This report looks at the following areas:
- Trends in the food and drink gifting market
- Changes in gift recipients and food and drink gifting behaviours for different festivals
- Tracking of category selection trends and purchase drivers for festive foods
- Channel preferences for each category of gifts
- Preferred gift packaging formats to express blessings
Food and drink gifts are transitioning from their traditional ceremonial dietary roles to multifaceted interpersonal expressions that combine comprehensive health benefits, cultural and aesthetic enjoyment, blessings and emotional messages.
Gloria Gan, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
Food and drink gifts refer to food and drink products purchased or consumed on gifting occasions (including during Chinese and Western festivals and other everyday gifting occasions, such as moving to a new home). Such food and drink includes traditional Chinese festive pastries (eg mooncakes, zongzi [粽子, glutinous rice dumplings]), nuts and seeds, chocolate/sugar confectionery/cake, tea leaves, dairy products (eg milk, yogurt), alcoholic drinks (eg wine, Chinese spirit), fresh food (eg fruit, seafood), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) supplements (eg ginseng, bird’s nest, Cordyceps sinensis) and Western health supplements.
This Report is based on a survey of 3,000 respondents aged 18-59 and aims to explore consumer attitudes and purchasing behaviours when buying food and drink products as gifts.
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- What you need to know
- Market overview
- Insights and future opportunities
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Market overview
- The food and drink gift market is recovering, with seasonal launches becoming more prominent
- Graph 1: share of new products with claims containing ‘gift’* in the food and drink market, 2020-24
- Graph 2: share of new products’ claim type containing ‘gift’*, 2020-24
- Daily food and drink consumption rises during Chinese New Year, boosting the festive spirit
- Graph 3: categories that consumers have spent more on compared to last month – FMCG categories, 2022-25
- Traditional Chinese festivals remain important, while special days and Western holidays are on the rise
- Graph 4: changes in participation in gift-giving festivals, 2021 vs 2024
- No longer limited to family and friends, gift recipients are becoming more diverse
- Graph 5: gift recipients for different festivals, 2024
- Gift category preferences remain steady, with fresh food topping the wish list
- Graph 6: gift category preferences for different recipients, 2024
- Logistics infrastructure brings freshness within reach, and gifting fresh produce has become a popular trend
- Graph 7: GMV growth rate of select categories on JD.com during the Dragon Boat Festival, 2024
- Traditional festive foods continue to grow while transforming into cultural and everyday staples
- Graph 8: zongzi market size and growth rate, 2021-24
- Graph 9: mooncake market size and growth rate, 2021-24
- Consumers are adopting a practical, quality-driven approach to food and drink gifting
- Technological innovation enables digital gifting but faces challenges in navigating traditional gift-giving customs
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Consumer insights
- Consumers’ curated lifestyles satisfy social norms without being conventional or cliché
- Demographic realities and social spending dynamics make the 30-49 age group key
- Graph 10: average monthly spending on socialising, by age, 2024
- Graph 11: demographic changes, 2013 vs 2023
- The popularity of socialising among 30-49s reflects the demand to establish and strengthen social networks
- Graph 12: changes in gift-giving scenarios, by age, 2024
- Graph 13: definition of a successful life – ‘being resourceful with personal networks’, by age, 2023-24
- With the revival of tradition, high-income 30-49s prefer to follow traditional gift-giving practices
- Graph 14: gift-giving preferences, by age, 2024
- Wellness benefits and cultural appeal elevate socialising over tea among 30-49s
- Graph 15: category preferences for gifts to friends/colleagues among consumers aged 30-39, 2021, 2023 and 2024
- Freshness, organic practices and traceability are important for premium tea
- Graph 16: characteristics of premium tea, by age, 2024
- Technological innovation bolsters traditional tea gifts, responding to market expectations with authenticity and modernisation
- For this demographic, demand for gifting alcohol in business settings remains
- Graph 17: category preferences for gifts to business partners among consumers aged 30-39, 2021, 2023 and 2024
- The focus on alcohol brands and origins reflects a pursuit of quality and cultural appreciation
- Graph 18: factors of interest for alcoholic drink gifts, by age, 2024
- Regional alcoholic drinks offer novelty to the recipient
- Functional aspects positively influence food and drink gift choices among consumers aged 30-39
- Graph 19: select factors considered when gifting food and drink, by age, 2024
- New Chinese Style ‘health-preserving’ spirits derive functional health inspiration from ancient classics
- Apart from traditional channels, middle-aged consumers are increasingly favouring gourmet stores and O2O business models
- Graph 20: preferred shopping channels when gifting alcohol/tea, by age, 2024
- Packaging with cultural significance better caters to the tastes of middle-aged consumers
- Graph 21: packaging style preference for gifts to friends/colleagues, by age, 2024
- Narrate the diverse ways of appreciating the beauty of Chinese blessings through cultural elements
- Explore more possibilities in the application of cultural elements with the help of AI
- Incorporate functions into tea and liquor and connect culture with quality to aid in multidimensional social expressions in gifting for the middle-aged group
