Positive Comments: Upgrading County Consumption and Innovating the Business Ecosystem to Activate New Driving Forces for County Economy
In the current era when “county consumption” is being redefined, the consumption revolution driven by “trendiness” and “low prices” is injecting unprecedented vitality into the county economy. From the penetration of new consumer brands into counties to the reconstruction of the business ecosystem by short – video platforms, the upgrading of county consumption not only meets the residents’ demand for a quality life but also opens up a unique development path through differentiated competition.
Firstly, the penetration of new consumer brands has promoted the upgrading of the county’s consumption level. As mentioned in the news, young people in counties take pride in “catching up with urban consumer culture.” The dense layout of tea – drinking brands such as Heytea, Nayuki, and Mixue Bingcheng, as well as the penetration of Western fast – food chains, essentially represent the release of consumption options. In the past, the consumption choices of county residents were limited to local small businesses, and there was an obvious gap in the variety and quality of goods compared with cities. Now, the entry of chain brands not only provides standardized products and services but also meets the social needs of young people through the “trendy” label. For example, the phenomenon that the per – capita number of milk tea shops in counties exceeds that in first – tier cities may seem like imitation on the surface, but in fact, it is the awakening of consumption awareness. Young people no longer just settle for “what works” but pursue a lifestyle in sync with that of cities. This demand forces the upgrading of local businesses, forming a positive cycle of “brand entry – demand satisfaction – more brand follow – up,” which ultimately improves the quality of the overall consumption environment in counties.
Secondly, the penetration of short – video platforms has reconstructed the county’s business ecosystem and provided a breeding ground for emerging business forms. Traditionally, due to the low population density and closed social relationships in counties, it was difficult for new business forms (such as comic conventions and board – game shops) to find their target groups. However, the “passive reach” and precise algorithms of short – video platforms have broken this barrier. Merchants can reach users by posting group – buying information on short – video platforms without relying on intermediary platforms like Dianping; middle – aged and elderly people can establish local social networks through short – videos, creating new consumption scenarios; and emerging business forms (such as comic conventions) can quickly gather like – minded people through algorithmic tags, reducing customer – acquisition costs. This “boundless social interaction + precise matching” model extends county business from the “acquaintance economy” to the “interest economy.” For example, the news mentioned that “a merchant with 5,000 followers can become one of the most successful businesses in the county,” indicating that short – video platforms provide equal competition opportunities for small and medium – sized businesses with a low threshold, and even enable some local characteristic businesses (such as local cuisine) to achieve “overtaking on a curve” with the help of traffic.
Finally, the dual drive of “low prices” and “trendiness” has activated the inclusiveness and diversity of county consumption. The rise of snack collection stores is a typical example. By purchasing in large quantities to lower prices, they not only meet the county residents’ demand for cost – effectiveness but also fill the supply gap of local snack stores with standardized displays and a wide variety of products. The success of Mixue Bingcheng is a perfect combination of “low prices + trendiness.” A 5 – yuan cup of milk tea not only suits the consumption power of county residents but also endows symbolic values of “youth” and “trend” through brand – based operations. This “down – to – earth high – endization” allows residents at different consumption levels to find suitable options, avoiding the misunderstanding that “consumption upgrading = soaring prices” and truly realizing inclusive and diverse consumption.
Negative Comments: Concerns about Homogenization and Impact on Local Businesses – County Consumption Needs to Guard Against the Risk of “Losing Uniqueness”
Although the transformation of county consumption is full of positive significance, the “imitative growth” and “platform dependence” behind it also hide potential problems. If there is excessive pursuit of synchronization with cities or neglect of the internal driving force of local businesses, counties may become mere replicas of urban consumer culture, losing their unique economic and cultural values.
Firstly, excessive imitation of urban consumption may lead to the homogenization of county businesses and weaken local characteristics. As mentioned in the news, young people in counties take pride in having brands like Heytea and Nayuki. Driven by this psychology, the penetration of new consumer brands is more like a “standardized replication.” The decoration styles and product types of tea – drinking shops are highly similar, and the product structures of snack collection stores also tend to be the same as those in first – tier cities. In the long run, counties may lose their original business characteristics. For example, local milk tea shops have disappeared due to the inability to compete with chain brands, traditional snack stores have been replaced by collection stores, and local cuisine may also be squeezed out of the market if it fails to transform in time. This “de – localization” business ecosystem will not only make counties lose their unique charm of “local flavor” but also may lead to the single – minded satisfaction of consumption needs, suppressing the possibility of local innovation.
Secondly, low – price competition may squeeze the living space of local small businesses and weaken the resilience of the county economy. Snack collection stores can lower prices through large – scale procurement, which not only meets the county residents’ demand for cost – effectiveness but also fills the supply gap of local snack stores. Local snack stores, with their small procurement volumes and weak bargaining power, find it difficult to compete. The success of Mixue Bingcheng is a perfect combination of “low prices + trendiness.” A 5 – yuan cup of milk tea not only suits the consumption power of county residents but also endows symbolic values of “youth” and “trend” through brand – based operations. This “down – to – earth high – endization” allows residents at different consumption levels to find suitable options, avoiding the misunderstanding that “consumption upgrading = soaring prices” and truly realizing inclusive and diverse consumption.
