How does loneliness affect modern people’s consumption?

From single-person meals to single apartments, loneliness brought about by the single economy has become a new economic phenomenon, which in turn affects businesses and consumer behavior. On this basis, if companies can gain insight into this trend, they can develop more attractive products and services, thereby gaining a foothold in the fiercely competitive market.

In modern society, loneliness has become a common phenomenon. It not only affects people's emotional state, but also subtly reshapes the face of the consumer market.

As people around the world experience more loneliness, an emerging consumer trend - the "loneliness economy" - is gradually emerging.

From the rise of single apartments to the popularity of eating alone, from the prosperity of online social networks to the development of companion robots, loneliness is driving new business models and service innovations.

The core of the loneliness economy lies in understanding and meeting the needs of lonely consumers. It not only caters to loneliness, but also responds to the deep-seated social needs behind loneliness.

Lonely consumer groups, especially the growing number of singles and people living alone in the process of urbanization, are seeking consumer experiences that can provide emotional comfort, social interaction and personalized services.

If companies can understand this trend, they can develop more attractive products and services and gain a foothold in the highly competitive market.

1. Loneliness is an epidemic among modern people

How do you view loneliness?

Whether from a psychological or sociological perspective, loneliness is a negative emotion, mainly because an individual's expectations are not met in real social connections. From this definition, we can see the three main characteristics of loneliness:

1. Loneliness is an emotion that people want to avoid. Because they want to avoid it, they are motivated to avoid this negative emotion, and consumption becomes a way to alleviate loneliness.
2. Loneliness is a negative emotion. Those who enjoy being alone and find happiness in being alone do not fall into the category of "loneliness". Therefore, those "I people" who are introverted and do not like crowds are not necessarily people with strong loneliness.
3. Loneliness is not literally "being alone". Loneliness is a subjective feeling that emphasizes the quality of social relationships rather than the quantity. Therefore, a person can still feel lonely when he is with many people, and a person may not feel lonely when he is alone.

How do you know if you feel lonely?

In 1978, three researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles developed the UCLA Loneliness Scale. This 20-question questionnaire aims to determine not only the degree of connection, support and care felt by the respondent, but also the degree to which they feel excluded, isolated and misunderstood. To this day, it remains the gold standard for studying loneliness. Higher scores on the scale indicate greater loneliness, with scores >=45 indicating high loneliness.

Nowadays, loneliness has evolved from an individual and private psychological state to a common symptom in society, and has even risen to a national problem for all people.

In 2018, the British government established a "Minister of Loneliness" to address the problem of loneliness at the social level, especially among the elderly. In 2021, Japan, which was hit by the new coronavirus, followed the UK's footsteps, established an office for countermeasures against loneliness and isolation, and appointed a Minister of Loneliness.

It's quite interesting to say that both Britain and Japan are island countries. Japan is isolated in the Pacific Ocean on the east side of Asia, and Britain is independent in the Atlantic Ocean on the west side of Europe. The two island countries have surprising similarities in many places: for example, they are both highly developed capitalist societies, both are independent of continental culture, both are constitutional monarchies politically, their national characters are relatively introverted, and the interpersonal social distance is also very far.

The loneliness problem faced by Japan seems to be more serious. According to a report by the Global Times, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research of Japan estimates that by 2040, people living alone over the age of 65 in Japan will account for more than 40% of the elderly population, and there will be no less than 30,000 cases of "lonely deaths" in Japan every year.

2. How does loneliness affect future consumption?

The problem of loneliness is not only a social phenomenon, but also evolves into a unique consumption landscape in postmodern society - lonely consumption.

Japan has transformed into a single society, a society with low desires, an aging society, and a virtual society. Based on these specific aspects, Japanese social consumption researcher Hidetoshi Miura defines the current Japanese society as a "lonely society."

In the view of Hidetoshi Miura, the core concept of Japan's current consumer society is "loneliness". A society where loneliness is the main motivation for consumption is a "lonely society". Against this background, a large-scale lonely consumption model has emerged.

1. Blind box consumption

This is mainly manifested in "experiential consumption" and "paying for one's own interests and hobbies". For example, take a trip on a whim, the world is so big, I want to go and see it... Behind these social hot searches is not blind impulse consumption, but a kind of disappointment of modern people in the current social interaction relationship, and they want to temporarily disengage from the relationship with society and please themselves.

As an emerging consumption model, blind boxes may be attractive to lonely consumers because they provide a novel and uncertain shopping experience, which is related to the psychology of seeking novel experiences to alleviate loneliness. This explains the social psychological basis of the rise of Pop Mart to a certain extent: a large part of the reason is that it hits the spiritual comfort needs of lonely people. After all, trendy toy products have certain social attributes. Consumers can establish social connections with like-minded people and form communities by collecting and exchanging trendy toys, thereby alleviating loneliness to a certain extent.

2. Intelligent elderly care robots

Intelligent elderly care robots are intelligent devices designed specifically for elderly care services. They can provide various forms of assistance and companionship to meet the physiological, psychological and social needs of the elderly, and currently have good development prospects.

In terms of social interactions, intelligent elderly care robots can conduct daily conversations with the elderly through voice interaction technology, provide emotional support and companionship, and reduce loneliness.

Physiologically: For elderly people who need rehabilitation training, rehabilitation robots can assist with physical therapy and daily rehabilitation exercises. In emergency situations, such as when an elderly person falls, smart elderly care robots can trigger an alarm system to notify family members or caregivers.

Psychologically: Some smart elderly care robots have functions such as playing movies and making video calls, which can provide entertainment for the elderly, increase the fun of life, and even assist the elderly to continue learning new knowledge, such as language learning, history and geography, etc., to enrich their spiritual life.

3. The revival of offline experience

Consumers who feel lonely more often are more likely to choose offline shopping. Some consumers go to the mall to chat with sales staff, while lonely consumers regard shopping as a social experience to build social connections.

This has further promoted the revival of the offline experience economy, from Zibo barbecue to Gansu Tianshui Malatang, from Beijing's Nanluoguxiang to Changsha's Wenheyou, immersive consumption in physical stores and private spaces in one-person restaurants have provided such opportunities. These experiences can meet people's pursuit of a sense of belonging and social needs, thereby alleviating loneliness to a certain extent.

4. Miniaturization trend of products

With the rise of the single economy, young consumers are more inclined to impulse consumption and experiential consumption. Mini-packaged products reduce the decision-making cost of consumption while satisfying their pursuit of fresh experiences.

At the same time, Mini products are usually exquisitely packaged and beautifully designed, with high sunbrightness and social currency attributes, which meets young people's needs for beauty and social identity and also alleviates consumers' loneliness to a certain extent, especially when these products are combined with social activities or personal interests.

In addition, with the increase in the number of singles and people living alone, the "single economy" targeting this group is emerging. Miniaturized products such as small packaged food and mini refrigerators meet the needs of single people for small-scale consumption units.

According to iResearch data, the market size of smart small home appliances continues to grow, reaching 192.4 billion yuan in 2023, reflecting the broad prospects of the mini home appliance market and consumers' high acceptance of such products.