Tiger-themed products see hot sales in China during Spring Festival holiday

During the Spring Festival holiday, tiger-themed products became popular among Chinese people, especially among young consumers, as China celebrated the Year of the Tiger, creating an atmosphere for what people call a “tiger economy.”

Cultural products with tiger elements are seen in a shop in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Lyu Guangyi)

According to a report recently released by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, the transaction volume of products with tiger elements, including fleeces, bags and caps saw robust growth on its platforms during the holiday, and the searches for tiger-themed special purchases for the holiday skyrocketed 874 percent year on year. In addition, tiger-themed jewelry, and beauty and skin care products were favored by young consumers.

Gold jewelry with tiger elements were often sold out across Chinese cities during the holiday. “Tiger-themed gold and silver coins and jewelry become highly sought after. So far, we sold over 600 pieces of new tiger-themed jewelry,” said Li Min, a salesperson with a jewelry store in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province. Li added that new products featuring novel designs and tiger elements have gained popularity among young people, who are keen on fashionable, high quality products.

Young people’s diverse consumer demands boosted the “tiger economy” during the holiday. Tiger-shaped steamed buns, along with those shaped like tiger heads, originating from east China’s Shandong Province became popular among people born in the 1990s and 2000s, and were sold to places across the country. Dishes and pastries with tiger-related features were in great demand in cities such as Changsha, and Yangzhou. On a street in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, small vendors displayed their tiger-themed Spring Festival decorations, as well as products using the Chinese character Fu (meaning good luck in English), paintings and stuffed toys.

“The tiger, the king of beasts, symbolizes boldness, strength, and vigor and is worshiped by young people. The hot sales of tiger-themed products reflect that they seek creative expressions of traditional culture,” said Liu Zhi, a consumer behavior analyst.

Liu added that young people, as the driving force of Spring Festival holiday sales, focus more attention on social interaction and entertainment and a sense of ceremony during the festival.