- Small budget, big impact: sense of ritual is a must-have
- Younger consumers have limited budgets for socialising, but are unwilling to give up the joy of in-person gatherings with friends
- Graph 22: average monthly spending on socialising, by age, 2024
- Graph 23: social activities with different types of friends – ‘participating in offline recreational activities together (d)’, by age, 2024
- Younger consumers expect gifts to spread joy and enhance the atmosphere of gatherings
- Graph 24: interest in select cross-category gift box combinations, by age, 2023
- Graph 25: gift-giving preferences, by age, 2024
- Gift boxes with playable elements can serve as social connectors at parties
- Fun designs in packaging double the joy of the unboxing surprise
- Graph 26: preference for interesting gift packaging styles, by age, 2024
- Nearly a third of young adults treat themselves on Children’s Day
- Graph 27: important future life focus – spending on self-indulgence (a), by age, 2023 vs 2024
- Graph 28: % of consumers gifting themselves food and drink (including gift boxes) during Children’s Day, by age, 2024
- Celebrating Children’s Day allows younger consumers to keep their inner child alive
- Recreating Children’s Day celebrations for themselves meets adults’ emotional needs to return to simple joys
- Younger consumers seek a sweet dopamine boost
- Graph 29: preferred food and drink gifts to receive, by age, 2024
- For younger people, the joy of sweets outweighs guilt
- Graph 30: consumer attitudes towards sweet snacks, by age, 2025
- Visually appealing snacks aren’t just gustatory pleasures – they also bring moments of simple happiness
- Graph 31: attitude towards ‘the appearance of packaged bread/cake/small pastries is important’, by age, 2023
- Drawing inspiration from nature to upgrade the sensory healing experience
- More than half of younger consumers are eager to learn about xuanxue (mysticism) to improve their fortunes
- Graph 32: responses to ‘I want to learn more about mysticism (a)’ by age, 2023
- Younger people favour mystical and spiritual co-branding to express blessings
- Graph 33: gift-giving packaging preferences, by age, 2024
- Graph 34: gifting preferences, by age, 2023
- Corporealise mystical symbols in product design to convey good fortune in gifting
- Evoke the sense of ritual with small gestures, helping younger people achieve the emotional experience of ‘spending little for huge luck’
- Enjoy mindful eating and drinking
- Dairy is becoming increasingly popular as a gift choice among seniors and friends
- Graph 35: category preferences for the 50-59 age group as gifts to friends/colleagues, 2021, 2023, 2024
- Consumers aged 50-59 value the naturalness and quality of organic milk as a gift
- Graph 36: advantages of organic milk, by age, 2024
- Graph 37: select considerations when gifting food and drink, by age, 2024
- Organic certification and traceability help build brand trust
- Add functional benefits on top of dairy’s nutritional associations to create a unique competitive edge
- Western health supplements have seen growth as a gift for partners, expressing heightened concern for health
- Graph 38: gift preferences among consumers aged 50-59 – Western health supplements (a), 2021, 2023 and 2024
- Boosting immunity remains a core need, and brands need to strengthen awareness and positioning
- Graph 39: factors affecting health supplement purchase among consumers aged 50-59, 2023 vs 2024
- Graph 40: demand for health supplement functions among consumers aged 50-59, 2024
- Online shopping for health gifts is popular, but consumers face difficulties in product selection
- Graph 41: gift-giving preferences, by age, 2024
- Graph 42: preferred shopping channels when purchasing TCM/Western health supplements as gifts, by age, 2024
- Online platforms create convenient occasion-based gifting guides through segmented labels
- Consumers aged 50-59 prefer literary and traditional blessings over subtle expressions of meaning
- Graph 43: gift packaging preferences among consumers aged 50-59, 2024
- Unlock the code of emotions with the creative use of language
- Explore the potential for intergenerational emotional gift-giving on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- The demand for ‘freshness’ continues to grow in the segment market of gifts for elders
- Graph 44: category preferences for gifts to elders among consumers aged 18-29, 2021, 2023 and 2024
- Private labels meet younger consumers’ pursuit of quality and affordability when gifting fresh produce
- Graph 45: attitudes towards private-label fresh groceries, by age, 2024
- Incorporate transparency, convenience and sincerity for mindful gifting and consumption for mature consumers
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Future opportunities
- Culture and knowledge help with perceived quality of gifts as social assets
- Upgrade the quality of gifts by integrating shared cultural elements, bringing together cultural tastes and emotional depth
- Symbols of intelligence and knowledge in gift-giving occasions can facilitate discussions in social interactions
- Intertwine experience with emotions to extend the sense of ritual for good fortune
- Transform blessings of good fortune into tangible experiences
- Rituals meet everyday life, and long-term value represents companionship
- Align with local interests and redefine wellness as body and mind care
- Localised activities and word-of-mouth can deepen the memory link between brands and the local community
- Link consumer touchpoints with interest, reinforcing brand equity and value
- What we think
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Appendix – market size and forecast, methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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