About us: Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:) established in 2011, is a leading customer engagement and marketing technology service provider in China. Its business includes notification services, marketing growth, development tools, and data products. As its sub-brand, MoonFox Data is a leading expert in data insights and analysis services across all scenarios, aiming to help companies gain market insights and empower precise decision-making.

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — “Seeking guidance from mysticism when in doubt” has become a daily routine for the younger generation. Amid growing social pressure, contemporary youth appear to embrace mysticism as a crucial outlet for emotional release and stress relief. According to official data, the number of university graduates in China is entering an expansion phase, with the total expected to reach 11.79 million in 2024 and 12.22 million in 2025. However, alongside this increase, the unemployment rate for those aged 16-24 remains significantly higher than for other age groups. This generation, overwhelmed by pressure, embodies anxiety itself. The commercialization of anxiety has undoubtedly intensified their struggles. What they need now is the power of solace.

National University Graduate Numbers

Unemployment Rate for Urban Labor Force by Age Group (Excluding Students)

Data Source: Ministry of Education, National Bureau of Statistics

I. The Trend of Mysticism Becoming More Popular among the Younger Generation Is Evident, with Young People Turning To Mysticism for Solace  

Faced with anxiety and uncertainty, contemporary young people seek to bridge the gap between reality and expectations through mysticism. According to data from MoonFox iMarketing, the group installing astrology and divination-related apps primarily consists of young individuals, with women making up 68.8% and 57.3% of users being 25 years old or younger. This demographic aligns closely with the high-pressure workforce, indicating a significant interest in mysticism content.

Portrait of Users Interested in Astrology and Divination Apps on the Mobile Internet

Data Source: MoonFox iMarketing, Data Cycle: October 2024

Comparing the current growth trends of popular astrology and divination apps, the “Cece” app recorded 2.49 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) in October 2024, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 57.3% and indicating a strong upward trend. In addition to the increase in user numbers, user stickiness has also shown positive signals. In the fourth quarter of 2024, “Cece” users averaged 14.8 minutes of daily usage time, marking a year-on-year increase of 5.5 minutes. This rise not only highlights the high engagement of young users with the app’s content but also suggests a growing dependence on astrology and divination apps among this demographic.

MAU Data for Popular Astrology and Divination Apps (Unit: 10,000)

Data Source: MoonFox iApp, Data Cycle: October 2023 – October 2024

Average Daily Usage Time (Minute) per User for Popular Astrology and Divination Apps (Quarterly)

Data Source: MoonFox iApp, Data Cycle: October 2023 – October 2024

Contemporary young people are not limited to electronic astrology or digital incense burning; they are also actively participating in rituals, choosing to burn incense between work and study. According to third-party data, topics related to popular temples like Lama Temple and Lingyin Temple on the Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) platform continue to gain significant traction, with monthly interactions consistently increasing by over 100,000. Ctrip’s public data reveals a remarkable rise in ticket bookings for temple-related tourist attractions in 2023, with an increase of up to 310%. Notably, individuals born in the 1990s and 2000s account for nearly 50% of these bookings, positioning the younger generation as an emerging force in temple tourism. Unlike the older generation, who traditionally visited temples for religious beliefs or family customs, today’s youth increasingly view temple visits as a way to relieve stress, reconnect with nature, and find inner peace. Additionally, their enthusiasm for temple culture has spurred the popularity of related cultural and creative products, including temple-themed coffee, tea, handicrafts, and clothing inspired by temple aesthetics, all of which serve as avenues for seeking spiritual solace.

Partial Popular Temple Topics on Xiaohongshu

Data Source: XH Data, Data Cycle: As of December 4, 2024

II. Mysticism Marketing: Unlocking the Demand for Solace in the Modern Youth Economy

As the mindset of young people shifts, brand marketing must pivot to “selling solace.” According to a public report by JD (NASDAQ:).com, during the “2024 Chinese New Year Shopping Festival,” the popularity of mysticism-themed accessories, such as beaded bracelets, notably increased among young consumers. The purchasing volume of eighteen-seed beaded bracelets and yellow crystal beaded bracelets among those born in the 1990s grew over three times year-on-year, while the purchasing volume of Bodhi beaded bracelets among consumers born in the 2000s surged over 32 times. Additionally, the growth rates for golden rutilated quartz and obsidian beaded bracelets exceeded five times.

