PR Subheading
Shanghai, China – August 27, 2025: NielsenIQ (“NIQ”), a leading consumer intelligence company, released its Q2 Snapshot of China’s FMCG Market. The report reveals that the Asia Pacific’s FMCG recorded a value growth of +4.0% in MAT Q2’25, primarily driven by volume growth. In China, the FMCG market grew by 3.4% in Q2, fueled by the “experience economy” and instant retail, with personal care, beverages, and alcohol categories showing particularly strong performance.
Self-Indulgence and Online Channel Drive China’s FMCG Recovery
According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, China’s GDP grew by 5.2% year-on-year in Q2, with consumption contributing 52% to economic growth. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth rate was around 0%, indicating that Chinese consumers are still cautious on spending.
In FMCG, Q2 2025 saw a year-on-year growth of 3.4% according to NIQ RMS data. Categories with “self-indulgence” appeal showed notable growth: personal care sales rose 12.1% year-on-year across all channels, beverages grew 4.4%, and alcohol increased 6.8%.
Besides, channel performance showed continued growth in online sales: general e-commerce rose 6.0% year-on-year, content-driven e-commerce (e.g., Douyin) surged 35.5%. Although offline channels declined by 4.1%, the drop was less severe than in previous periods.
Consumer Behavior Shifts Toward Experience and Emotion
These market trends are largely driven by shifts in consumer shopping preferences:
- Experiential Shopping: NIQ China’s latest consumer insights reveal that beyond basic purchasing needs, leisure-driven consumption has become a primary catalyst for store visit frequency rise.
- Novelty Premium: Consumers nowadays in China are willing to pay premium for experience-centric and emotionally engaged offerings. New and alternative products play a pivotal role in elevating shopping experiences.
- 24/7 Commerce: Rising emotional needs during leisure time and impulse buying have created new consumption scenarios. Over 60% of Gen Z consumers are willing to pay a premium for instant delivery services. These factors are fueling the rapid growth of instant retail.
James Luo, Customer Success Lead at NIQ China, stated: “Looking forward to H2 of 2025, the core consumer demand will center around the integration of emotional value and novelty product. Manufacturers need to rapidly adapt market trends with innovation on products while fulfill consumers’ needs for emotional value to unlock sustainable growth.”
About NIQ
NielsenIQ (NIQ) is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. NIQ combined with GfK in 2023, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. Today NIQ has operations in more than 95 countries covering 97% of GDP. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™.
For more information, please visit www.niq.com
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Media Contact
Hana Hu: hana.hu@nielseniq.com