China’s affluent young urbanites are shaping the future of the country’s consumer market; what they want today will be mass-market tomorrow.We’ve compiled key trends for global retail brands to note based on insights and data gathered from around e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s ecosystem.The rise of wellness products during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as products serving as a medium for self-expression, have launched a cohort of successful brands in the world’s second-largest economy this year.We’ve focused on the shopping habits of the digitally native Generation Z, known as Zoomers, because of their outsize influence on consumer trends. Despite making up just 15% of China’s population, Zoomers account for 25% of expenditure on new brands.Alizila scoured the halls of Alibaba’s annual offline event, the Taobao Maker Festival (TMF), for retail entrepreneurs that personify our Top 5 emerging trends. Subculture Fashion - Young fashionistas are increasingly attracted to subculture fashions, such as Japan’s Lolita style and traditional Chinese Hanfu.Demand for niche products and boutique brands is rising. Chinese consumers’ passion for connecting with Chinese cultural roots has led to new fashion movements online. According to Alibaba’s statistics, annual sales for this category on Tmall increased by nearly 500% year-on-year in 2020. The same year, more than 1,200 Tmall brands began incorporating Hanfu elements into their designs.Another key trend spotted by Alibaba is the demand for clothing from Y2K (the year 2000). Making a comeback: crop tops, low-rise jeans, unnecessary amounts of layering and a lot of pink, neon and glitter. Young consumers see this era as ‘the good old days’. Glamping - enjoying nature, but not roughing it. From luxurious tents to gadgets that make camping less like ‘camping’, ‘glamping’ was one of the fastest expanding sports subcategories with a 130% year-on-year growth rate during Alibaba’s midyear shopping festival.Fishing is also a popular pastime this year, with more than 300,000 shoppers ordering fishing supplies daily, on average, across Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms during 6.18. More than two million people aged 26 and younger have bought fishing gear over the past year, according to Tmall’s latest statistics.Another outdoor sport that suddenly became popular this year was surfing – with 40% category growth during this year’s 6.18. Taking pictures while standing on a surfboard recently became a new wave of “must-try” activities for young people on social media. Gender-Neutral Perfumes - GenZ is all about self-expression. They look for versatility and diversity in perfumes to help them stand out from the crowd. The market for fragrance in China was estimated to be worth RMB10.9 billion in 2020, and to exceed RMB30 billion by 2025, according to Euromonitor data. Nutricosmetics - including natural ingredients and bringing principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) to food and beauty products. This includes taking supplements to improve your appearance from the inside out. Healthy Snacks - Snacking rather than eating square meals is going mainstream among younger consumers who are always on the go. Young consumers want snacks that they can indulge in but that are also healthy and low calorie.