The Rise of the “She Economy”: Understanding Chinese Female Consumers in 2025

As of 2025, China’s “She Economy” is not just a demographic trend—it’s a market force reshaping industries across the board. With a staggering 624 million active female internet users, women now account for nearly 50% of China’s online population.

Their influence on consumption, particularly in the digital domain, is growing rapidly redefining expectations for product design, marketing narratives, and platform engagement.

Women Driving Digital Consumption Growth

Chinese women are not just passive users—they are highly engaged digital consumers. In January 2025, their average online usage hit 173.6 hours per month, surpassing the overall internet user base by 2.2 hours. From mobile shopping to entertainment, their digital touchpoints are expanding in both time and breadth. The short video sector continues to dominate female attention, followed closely by lifestyle services, entertainment, and mobile social apps.

This trend is particularly pronounced among younger women. Post-00s, 90s, and 80s women make up nearly 50% of the female internet user base, with Gen Z (00s) usage growing by 1.4% year-on-year. Interestingly, women in lower-tier cities account for nearly 60% of this population, marking a significant shift in purchasing power and consumption values from top-tier cities to emerging urban areas. Even silver-haired users (those born in the 60s) are joining the digital ecosystem at a faster pace, aided by app optimizations catering to senior accessibility.

From Interest to Purchase: The Social Commerce Connection

Chinese women are highly expressive and social digital users. Platforms like Xiaohongshu, WeChat, and LOFTER have become critical arenas for sharing lifestyle inspiration, product reviews, and community bonding. On Xiaohongshu, women spend time engaging with content around beauty, fashion, food, health, parenting, and astrology. These interest-driven platforms do more than entertain—they shape perceptions, set trends, and drive purchase decisions.

KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) remain an influential part of the decision-making journey. Their posts offer relatable, authentic narratives that guide everything from skincare routines to parenting tips. For brands, collaboration with KOLs across interest verticals is essential to build trust and visibility.

Beauty, Health, and “She Power” Consumption

Beauty remains a key spending category. Both international and domestic brands—such as Lancôme, Estée Lauder, and Proya—continue to see strong traction among female users. The rise of “beauty for empowerment” is clear: skincare and cosmetics are not merely about appearance but about self-expression and confidence. Brands like Han Shu and Mao Geping are leading the way in capturing local appeal, while international names continue to hold premium positioning.

Health, too, is a growing pillar of the She Economy. Women increasingly value well-being, reflected in the rise of interest in self-care methods such as yoga, aromatherapy, meditation, and even sound healing. Smart wearables for health monitoring are also gaining traction—female user adoption rose 16.9% year-on-year to 61.34 million users. The demand for intelligent personal care tools like beauty devices and hair removers also exemplifies how women integrate tech seamlessly into wellness routines.

This shift is not only physical but psychological. The focus on inner strength and mental resilience—the so-called “She Power”—signals an evolved consumption logic where utility, self-worth, and emotional value coalesce.

Refined and Rational Consumption: The New Norm

This trend extends to second-hand commerce. Women are powering the growth of the circular economy through active participation in platforms like Duozhuayu (for books), Plum (for luxury resale), and Xhitao (for second-hand anime collectables). These platforms offer a blend of sustainability and cost-effectiveness—aligned with a rational, values-based consumption mindset. Female users added nearly 15 million net new users to the idle goods trading sector in just one year.

Cultural Media and Entertainment: Women at the Centre

Women are reshaping China’s digital content scene—leading audiences for short dramas, lifestyle vlogs, and “she-centric” reality shows that challenge norms. Platforms like Hongguo and Hippo Theater thrive on female-led storytelling with emotional depth and unexpected turns. Gen Z women are also actively participating in content creation, using beautification and AI-powered apps to share daily life and express personal style.

Their cultural impact extends to online film and live performances: in January 2025, female users of movie apps jumped 26% year-on-year to 29.08 million.

Lifestyle Tech, Smart Homes, and Auto Preferences

Beyond personal care and entertainment, Chinese women are investing in smart living. They increasingly adopt smart appliances and home monitoring systems to enhance safety and convenience. Brands offering integrated, intuitive designs that consider women’s daily rhythms and household responsibilities are seeing greater engagement.

Even in traditionally male-skewed categories like automotive, brands are adapting. The Xingyuan and Lynk & Co Z20 electric vehicles, for example, prioritize aesthetic appeal, interior layout, and digital connectivity to attract female drivers—showing that design empathy is a key differentiator in winning the female market.

To truly resonate with China’s diverse and dynamic female consumers, brands must look far beyond superficial demographics. The She Economy is anything but monolithic—it’s a complex mosaic shaped by age, location, lifestyle, values, and digital behaviour. Winning brands are those that localize offerings by cohort and city tier, collaborate with KOLs who embody trust and shared values, and use social listening to uncover emerging interests and unmet needs. E-commerce strategies must align with key lifestyle moments—beauty, wellness, parenting, and empowerment—while delivering not just aspirational luxury, but thoughtful, purpose-driven design.

Today’s Chinese female consumers are not only reshaping market demand—they’re setting the cultural agenda, wielding unprecedented economic and social influence that brands can no longer afford to overlook. Partner with China Trading Desk to turn insight into impact and craft campaigns that speak to the real power of women in China.