From temple tourism to mysticism-themed products, both demonstrate strong growth momentum. For brand marketing, this presents an opportunity to align with the evolving mindset of young consumers and their inclination toward solace. Mysticism marketing serves as a promotional method that assigns emotional value to products through content. The key lies in targeting specific group demands by segmenting products, integrating relevant objectives, and creating and conveying the corresponding value associated with those objectives.

• The brand Dove strategically focused on the Gaokao (Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges) and civil service exams. During the peak exam period in May and June, Dove launched the “Use Dove, Score More” campaign”a clever pun that links the brand name “Dove” with the Chinese phrase “Duo Fen,” meaning “more points” in exams. By collaborating with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to embed their product into real-life scenarios, Dove positioned itself as part of the pre-exam ritual associated with mysticism. Following the campaign launch, interactions related to Dove on Xiaohongshu increased by over 434%, and the number of popular posts surged by more than 242%.
• Hope Water taps into the Chinese pursuit of good fortune by using puns in its product names, such as “Wang Xing Fu” (Wishing for Happiness), “Wang Mei Hao” (Wishing for Good Luck), “Wang Tao Hua” (Wishing for Romance), “Wang Ji Li” (Wishing for Prosperity), and “Wang Yong Gan” (Wishing for Courage). These names are thoughtfully crafted to resonate with the symbolic meanings that align with the emotional needs of various customer groups.
• In high-frequency consumption sectors like milk tea and coffee, mysticism marketing has demonstrated considerable appeal. For example, the coffee brand M Stand launched a “Back-to-Work Set” after the Chinese New Year, which included a wooden fish toy with the meal. The brand capitalized on the trend of young people tapping wooden fish to stabilize their emotions, turning it into a marketing highlight. Similarly, HEYTEA introduced the “Start Work with Joy” campaign, aligning with the positive connotations of its brand name. Cotti Coffee featured a product made with black sesame, leveraging the symbolic meaning of “Like sesame flowers growing higher and higher” to enhance its marketing efforts.

For fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands, including milk tea companies, facing challenges like high product substitutability, low consumer loyalty, and high mobility, mysticism marketing can serve as an effective differentiation strategy. By addressing and satisfying consumers’ spiritual needs, it helps strengthen the emotional connection between the brand and its audience. However, mysticism marketing has specific timeliness and situational aspects; it should be seen as a short-term marketing strategy rather than a long-term direction. As such, it can act as a supplementary tool within the marketing mix, aimed at generating topics and drawing attention to increase short-term brand exposure and sales, thereby fostering a positive brand image among consumers.

For today’s generation of young people, the significance of the mysticism economy and the solace economy lies not in their actual utility or tangible benefits, but in the peace of mind they offer during the mysticism experience. According to MoonFox iMarketing data, audiences interested in mysticism content, such as astrology and divination, exhibit emotional and self-focused behavior patterns in the mobile internet space, showing a higher preference for applications related to mental health, beauty, and body care.

Target (NYSE:) Group Index (TGI) of Mobile Internet Astrology and Divination Interest Group Industry Preferences

Data Source: MoonFox iMarketing, Data Cycle: October 2024

As the year comes to a close, accompanied by curiosity and anticipation for the fortunes of the coming year, we can reasonably expect a cyclical rise in the popularity of mysticism-themed cultural tourism, mysticism consumption, and related activities. For today’s young people, mysticism serves primarily as an emotional outlet in a high-pressure environment; it is essentially a solace economy shrouded in mystery. As long as social pressures and challenges remain structurally unresolved, mysticism and other forms of the solace economy are likely to continue capturing the attention and minds of young people for the foreseeable future.

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