Cafés and giant cats: Shanghai’s Gen Z retail trends

Bursting with boutique cafés, art exhibition-style concept stores, and malls like TX Huaihai dedicated to labels such as Naws or Nothommeblue, Shanghai is China’s epicenter for fashion-loving Gen Z shoppers. In terms of spending though, 2024 got off to a dreary start, with Savills Research reporting that retail sales in the Chinese city fell 0.7% year-on-year in the first five months. It was this bleak economic climate that spurred the “First in Shanghai” strategy, with the government financially rewarding major brands for opening their first Asian stores there, and supporting high-profile events or exhibitions. The policy announcement was followed by Louis Vuitton holding its “Voyager Show” Women’s Pre-Fall 2024 Collection at Shanghai’s Long Museum, as well as retail firsts from the likes of American Vintage, Anine Bing, Supreme, Anta, and Mugler. From an increase in brand exhibitions, to store openings steered by Gen Z preferences, younger demographics are at the forefront of Shanghai’s quest to boost consumption. Larger-than-life photo moments Installations are one way that retailers are driving footfall in Shanghai. Multibrand store ENG Concept is spearheading the trend, becoming an exhibition space that has been home to lifelike dolls erected to replicate the ERL lookbook, and most recently, a giant cat for the latest Knwls collaboration made out of patchworked old car leather — consumers, actually young and old, are often spotted taking photos with these installations (the cat being a hit photo opportunity among elders, too). Founding director of Eng, Sherry Huang tells Jing Daily, “By curating content and activities that are culturally representative and thought provoking across regions, it showcases the diverse functionalities and potential value of the fashion retail scene. This approach helps create emotional connections for the audience involved and fosters effective communication that resonates on a deeper level.” Providing an artistic backdrop that transfers a certain fashion taste makes stores the ultimate photoshoot opportunity, producing a seamless social commerce strategy that spurs brick-and-mortar sales, too. Presenting a pop-up art piece of a masked motorcyclist draped in a tailored robe at Unitn on the Bund, Near4Rest is also generating more exposure among shoppers through installations. As a creative community and fashion platform, Near4Rest deploys installation art to spread its brand message across Shanghai – the company also has an installation based on the kitchen of a Nepalese family at one of the city’s Labelhood stores to backdrop the latest collection, providing shoppers with an experience of culture in the storytelling. It’s becoming a brand known for adding another layer through artistic installations, with shoppers taking photos and marveling at the creativity behind the settings. Sub-café-culture Wherever you’re shopping in Shanghai, you can always find a nearby spot for a coffee break. Cafés are frequently located inside stores themselves, whether that is through partnerships, pop-ups, or self-branded café’s, like the fancy water fountain-decorated Goodbai Café on Yanqing Road next door to the Goodbai store. One streetwear name that has fully embraced Shanghainese coffee culture is Randomevent. Its stores host an official collaboration with Slab Town coffee. “Slab Town Coffee, as one of the most representative community coffee brands in Shanghai, not only has the professional ability to operate the brand, but also has an important influence among young people,” Randomevent founder Younker Hong tells Jing Daily. Concurring, founder of Slab Town Seven Zhang says, “We highly appreciate Randomevent, which is a very representative and influential trendy brand in China at present. They are creative and innovative, and in many ways align with Slab Town. As a local community coffee brand in Shanghai, we have a rich and diverse community.” Coffee stores are hangout spots for Zoomers in Shanghai, with Manner Coffee or Blacksheep Espresso locations brimming with teenagers. Last month saw Clot capitalize on the trend with an Adidas pop-up Clot café in Shanghai inspired by the iconic Cha Chaan Teng (Hong Kong-style diner) culture. Consumers could sip iced or hot milk tea and eat from the limited-edition menu with Clot-branded cutlery; the ultimate photo opportunity. Novelty experience To celebrate its 25th anniversary, British toymaker Jellycat brought a fantastical cafe-inspired pop-up to Shanghai’s Jing’an Kerry Centre in September. Combining the city’s love for café culture and the magnolia flower, a symbol of Shanghai, Jellycat presented products inspired by the city, creating a unique experience to both excite and resonate with young people. These imaginative concepts are a key way to amplify physical foot traffic. Burberry’s Shanghai pop-up of Norman’s café (a classic British “greasy spoon” café concept) was another highlight, especially seeing as #Englishbreakfast (英式早餐) has 16 million reads on Xiaohongshu, a fav of Gen Z. “Consumers in Shanghai are more aware of their own needs and have a more independent consumption concept. Because Shanghai is a highly international and culturally diverse city, consumers are exposed to and have experienced a variety of brands, so each person has their own unique perspective,” Slab Town coffee’s Zhang says. Taking that into consideration, brands can be bold with what they do in terms of experiential retail in Shanghai. Consumers want to perceive international identities, cinematic moments, and community-driven experiences.

Inside Shanghai’s Gen Z retail trends

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Inside Shanghai’s Gen Z retail trends