The findings were based on the transactions made on Alibaba Health’s pharmaceutical e-commerce platform, as well as Alibaba Group’s China retail marketplaces during Alibaba’s Chinese New Year sale in early January this year.
In general, consumers in all age groups have shown a stronger tendency than before to spend on healthcare products, but those in the 20s are the biggest buyers.
Age group wise, liver health and weight control products are most popular amongst those in their 20s and 30s respectively.
Liver health for 20s
According to the data, those in their 20s have on average, spent RMB$19 more on health products as compared to last year.
Liver health, anti-hangover dietary supplements were the most popular products amongst these consumers, being responsible for 41% of such items sold.
In terms of liver health supplement tablets, the ratio of male to female consumers was 36:64.
Besides dietary supplements, the report also provided insights on the sales of other types of health and beauty products.
For females in their 20s, teeth-whitening products have also become a hot favourite, being responsible for nearly half (45%) of these product purchase.
Such items were especially popular amongst females from Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou.
For males in their 20s, products that aid hair growth were in high demand, and they made up 62% of the total consumers who bought such products.
This is a new rising trend, as data from Ali Health two years ago showed that these consumers made up less than 40% of the total number of consumers.
Weight concern for 30s
Digestion aiding and weight reducing products were the popular buys amongst those in their 30s.
Examples include the orlistat weight-management drug and those in their 30s contributed to 40% of sales of such products.
Nourishment favourites
In terms of health nourishing foods, the top five items were goji berries, healthy tea, honey, donkey-hide gelatin, and peach resin.
Sales of healthy tea that contain ingredients such as goji berries, red date, and longan have also picked up in sales.
Ease of convenience also played a role as instant products, such as ready to eat bird’s nest, instant donkey-hide gelatin, and black sesame pills (for keeping one’s hair black) making it into the top 10 bestselling healthcare products.
The other hot buys in the health products category include eye and neck message device, steam eye mask, and foot bath powder, and were exceptionally popular with those in their 30s and 40s.
Buying for parents
The young working adults were also buying medical and beauty products such as the Alibaba Health’s body check-up gift cards and hyaluronic acid beauty products for their parents.
More than 29.3% of the health check-up cards for parents were bought by those aged 31 to 35, while 29% of these cards were snapped up by those aged 26 to 30.
On the other hand, one in two of the consumers who bought anti-ageing pharmaceutical-grade beauty products was in their 20s, while one in three was in their 30s.
