Experience economy, unleashing a new engine for consumer potential

Ask AI · How Does the Experience Economy Respond to Consumers’ Emotional Needs Behind Upgraded Consumption?

Ou Yangjie

Source: Meituan Flash Purchase, Meituan Travel, etc.

Spring is in full bloom—the warmth of wind and flowers, flowing over the branches, settling on your shoulders. Take a flower-viewing themed train and see the fresh blooms at the scenic spots along the route, then enjoy a non-heritage hairpin-flower experience once more; step into a vast sea of flowers spanning ten thousand acres, stroll through the flower market, then listen to a thrilling music concert in the flower fields; meet among mountains and forests, feel all things reviving, and then take part in a refreshing off-road race… In this vigorous spring, using flowers as a medium, cultural tourism experiences, leisure and shopping, and sports competitions have gained more appeal and enjoyment, drawing a vivid picture of the vitality of the “Spring Economy.”

Under the wave of the “Spring Economy,” it’s not hard to see that people are no longer satisfied with merely standing still to admire the flowers—they also enjoy a pleasant environment that looks good and feels right among the blossoms, and they hope for a unique consumption experience. Shifting from focusing on the functions of products and services to creating personalized, immersive experiences, represented by the “Spring Economy,” the experience economy is becoming a new engine for releasing consumer potential and vitality.

The experience economy aligns with the trend of consumption upgrading. Today, consumer supply is growing increasingly abundant, meeting people’s needs for the basic functions of goods and services. The consumer desire for “what they own” is gradually giving way to the pursuit of “how it feels,” leading consumers to care more about the value experience and emotional needs that consumption brings to them. Pouring effort into personally crafting a piece of jewelry is far more meaningful than buying a standardized product; savoring a cup of coffee in a cave-dwelling café, with refined scenery giving ordinary coffee a different flavor; playing different character roles while touring an ancient city, experiencing a different kind of life experience… Unlike traditional consumption, the experience economy, in the context of consumption upgrading trends, reflects people’s higher pursuit of the meaning and depth behind goods and services. Consumption becomes a process of achieving value recognition, emotional connection, and emotional projection. Consumers not only enjoy goods and services, but also participate in creating personalized and interactive consumption experiences.

The experience economy releases cultural vitality. It emphasizes consumers’ immersive participation. Whether it’s dressing in ancient attire to experience life in ancient times or taking part in relic restoration and cultural-creative design, consumers are no longer mere spectators—they are participants and communicators of cultural inheritance. In non-heritage workshops where people shape clay by hand; in ancient dye workshops where people soak a piece of plain silk—dormant non-heritage skills slowly awaken through consumers’ experiences, sparking cultural identification and emotional resonance. Tourism is no longer just about seeing scenery. As consumers step into local everyday life and experience local特色 culture, they are more willing to pay for performances and rush to a city for a “check-in.” In consumers’ experiences, culture turns into goods you can touch and participate in, and into interactive, experiential everyday-life scenarios—releasing new energy and momentum.

The “14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline of the Long-Range Objectives Through 2035” proposes “to lead to new supply with new demands, create new demands with new supply, and promote sound interactions between consumption and investment, supply and demand, to achieve a more dynamic and balanced situation at a higher level, and enhance the endogenous driving force and reliability of the domestic large circulation.” The experience economy is becoming the mainstream of new consumption, reshaping consumption demand and stimulating innovation in consumer supply. During this year’s Spring Festival, the nine-day holiday saw the growth rate of physical retail surpass that of online retail for the first time, by 3.9 percentage points. Offline consumption with an emphasis on experiences contains considerable potential.

The experience economy is driving personalized and diversified consumption supply. Today, consumers no longer just pay for ownership—they care more about “being remembered.” Products only have basic utility functions and are hard to attract consumers; they need to add more emotional value beyond the product itself. Cultural scenic spots often look the same across thousands of cities, making it difficult to get people to stay; it requires tracing historical context, building more scenarios with distinctive cultural depth. The rise of the experience economy sets higher requirements for suppliers of consumption. Only by adapting to local conditions and digging in with fine-grained precision can businesses innovate more consumption scenarios and provide more high-quality goods and services that are distinctive and full of warmth.

A cup of tea is not only for quenching thirst, but also for the wonderful time shared with friends. A trip is not only for sightseeing, but also for exploring a mysterious stretch of history. In the bright spring, the experience economy is becoming a new growth point for consumption, presenting a broad outlook for new consumption, while also reshaping consumption supply and unlocking market potential. In the future, as consumer demands continue to upgrade and supply capacity keeps improving, the experience economy will create more new value and better meet consumers’ needs.

《 People’s Daily 》 ( April 01, 2026, Edition 19)