520, men start spending money on themselves
520, men start spending money on themselves
Pinecone Finance
·May 20, 2025 19:59
Who can taste the first bite of the cake of 'lonely consumption'?
As the annual "5.20" Valentine's Day approaches its final moments, the former main force - male consumers - have begun to shift their focus. They began to spend money on themselves, paying attention to their own needs, pursuing interest consumption, and improving their quality of life.
And this trend seems to have already shown signs.
According to data from iMedia, 30% of men choose not to give gifts during the 520 period in 2024. At the same time, the domestic game "Black Myth: Wukong" broke records with sales of 9 billion yuan, and the majority of players are male.
Behind this is a microcosm of the structural changes in the consumer market, where the traditional couple economy has cooled down and men's "self indulgent consumption" has risen. It also marks a shift in male consumption logic from "paying for love" to "self investment", and a market restructuring around the "other economy" is accelerating.
From 'sense of ceremony' to 'rational return', traditional couple economy cooling down
Although data from Ele.me platform shows that around May 20, 2024, the search volume for takeaway items such as "520 Flowers", "520 Gifts", and "520 Cake" will increase by about 10 times on a weekly basis.
Among the users who delivered flowers during the "520" period, the proportion of post-2000s increased from 33% in 2023 to 38%, and the proportion of males increased from 33% to 44%. The delivery volume of Ele.me's fresh flowers from other places increased by about 100% compared to the previous month, accounting for 22% of the country's fresh flower orders,
However, in the long run, the DR diamond ring, which once became a symbol of true love in the hearts of young people with the vow of "loving one person for a lifetime", saw its parent company, Dia Corporation, generate revenue of 1.112 billion yuan in the first three quarters of 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 36.19%; The net profit attributable to the parent company was 2018.58 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 72.77%, and it has not been able to get out of the quagmire of declining performance.
Not only that, since 2019, romance films have gradually disappeared from the top of the main box office genres. Regarding this, the "2023 Young People's Love Concept Report" by the Hou Lang Research Institute mentioned that the love intention of young people is decreasing, with a maximum score of 10 points, and the love intention of both men and women hovering around 5 points.
The desire for love decreases, and love movies are no longer popular. The occupancy rate of romantic films in cinemas continues to decline, replaced by the demand for home viewing and "one person viewing".
For traditional couple consumption brands, it has become imperative to reposition themselves. Jewelry brands can shift towards the "self reward" scene and launch exclusive designs for men or women; The catering industry can focus on developing "one person meal" packages.
Behind this series of phenomena, all reflect the rational reflection of current consumers on the "ritual sense" of consumerism. Today, the once golden economic track for couples is entering a cold winter.
When consumers lose the charm of consumerism's "ritual sense", when the marketing myth of "loving only one person for a lifetime" fades, and when flowers and diamond rings become "optional" instead of "emotional necessity", traditional brands also need to transform synchronously to adapt to the single economy and the wave of rational consumption.
The deep driving force behind this transformation precisely stems from the disruptive reconstruction of male consumption logic. When men shift from "paying for love" to "self indulgent consumption", their consumption behavior is no longer dependent on marital relationships, but is reconstructed around interest circles, identity recognition, and emotional values.
This shift from "otherness oriented" to "self-expression" has not only given rise to billion dollar race tracks such as sports equipment, esports, and trendy gaming, but also driven the explosion of emerging markets such as men's beauty and smart homes.
Thus, male consumption has transformed from a "silent subsidiary role" to a core force driving market change, and a commercial revolution centered around "interest sovereignty" and "lonely consumption" has officially begun.
The rise of men's "self pleasing consumption" and the reconstruction of interests, identities, and circles
The Boston Consulting Group report points out that the types and amounts of consumption by Chinese men are both increasing, with some online Chinese male consumers already spending more than women, reaching 10025 yuan. Meanwhile, Snowball data shows that the size of China's male consumer market is expected to exceed 6 trillion yuan by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.8%.
With the continuous improvement of male consumption ability, self indulgent consumption is showing a significant growth trend. This consumption upgrade is mainly reflected in two dimensions: the rise of the beauty economy and the transformation of interest consumption.
In the "beauty economy" track, the attention to appearance among male groups continues to rise, and "appearance anxiety" has become a new growth engine in the beauty and personal care market.
