China’s Generation Z at Work

Westwin (“the Company”), a leading digital marketing and technology company that focuses on cross-border business, joined China Global Television Network talk show “Crossover” to talk about China’s post-90s generation. Leslie Chu, Westwin’s chief revenue officer, along with four guests representing Generation Z, exchanged their views on Generation Z’s work and consumption habits in China.

During the show, how long an employee stays at a job became a heated topic: while the older generation in China values longer working tenure, guests from post-90s generation think switching jobs frequently is “only natural”. Chu touched on this topic when tapping into the employee culture of the Company.

Leslie Chu, who was born in the 70s, said that shorter work duration does not necessarily define an employee’s reliability and responsibility. “The ultimate responsibility is to be yourself,” he said on the show. Just like a good bottle of Champaign needs several years of brewing and fermentation, career choices are also very much dependent on how people wish their lives to be, said Chu. “It’s always about choices. People of different generations have different priorities,” he said. Reflecting on Westwin’s core values, he added: “Westwin follows this philosophy and tends to focus on employees’ capabilities rather than how long they have worked in the industry.”

Westwin now has more than 30 employees who are from the post-90s generation, accounting for over a third of all employees; a few of whom are appointed as team leaders. This reflects that the company values the capability of an employee rather than work duration, providing equal opportunities for young people.

Compared to the past, the post-90s generation has not experienced material shortages, and their shopping habits fit more with the trend of “consumption upgrade” — a term many use to describe the growing demand for high-quality products and services that come at higher prices, according to Westwin’s observation. “The older generation would think that anything beyond survival is a waste of money,” said Chu. “But for the younger generation, it is to live, which means you spend money for quality rather than survival.”

The post-90s generation accounts for approximately a fourth of the total consumption on e-commerce platforms. According to a report from iResearch, college students who were born after 1995 spend on average RMB 3,000 ($434) monthly on social activities, clothes, cosmetics, games and digital products. Brands, long aware of the consumption power of China’s post-90s generation, are exploring different tactics to attract these customers.

So, how to engage with China’s post-90s generation, who represent the nation’s millennial and Generation-Z shoppers? According to Westwin’s China Cross-border Consumption Report published last year, storytelling and influencer marketing are two critical factors at play. Data shows that the younger generation pays a considerable amount of attention to brand stories, with over 40% of overseas residents and travelers seeing a brand’s story, its origin and culture as a deciding factor when making purchases. Furthermore, online shoppers (67%) and international travelers (61%) look to friends, family and online influencers before making decisions.

Consumption habits vary from generation to generation, said Chu. “Westwin will continue to pay attention to consumer behaviors and trends in different countries and across ages.”