How to make consumption boom in Yangpu? On April 26, sh.people.com.cn published "Life Consumption in Shanghai (Part 1)". With a focus on Yangpu's vivid practice of creating new consumption brands, the guide reported on the boom of Daxue Road markets, Jiangwanli meet678, the life belt and innovation belt in Yangpu Riverside, as well as online consumption, showing the features of "immersion", "digitalization" and "youthfulness" presented by the three consumption brands of Yangpu - "Consumption in Digital Yangpu", "Fun in Digital Yangpu" and "Experience in Digital Yangpu" amid the fever of Shanghai's "May 5 Shopping Festival".

Creating New Consumption Brands: What Makes Yangpu "Young"?

Yangpu, which has transformed from an industrial belt into a life belt and an innovation belt, is creating new consumption brands.

The 5th "May 5 Shopping Festival" has come as scheduled and will take place from late April to the end of June, followed by the "Summer of Shanghai" International Consumer Season.

Yangpu released the event program at the earliest possible time. With Wujiaochang Plaza as the core, and "Playing in Digital Yangpu" as the theme, Yangpu will promote three consumption brands: "Consumption in Digital Yangpu", "Fun in Digital Yangpu" and "Experience in Digital Yangpu" across the district.

With focus on three keywords: "immersion", "digitalization" and "youthfulness", can Yangpu's three consumption brands: "Consumption in Digital Yangpu", "Fun in Digital Yangpu" and "Experience in Digital Yangpu" boom? How will Yangpu play a model role in attracting consumers and enhancing the business atmosphere?

Trends boost the new vitality of consumption

Among numerous urban areas in Shanghai, Yangpu undoubtedly represents youthfulness and vitality.

One out of four residents in Yangpu is a young person aged between 18 and 35. Besides, Yangpu is home to a dozen colleges and universities, where students are unleashing their vigor to inject vitality and creativity into this land.

In Yangpu that is forever young, consumption is also trendy.

To arouse the new vitality of youth consumption, Yangpu has introduced a series of measures to promote the consumption upgrading of business districts, and to connect business resources. New landmarks like Wanda Plaza Building E, The Springs (Phase I) and Jiangwanli MEET678 have gone into operation; the time-limited pedestrian street of Daxue Road has opened; and even Meituan has launched a low-altitude drone logistics route in Wujiaochang.

Taking a family of four to Daxue Road has almost become a weekend routine for Mr. Li. "My children come for fun and my wife for shopping, Daxue Road caters to people of different ages alongside its 'youth' label," said him. Daxue Road with an artistic style, a sense of technology and a breath of worldly life is his top choice for travel around.

On a recent weekend, the family of Mr. Li felt a touch of "sally yellow" in spring on Daxue Road -- a fun flash market named "Sally Yellow Market" was held here.

It attracted flocks of visitors by healing visual experiences and storytelling social interactions.

Various flash markets, distinctive coffee shops…brands are further permeating into consumption scenes favored by young people. Efforts to create composite urban public space and business scenarios through the integrated development of technological innovation and cultural creation, as well as online-offline co-creation are vividly reflected in the time-limited pedestrian street of Daxue Road.

Distinctive coffee shops

In 2023, the time-limited pedestrian street of Daxue Road delivered 29 markets with different themes that covered more than 2.6 million people, and carried out co-creation and co-branding activities with a number of crossover brands, according to data. Visitors can find their desired ones from these different markets.

To expand business districts, upgrade business, improve the environment and create a model with dynamic business districts in Shanghai is the goal of Yangpu.

Now, Yangpu is extending the coverage of Wujiaochang as an urban sub-center further to the north for coordinated development with KIC and New Jiangwan City, forming an interaction between great Wujiaochang and small Wujiaochang, creating "high-end areas", "vitality areas", "innovation areas" and other business agglomeration areas, and building new business landmarks with multiple levels, distinctive features and complementary advantages.

First stores offer the trendiest shopping experiences in Shanghai

Being the first stop for numerous brand-name products and a trend setter is the main feature of an international consumption center city.

The young, mainly Generation Z, has always been the key consumer group in Jiangwanli. With high education and good reception of new ideas and things, they have high demand for socializing & entertainment, life quality and cultural experiences.

During rush hour in Jiangwanli Park on recent days, young workers were often seen photographing the Xiaomi SU7 even though they were in a hurry. Their focus is on the domestic new energy vehicle - Xiaomi SU7.

Positioned as "X Junction for the Young", with a floor area of 22,000 square meters, Jiangwanli meet678 is empowered by the Internet in product building and scene operation. The plaza has brought in a host of first stores and new concept custom stores, with first stores representing nearly 75% of all tenants. It aims to create a socializing field for young and energetic customers. "Jiangwanli is not only an extension of daily work and socializing for young people, but also a clear expression of their lifestyle and cultural attitude," said a head of Jiangwanli meet678.