Magic Mirror Insight data shows that from January to October 2024, the sales of five categories of goods on the Tiktok platform, namely, men's body care, hair care, cosmetics, perfume/ointment, and skin care, reached 1.86 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 65.0%, completely breaking the traditional perception that "men don't value appearance".
Liran, a men's skincare brand, has rapidly risen with its positioning as a "new men's skincare" brand, with sales exceeding 1 billion yuan in just three years. LV, Dior and other international brands also smell the signal, and have launched men's exclusive perfume, skin care and accessories series.
Image source from Pixabay gallery
The field of medical aesthetics also shows strong potential for male consumption. Deloitte research data shows that 45% of male respondents plan to increase their investment in medical aesthetics in 2024, and their requirements for professional qualifications when choosing medical aesthetics institutions are comparable to those of women.
It is worth noting that the unit price of male medical beauty clients is 2.75 times that of females, with particularly popular projects such as hair transplantation and botulinum toxin wrinkle removal.
And this trend also brings new opportunities for industry leaders, such as the global first long-acting botulinum toxin "Daxifei" submitted by Furui Medical in September 2024, which has been accepted by the National Medical Products Administration and is expected to further consolidate its technological barriers in the male medical beauty market.
At the same time, male interest consumption is undergoing a profound transformation from "functional needs" to "social value and spiritual satisfaction".
The popular "three piece set" for men's consumption on social media has become an identity symbol for social circles: from the "middle-class three piece set" Tesla, Salomon, and Ralph Lauren, to the "middle-aged three piece set" Maotai, Fishing, and Archaeopteryx, these consumption symbols not only carry practical value, but also become social currency.
Taking fishing as an example, according to data from the China Fishing Association, over 80% of China's 200 million fishing enthusiasts are men aged 35 and above with middle to high income levels, which fully confirms that interest consumption has become an important way for men to improve their quality of life and expand their social circle.
Nowadays, Chinese male consumers are undergoing a profound transformation from "functional practicality" to "self-expression". Behind the fact that online annual consumption has surpassed women for the first time, it also confirms that the "beauty economy" has broken through gender stereotypes and become an important scene for men's self investment.
Under the trend of "de instrumentalization" of interest consumption, whether it is the "middle-class three piece set" constructed by Tesla and Salomon, or the "middle-aged identity symbol" represented by fishing and Archaeopteryx, male consumption is increasingly deeply bound to circle identity and spiritual belonging. This also reveals a new underlying logic, where consumption has become the core carrier for men to build social capital and emotional support.
How to tap into the trillion dollar male market in the era of "lonely consumption"?
When romantic relationships are no longer the main axis of consumer decisions, brands need to answer a key question: how to transform 'one person's needs' into sustainable commercial value? The emergence of this issue is also pushing male consumption towards the era of "lonely consumption".
From Furui Medical's bet on the male medical beauty track to Archaeopteryx's use of the "middle-aged three piece set" to bind middle-class identity, pioneers have provided partial answers: precise stratification, scene innovation, and ecological closed-loop.
From the perspective of age, there are differentiated needs between Generation Z and middle-aged and young people. Generation Z (post-95s and post-00s) pursues the culture of China-Chic, E-sports, blind box and other circles, and relies on social media such as Xiaohongshu and Tiktok to grow grass. According to a survey conducted by Kurun Data, 66% of the consumer group in the gaming industry in 2023 will be young people under the age of 30.
Image source from Pixabay gallery
Middle aged and young people (aged 30-45) focus on technology empowering their lives and health management, with smart homes, health technology, and high-end outdoor equipment as core needs. For example, Xiaomi's "Mi Home Men's Beauty Set" integrates devices such as razors, facial cleansers, and hair dryers. The set sold over 500000 sets in the first three months of its launch.
Another scenario innovation is shifting from "functional satisfaction" to "identity recognition". The content marketing model targeting the male population is also undergoing differentiation, and the marketing logic has gradually shifted from simply competing for cost-effectiveness to focusing on promoting products that convey emotional value. The marketing transformation in the male consumption field has begun to take shape.
Taking live streaming sales of men's clothing as an example, from fully showcasing product cost-effectiveness in the past to now creating a sense of elite through live streaming. Currently, businesses are shifting their focus towards male consumers, shifting from selling products to selling emotional value and identity recognition.
