency".

1. Market, a new generation of trendy gathering place for young people

Since the beginning of June, Tiao Tiao, who is in Chengdu, has appeared in different markets almost every weekend. Before checking in at different markets, Tiao Tiao often spends a week to choose and match her clothes for the market. For example, if she goes to a retro market, she will focus on retro clothes, and if she goes to a cute and interesting market, she will go for dopamine colors.

In addition to dressing carefully, Tiao Tiao also searches for relevant lineup introductions on social media and lists check-in strategies on his mobile phone. "I mainly look for celebrity stall owners, such as bloggers on Xiaohongshu, or independent designers who are internet celebrities. I also pay attention to the venue of the market, the layout of the stalls, etc., and prepare to check in and take photos in advance. Some markets require tickets, so I will definitely be one of the first to grab the tickets."

For 23-year-old Tiao Tiao, shopping in the market has become an extremely important part of her leisure life. "I used to prefer going to music festivals or livehouses, actually I just like the lively atmosphere, but now I basically go to the market whenever I have time on weekends, and even go to other surrounding cities to go to the market." Tiao Tiao told Zinc Scale that she has become a senior fan of checking in at the market. She has been to some long-term markets in Chengdu several times, and she will never miss limited flash markets such as the Silver Salt Market, and sometimes she will take a bus to Chongqing to go to the market.

After visiting many markets, Tiao Tiao has developed his own preferences. "My favorite markets are actually the cultural and creative markets and the food and beverage markets. The cultural and creative markets are generally fun, easier to make photos of, and you can occasionally meet many KOLs. For food and beverage markets, I prefer coffee markets and bakery markets. I usually like to drink coffee and buy bread, but many independent coffee shops or bakeries are often not concentrated in one area. When they appear at the same time in the market, I can taste the signature of many brands at once."

After visiting the market, Tiao Tiao will write down her check-in notes in great detail and post her carefully selected "Nine-square grid". Tiao Tiao's visit to the market is not over until the moment of posting.

Like Tiao Tiao, Rita, who works in Hangzhou, also loves to visit coffee markets. "In fact, I usually don't go to these new night markets, or markets that simply sell cultural and creative products, because the things in these markets can be bought online or near home on weekdays. And these markets are usually crowded and crowded." Rita said that she has little interest in fun markets, but she doesn't want to miss the markets with good coffee. "I have been to many coffee markets of all sizes in Hangzhou and nearby areas."

Rita visits coffee markets not only to taste coffee, but also to chat with baristas or managers of independent coffee brands. "In many larger coffee markets, in addition to local coffee brands, there are also coffee brands from other cities setting up stalls, so you can not only drink coffee of different flavors, but also learn about the coffee culture of different regions."

What impressed Rita was that a coffee market was opened near the West Lake in Hangzhou not long ago. She and her friends tasted nearly 20 different flavors and brands of coffee. In the evening, they chatted with the barista they just met while watching the sunset by the lake. "At that moment, I felt that I was not visiting the market, but attending a gathering of people like me," Rita said.

In fact, there are indeed many young people like Tiao Tiao and Rita who love going to the market and make the market more interesting. Searching for markets on social media platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu, there is no shortage of discussions among young people. On Xiaohongshu, there are more than 1.62 million notes about "markets", more than 170,000 notes about "checking in at the market", more than 50,000 notes about "Beijing market", and more than 40,000 notes about "Hangzhou market".

In detail, there are also many posts summarizing market information in various cities, market outfit guides, and market photo guides. It is worth mentioning that on social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu, there are also posts about "looking for market partners" - many young people post specifically to seek partners to go to the market together.

Obviously, the market has undergone several changes in form and has now become a new generation of social space for young people.

2. Who sets up stalls at the market?

At the market, it’s not only the young people who are trendy, but the stall owners are also often well-known or have put a lot of thought into their stalls.

"If the time is right and there are no problems with manpower, I will basically set up a stall at the local market with classic or best-selling products." Liu Naixuan is the owner of an independent bakery in Chongqing. He has been running this small bakery specializing in alkaline bread since 2021. "I didn't plan to open a big store from the beginning, but to open a small community store with a smaller area and signature categories. But I attach great importance to the operation of social media and offline markets, which are important channels to attract traffic from outside the community."

On social media platforms, Liu Naixuan recorded the process of his store from decoration to opening, and also updated the production process of alkaline bread or the introduction of new flavors on a daily basis. Currently, his account has nearly 40,000 followers. "If I go to the market, I will also announce my itinerary on social media in advance." Liu Naixuan told Zinc Scale, "Some fans live far away from our store, and it is not cost-effective to come here specifically to buy bread, but the market is often in a more convenient location, such as a shopping district, so they can come by and 'encounter' by chance."