Secondly, low – price competition may squeeze the living space of local small businesses and weaken the resilience of the county economy. Snack collection stores can lower their purchase costs through economies of scale. Local snack stores, with small purchase volumes and weak bargaining power, struggle to compete. New tea – drinking brands, with their brand effects and standardized operations, have squeezed the market share of local milk – tea shops. Although this “down – grade attack” improves consumption efficiency in the short term, it may damage the “ecological diversity” of county commerce in the long run. Local small businesses are the capillaries of the county economy. They better understand the local consumers’ taste preferences (such as special requirements for sweetness and ingredients) and can more flexibly adjust their business strategies (such as festival – limited products). If these “small and beautiful” businesses are eliminated, county business will overly rely on foreign brands. Once external brands withdraw due to cost or strategic adjustments, the local consumer market may face a “vacuum period,” and the economic resilience will be weakened.
Thirdly, the “information cocoon” of short – video platforms may limit the diversity of consumers’ choices and exacerbate the imbalance of business competition. Although the “passive reach” model of short – video platforms lowers the customer – acquisition threshold for businesses, it may also cause consumers to be “boxed in” by algorithms. Users repeatedly see content from the same type of businesses, and other high – quality small businesses that do not place advertisements are difficult to be discovered. For example, the news mentioned that “the most successful business in the county may have a Dianping rating of less than 4 points,” but it can quickly rise through short – video advertising, which means that “being good at creating content” is more important than “having high – quality products.” This “traffic – first” logic may lead to the bad driving out the good. Some businesses over – package their products (such as exaggerated advertising and false discounts) to attract traffic, ignoring the quality of the products themselves. Businesses that focus on products but are not good at marketing are marginalized. In addition, the “online acquaintance network” established by middle – aged and elderly people through short – videos, although enhancing social stickiness, may also form a closed information circle, limiting the acceptance of new consumption forms and hindering broader consumption upgrading.
Suggestions for Entrepreneurs: Root in Local Needs and Find a Balance between “Imitation” and “Innovation”
The transformation of county consumption provides broad opportunities for entrepreneurs, but they also need to avoid blind following. Based on the phenomena mentioned in the news, the following suggestions are for reference:
- Deeply cultivate local needs and explore “differentiated advantages”: Although county consumption tends to imitate that of cities, the core needs are still rooted in local culture and living habits. Entrepreneurs need to break out of the mindset of “replicating the urban model” and focus on local characteristics. For example, tea – drinking shops can launch limited – edition products by combining local flavors (such as adding local fruits and traditional ingredients). Catering businesses can strengthen the “local flavor” label and tell stories about the origin of ingredients or the production process through short – videos to enhance user recognition.
- Make good use of short – video traffic but maintain “content authenticity”: Short – videos are an important tool for county businesses to reach users, but entrepreneurs need to avoid over – relying on traffic tricks. They should pay attention to the “local nature” of content, shooting real store environments and customer interaction scenarios, highlighting the “tangibility” of products (such as showing the freshness of raw materials and the production process) instead of exaggerated advertising. At the same time, they can use short – videos to build private – domain traffic (such as fan groups) and enhance user stickiness through community operation, reducing dependence on platform traffic.
- Balance “low prices” and “quality” to build a sustainable business model: The success of snack collection stores and Mixue Bingcheng proves that “low prices” are the key to county consumption, but “low prices” do not mean “low quality.” Entrepreneurs need to achieve cost – effectiveness by optimizing the supply chain (such as cooperating with local suppliers to reduce logistics costs) and improving operational efficiency (such as self – service ordering to reduce labor costs) instead of sacrificing product quality. In addition, they can combine “low – price customer – attraction + high – margin products” (such as tea – drinking shops launching limited – edition peripherals and snack stores matching local specialties) to improve overall profitability.
- Pay attention to the “symbiosis of local businesses” and avoid “zero – sum competition”: Foreign brands and local businesses are not in an opposing relationship. Entrepreneurs can explore cooperation models. For example, chain tea – drinking shops can jointly launch set meals with local bakeries, and snack collection stores can introduce local characteristic snacks as differentiated products. This “symbiosis” can not only enrich consumption choices but also enhance brand affinity with the help of the “acquaintance trust” of local businesses, achieving a win – win situation.
The transformation of county consumption is essentially a process of “redefinition.” It is neither a simple copy of cities nor a closed self – cycle. Instead, it grows a unique business logic in the collision between the Internet and local needs. For entrepreneurs, the key to seizing this opportunity lies in “understanding the county”: understanding the contradictions in its consumption psychology (both craving trendiness and pursuing low prices), the uniqueness of its social relationships (the interweaving of acquaintance networks and online communities), and the locality of its cultural values (the potential recognition of “local characteristics”). Only by rooting in these aspects can they find long – lasting vitality in the wave of county consumption.
