中國千禧一代 快消品網購生力軍

Online sales of fast-Moving consumer goods in China are growing seven times quicker than in the US as some 415m Chinese millennials buy daily items over their phones, a study has found.

一項研究發現，約4.15億中國千禧一代通過手機購買日常生活用品，使得中國快速消費品(FMCG)在線銷售的增速達到了美國的7倍。

Over the five years to 2015, China’s online sales of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) grew at an average of 78.4 per cent, far outstripping a 10.7 per cent growth rate in the US and a 7.9 per cent rise in the UK, according to a report by OC&C, a consultancy. In total, online FMCG sales hit $25.3bn in 2015, more than the US and UK totals put together.

諮詢公司OC&C的一份報告顯示，2011年至2015年間，中國快消品在線銷售平均增速爲78.4%，遠超美國的10.7%和英國的7.9%。2015年，中國在線快消品銷售總額達253億美元，比英美兩國加起來還多。

The figures suggest the growing influence of millennials, born in the last two decades of the 20th century, on consumer trends in the world’s second-largest economy. “They live a very busy life, on average working 8.3 more hours per week than [richer] OECD countries,” said the OC&C report. “As such, consumers’ need for convenience has fuelled the surging demand to buy FMCG online anywhere, anytime.”

上述數據顯示出生於20世紀最後20年的千禧一代，對世界第二大經濟體消費趨勢的日益增長的影響力。“他們過着非常忙碌的生活，與（較富裕的）經合組織(OECD)國家相比，他們平均每週多工作8.3個小時，”OC&C的報告稱，“因此，消費者對便利的需要助推了隨時隨地在線購買快消品的需求激增。”

Millennials are set to dominate China’s consumer landscape over the next decade as their average annual incomes grow from $5,900 in 2014 to $13,000 in 2024, according to Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. In 2024, the total annual income of the group is set to be $5.4tn — or double the size of current UK gross domestic product.

根據投資銀行高盛(Goldman Sachs)的預測，隨着中國千禧一代的平均年收入從2014年的5900美元增長至2024年的1.3萬美元，他們勢必將主導中國未來10年的消費格局。到2024年，這一羣體的總計年收入將達到5.4萬億美元——是目前英國國內生產總值(GDP)的兩倍。

Millennials’ drive to spend money enjoying themselves is also evident in the surging sales of cinema tickets, international travel, pet food, water purifiers and probiotic yoghurt last year. Such products, often unavailable to past generations, also provide interludes for millions of young people who otherwise have to cope with long working hours, chronic traffic and heavy levels of pollution.

千禧一代樂意花錢享受還體現在去年電影票、出境旅行、寵物食品、淨水器及益生菌酸奶銷量激增上。這些產品（通常是過去幾代人享受不到的）還爲無數年輕人提供了在長時間工作、忍受交通擁堵和嚴重污染之餘的難得的閒暇。

Although indicative of China’s defining consumer trends, the online sales of FMCG account for just 5 per cent of total retail e-commerce in the country last year, according to OC&C’s research. The retail e-commerce market is projected to reach to $911bn this year and could reach $1.57tn in 2018, according to China Internet Watch, a research group.

OC&C的研究發現，雖然代表着中國的決定性消費趨勢，但快消品在線銷售僅佔去年中國零售電商市場的5%。根據研究機構“中國互聯網觀察”(China Internet Watch)，今年中國零售電商市場預計將達到9110億美元，2018年或將達到1.57萬億美元。

Such growth is not only underpinned by shifting consumer habits. Big e-commerce companies, including Alibaba and , have been investing heavily in building logistics systems to support faster delivery times. has seven “mega” warehouses, 234 large warehouses and 6,756 delivery warehouses across China, helping it to achieve a two-hour FMCG delivery time for consumers in 18 cities across China, OC&C said.

如此快速的增長不只依靠消費習慣轉變的支撐。阿里巴巴(Alibaba)、京東商城()等大型電商公司一直在投入巨資建設物流體系，以實現更快速的商品投遞。OC&C表示，京東在中國各地擁有7個“超級”倉庫、234個大型倉庫及6756個發貨倉庫，這些倉庫幫助京東在全國18個城市實現快消品兩小時送達服務。

The online FMCG boom has also been positive for foreign companies. When Costco, a US retailer, decided in 2014 to sell food via Tmall, a subsidiary of Alibaba, it was “shocked and surprised” to ship $3.5m in merchandise on Single’s Day alone, the company said. Single’s Day, a discount online shopping day promoted by Alibaba, is the equivalent of Cyber Monday and Black Friday in the US. It falls each year on November 11.

中國快消品在線銷售的火爆對外國公司也是好消息。美國零售商好市多(Costco) 表示，2014年決定通過阿里巴巴旗下天貓商城(Tmall)銷售食品時，它被“光棍節”(Single’s Day)一天就賣出350萬美元商品“驚呆了”。每年11月11日的光棍節是阿里巴巴推出的在線購物打折日，相當於美國的“網購星期一”(Cyber Monday)和“黑色星期五”(Black Friday)。