China’s home kitchens: user needs differ in urban and rural areas

Shopping from TMall is giving us a little window into difference in pace and quality of life in China’s urban and rural areas.
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China User Research Market Research: Cooking Kitchen Appliances

The data

Shopping data from online retail platform TMall is giving us a little window into how pace and quality of life differ in urban and rural areas.

Check out the most popular kitchen appliance purchases in China’s megacities (Tier 1), mid-sized cities (Tier 2-3) and towns (Tier 4-6):

Tier 1 cities Tier 2-3 cities Tier 4-6 cities
Themes
  • Western food
  • Speed and convenience
  • Green eating
  • Nurturing
  • Slow pace of life
  • Sanitation
  • Basic kitchen safety
Top purchases
  • Sandwich maker
  • Crepe maker
  • Dishwasher
  • Electric oven
  • Electric stew pot
  • Soy milk maker
  • Coffee maker
  • Trash and food disposal
  • Health tonic boiler
  • Dish sanitizer
  • Electric steamer
  • Juicer
  • Electric hot pot
  • Kitchen hood
  • Drinking water dispenser
  • Water filter
  • Water boiler

Why it matters

  • Consumption in third-tier cities and below is expected to pick up the slack in the coming years.
  • It’s not wise to assume you understand the “China market” based on research conducted on first-tier city residents. Needs differ drastically from location to location.
  • But, as China’s lower-tier cities continue to develop, the preferences of today’s urban residents might help predict the future preferences of tomorrow’s rural residents.

Sources

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