As children bring new attitudes and behaviors into the home, parents have been adopting trends too. In our research across China, we have seen a lot of moms on Kaixin, changing ring tones and wearing designer jeans. Guided access to youth culture, combined with social motivators to stay “in the loop” are making for a generation of older Chinese that perceive themselves as being younger than they actually are.

With these consumers in mind, we were pretty excited to see research being done to document how older people in China feel about themselves and notions of youthfulness.

Dr. Rui Yao, a University of Missouri assistant professor led the study across 6 cities in China. Overall, 52% of the total respondents felt younger than their true age. About 20% perceived themselves to be more than 10 years younger and 6% felt they were at least 20 years younger.

No surprise, women were more likely to feel younger than men (our research echoes this), those who continued working felt younger than those who were retired and high earners felt younger than low wage earners.

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Maybelline’s new product, Hello Kitty mascara exclusive, is on the shelf in Watsons in China. Maybelline collaborated with Hello Kitty and Watsons this time, knowing what women would want and giving them what they would buy.

I don’t know this new mascara but if it gets a good reputation, I will try it. I am interested in Hello Kitty’s travel luggage, which is in the most conspicuous place in the Hello Kitty store. Luggage is the kind of thing you would like to buy and take everywhere even if it costs a lot because it would bring you a sense of security. I will buy a Hello Kitty bag when I get the chance to travel abroad.
Cynthia, 24, female, Shanghai
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Happy Lemon, one of the most popular milk tea stores in Shanghai, just introduced their new product – Oreo Milk Tea. Mixed with ice and Oreo, this new flavor will give people a brand new taste. If you’re on a diet, don’t forget to tell the cashier,  “少糖，谢谢!” (shaotang, xiexie/Sugar little, please)

15 days after the Shanghai World Expo opened its doors to people from all over the world, UNIQLO made a big statement in Shanghai by unveiling its largest ever flagship store.
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… Generic pharmacy

The clash of these two internet giants ended in a TKO, with Google operating in Hong Kong and Baidu continuing to increase their domination over the Chinese market. As of January 2010, Baidu was ranked the number one search engine in China, controlling 63 percent of China’s market share. Meanwhile, famous sites like tom.com have already switched their endorsed search engine from Google to Baidu. Looking to capture more market share percentage points, Baidu launched an advertising campaign geared towards pointing out the cultural advantage Baidu has over Google. The below advertisement aired on national T.V. years ago but seems so ironic now. Does Google really know what the Chinese know? I don’t know, but maybe Baidu knows…
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It is common for Chinese companies to employ many shop assistants – the thinking being that customers value a high level of service. Salespeople serve as guides – suggesting items, informing about promotions, questioning and informing shoppers at every turn. This Chinese approach has been contrasted with a more hands-off, Western philosophy about customer service.

Brands like H&M, Zara and C&A have integrated into the shopping landscape, introducing self-service shopping to youth. Accustomed to both, young Chinese have changed their ideas about what kind of customer service they expect and what they want in a retail environment.

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