Jiangwanli meet678 is home to first stores and popular brands as well. Since its opening, Jiangwanli meet678 has resorted to Douyin's resources in different industries, and continuously carried out crossover cooperation, transcending the traditional business framework. In addition to the car show, Jiangwanli meet678 also planned markets with different themes such as beauty makeup and cute pets that are scheduled for April 15-May 19, forming a two-way interaction with young customers through valuable content communication.

In recent years, Yangpu's "first store economy" has flourished, contributing to Shanghai's efforts to develop into an international consumption center all time.

The favorable business environment has attracted companies in endlessly streams. Recently, stylish foldable phones with ultra-high performance and intelligent coupes powered by black technologies were "on the same stage" in the Wujiaochang business district of Yangpu, attracting throngs of people to experience the charm of fusion between technology and art.

Huawei Pocket 2 Art Custom Exhibition opened concurrently in five cities across the country, and the Wujiaochang business district was the only in Shanghai to host the exhibition. Why did Huawei choose Wujiaochang to show its two key products? The first is efficiency: It took only two months to build up the showroom from preparation to execution. "For a million-level exhibition, 'efficiency' is our biggest experience." The second is "vitality": "Yangpu's vitality attracted us, the youth market is Huawei's focus, and of course, the results proved that we made a right choice," said a staff member of the showroom.

Innovation stimulates youth consumption

How to show the "youthfulness" of Yangpu and consumption? How will Yangpu leverage its strengths to support Shanghai in building an international consumption center and extend its influence to the rest of the country?

On February 5, a special Spring Festival market took place in Wujiaochang, Yangpu, Shanghai. "Couplets writing", "picture posting", "dragon tracing", "market shopping", "egg smashing", "Hanfu (Chinese costume) parade"…activities such as Spring Festival markets, intangible cultural heritage shows, writing and presentation of "Fu" (fortune) characters and Spring Festival couplets, Hanfu parades, ACGN culture shows and game interactions attracted Guochao (China chic) enthusiasts and residents around in flocks.

Now, in the life belt of Yangpu Riverside, industrial relics, like strung beads, have become popular tourist destinations. Formerly known as Shanghai No. 17 Cotton Mill, Shanghai Fashion Center is one of the "beads". Here, the lively workshops have been replaced by a venue for colorful fashion shows.

Yangpu's solution is manifested in these pictures: to keep the sharpest sense of individual and diverse consumption needs, to embrace mode innovation and business innovation to the greatest extent, and to support new consumption and new business in emerging and growing up in Yangpu and then going nationwide when mature.

Online shopping and online consumption is an innovation in consumption and business, and it is also a major symbol of international consumption centers in the modern sense.

Yangpu has fully leveraged its strength in the agglomeration of online new economy platforms, to offer more relaxing, personalized and futuristic consumption experiences. It has enhanced the role of digital platforms in attracting consumers: the time-limited pedestrian street of Daxue Road teamed up with Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Meituan, Bilibili and other platforms to deliver characteristic events such as Douyin Daxue Road Enchanting Neighborhood, Daxue Road Back-to-School Season, Meituan Beauty Winter Renewal Season and Bilibili Cross-Year Concert, to boost the vitality of neighborhoods and business districts.

Besides, Yangpu has leveraged the platform function and driving effect of leading e-commerce companies, to promote interaction between live selling and brand promotion, and integration between online coupon issuance and offline consumption, empowered the development of regional companies through "Companies Go Live on Douyin", and supported issuance of consumption coupons for "Douyin Supermarket New Year Shopping Festival".

Since the beginning of this year, Yangpu has gained momentum and achieved brilliant results in consumption. For example, the key business complexes in Yangpu recorded total sales of 335 million yuan during the Spring Festival holiday, up 33.5% year on year, ranking top in Shanghai in terms of growth.

"Experience in Digital Yangpu" sets new trend of youth consumption

In this context, it is the right time for Yangpu to launch the "May 5 Shopping Festival" themed by "Playing in Digital Yangpu".

During the "May 5 Shopping Festival", "Experience in Digital Yangpu" aims to set new trend of youth consumption with fashionable and young consumers from outside as key consumers.

For example, with focus on themes such as trendy brands, ACGN and sports, YOUNG Offline Interactive Show will be delivered via digital interactive screens;

The KIC Knowledge and Art Festival, with the theme of "Universities in City", will be held to create a learning space in the city;

A special program for the 1st anniversary of the time-limited pedestrian street of Daxue Road will be launched on May 20;

Cute pet and child fun flash mobs, Graduation Season 2024, and other concurrent activities will be held;

Living Space Renewal Season will enable switches to new energy vehicles, intelligent home appliances and new home decorations, and promote community access to energy conservation subsidies for home appliances…

The Wujiaochang business district ranks top in Shanghai in terms of catering consumption, and leads the city in consumption of take-out food, according to Meituan's data. The data shows the vitality and potential of Yangpu's consumer market, as well as the unique charm of Yangpu as a young urban area.

On the vibrant land of Yangpu, consumption has become a life attitude and cultural expression. Young people's pursuit of new things and their preference for personalized and experiential consumption are driving Yangpu to be a consumption trend setter in Shanghai.