However, setting up a stall at the market is not an easy task. In addition to preparing bread to bring to the stall, Liu Naixuan also needs to prepare various equipment for the stall in advance, such as baskets for bread, tablecloths, colored lights, designed QR codes, various small signs and packaging bags with logos, etc. In addition, "you have to dress well, because the young people who come to the market are very fashionable." Liu Naixuan often deliberately chooses Japanese-style clothing to make himself more in line with the brand positioning.

According to Liu Naixuan, she often attends baking markets or markets with many categories but fun. "For example, this year's carbon water market is very popular. I have basically been to all the markets that can be participated in. One is to increase brand awareness, and the other is to communicate with peers." In her opinion, "actually, how much you can sell at a stall is not the most important thing, but to make friends. Whether it is introducing brands or flavors to curious customers, or chatting with peers about experience, it is more meaningful."

Like Liu Naixuan, Ah Wu is also a stall owner who often appears in various markets, but she mainly participates in cultural and creative markets. "Because I mainly sell tableware, plates and cups from overseas niche brands." Ah Wu usually sells these tableware in online stores on e-commerce platforms, but if she encounters an interesting or larger market, "even if the stall fee is higher, I will go."

Ah Wu believes that setting up a stall at the market is actually a very tedious and tiring task, "especially since the plates and cups I have to bring are quite heavy and fragile." But when she met young people who were attracted to this niche brand while setting up the stall, Ah Wu felt that it was all worth it. "I bought these tableware from everywhere because I like them. Sometimes it takes me a year or two to get a complete set. So when I see that someone likes them as much as I do, even if they don't buy them, I feel that my taste is affirmed."

Zinc Scale noticed that on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, there are many young entrepreneurs like Liu Naixuan and A Wu who frequently participate in the market to set up stalls. Click on any post "Recruiting market stall owners" and you will see many young people signing up in the comment section. On various short video platforms, there are also many young stall owners sharing their stall setting experiences or itineraries.

3. Can a small market become a big business?

In fact, markets are becoming more popular this year. According to Jiemian News, there are at least 18 markets held simultaneously in Shanghai in June, such as the Little Red Book Shanghai Coffee Lifestyle Festival in Xintiandi Taiping Lake Green Space, the Tomorrow Sober Tipsy Market in BFC Financial Center, the flea market in Jing'an Market, etc. The popular online markets such as Anyi Night Alley, Daxue Road Trunk Market, and Seoul Nightlife, which have always attracted much attention, are also being held this year.

With the emergence of various markets, market culture has taken shape. Nowadays, many markets are touring around the country like music festivals.

Take the "Silver Salt Retro Market" as an example. This market, founded by the event planning company "Hangzhou Silver Salt Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd.", has long gone beyond Hangzhou and appeared in Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongqing, Chengdu and other places. Zinc Scale noticed that the "Silver Salt Retro Market" has also formed a relatively unified market style and diversified gameplay. The style is as its name suggests, focusing on retro. Stall owners and market goers often have their own retro looks, and the market's store lineup is often dominated by vintage stores or retro brands from all over the country.

From the perspective of gameplay, in addition to setting up stalls and visiting the stalls, the Silver Salt Vintage Market often also has limited-time auctions, swing dancing, live performances and other forms of entertainment.

It is worth mentioning that most markets are free to enter, while the Silver Salt Retro Market requires tickets, priced at around 59 yuan. In addition to Silver Salt, tickets to the Dawa Monster Market and the popular NEED Market are both 39 yuan. Even so, on major social platforms, the popularity of markets such as the "Silver Salt Market" has continued unabated. "Many KOLs or well-known Internet celebrities have visited Silver Salt and NEED, which can be said to be a gathering place for trendy people." Tiao Tiao has also been to the Silver Salt Market in Chongqing. In her opinion, the reason why contemporary young people check in at this kind of "touring" market is the same as checking in at a music festival.

This means that in addition to stall fees, ticket sales are becoming the main source of income for market organizers.

Complaints about the market on Xiaohongshu

However, as more and more market organizers are being formed, more and more young people are “falling into traps” when going to the market. Some young people who go to the market said, “Many markets that require tickets are disappointing and not worth the price. Markets that do not require tickets are all the same, and the goods are getting more and more expensive.” Some stall owners also said, “Many organizers are unreliable. It is easy to have duplicate products or there is little customer flow. I feel cheated after paying the stall fee.”

China Business News also wrote that a stall owner complained on social media that a market she attended had almost no traffic, and the scene was deserted. Only the stall owners were "huddled together for warmth". After a busy day, she "didn't even make enough money for food, not to mention the stall fees". Due to the organizer's unclear positioning of the market and insufficient pre-promotion, the actual effect was far from the expected value. At the same time, some organizers underestimated the popularity of the event, and tickets were oversold and there were long queues on site, which not only affected the experience of playing, but also brought risks, so the market activities were temporarily suspended.

Therefore, if the new business model of the market wants to become a large-scale business, it may still face many difficulties that need to be solved urgently.

Author: Li Xuanqi; Editor: Li Jinlin

Source public account: Zinc Scale (ID: znkedu), focusing on original in-depth reports on technology and the new Internet economy.