Finally, it is important to establish a closed-loop male consumption ecosystem through long-term operations. One way is to create interest communities such as e-sports and cycling to convert private domain traffic pools and enhance user stickiness.
The second is to optimize the advertising strategy through data-driven approaches, combined with user behavior analysis (such as male daily usage habits of 5.2 hours of short videos).
Data shows that in 2024, the average daily usage time of male mobile Internet users will be 5.2 hours (monthly average usage time is 157.1 hours), and their interest preference activity from high to low is: short video, talent content, fashion, music, games, sharing, video, technology, reading, information, etc.
Brands and merchants can closely follow this characteristic and collaborate with KOLs favored by Generation Z to create marketing content based on the interests, hobbies, and value orientations of the target audience, in order to achieve precise targeting of the target consumer group and stimulate their purchasing intentions.
The deeper revelation of this rise is that the male consumer market has shifted from a "traffic dividend" to a "mental dividend". Only by truly understanding the emotional gap behind loneliness can we unlock the ultimate password to the trillion dollar blue ocean.
conclusion
The consumption landscape of "5.20" in 2025 has once again become a microcosm of the transformation of male consumption logic: as the romantic narrative of flowers and diamond rings gradually fades, male consumption is reconstructing the market pattern with a "self pleasing awakening" attitude.
This transformation, driven by the single economy, technological empowerment, and value iteration, not only creates trillion dollar new markets, but also forces brands to shift from "functional satisfaction" to "spiritual resonance" - when men start paying for game skins, limited edition sneakers, and customized razors, the underlying logic of the business world has quietly been rewritten: the essence of consumption is no longer about trading goods, but about competing for "meaning definition rights".
This article is from the WeChat official account "Pine Fruit Finance". The author: Rivers have levees. 36 krypton has been authorized to release.
The viewpoint of this article only represents the author himself, and the 36Kr platform only provides information storage space services.
520，男性开始给自己花钱
一年一度的“5·20”情人节预热至最后关头，过往的主力军——男性消费者却开始调转矛头。他们开始把钱花在自己身上，关注自身需求，追求兴趣消费和生活品质的提升。
而这个趋势似乎也早有征兆。
艾媒网数据显示，2024年520期间，30%的男性选择不送礼物。与此同时，国产游戏《黑神话·悟空》以90亿元销售额刷新纪录，且玩家多数为男性。
这背后是消费市场结构性变革的缩影，传统情侣经济遇冷，男性“悦己消费”崛起。也标志着男性消费逻辑已从“为爱买单”转向“自我投资”，一场围绕“他经济”的市场重构正在加速。
从“仪式感”到“理性回归”，传统情侣经济降温
尽管，饿了么平台数据显示，2024年5月20日前后，“520鲜花”、“520礼物”和“520蛋糕”等外卖搜索量均周环比增长约10倍。
在“520”期间送花的用户中，00后占比从2023年的33%增长到38%，男性占比从33%增长到44%，饿了么异地鲜花外卖量环比上月增长约100%，占全国鲜花订单量的22%，
但长期来看，一度以“一生爱一人”的誓言成为年轻人心中真爱象征的DR钻戒，其母公司迪阿股份2024年前三季度营收11.12亿元，同比下滑36.19%；实现归母净利润2018.58万元，同比下降72.77%，一直未能走出业绩下滑的泥潭。
不仅如此，自2019年开始，爱情片开始逐渐消失在票房大盘主要类型的前列。对此，后浪研究所的《2023年轻人恋爱观报告》提到，年轻人的恋爱意愿越来越低，满分10分，男性女性的恋爱意愿均在5分左右徘徊。
恋爱意愿降低，爱情片也就不吃香了。影院爱情片上座率持续走低，取而代之的是家庭观影和“一人观影”需求。
对传统情侣消费品牌来说，重新调整定位也变得势在必行。珠宝品牌可转向“自我犒赏”场景，推出男性或女性专属设计；餐饮行业可着重开发“一人食”套餐。
这一系列现象背后，无不反映出当下消费者对消费主义“仪式感”的理性反思。时至今日，曾经的情侣经济黄金赛道正在步入寒冬。
当消费者对消费主义“仪式感”的祛魅，当“一生只爱一人”的营销神话褪色，当鲜花、钻戒从“情感刚需”沦为“可选项”，传统品牌也需要同步转型，以适配单身经济与理性消费浪潮。
而这一转型的深层动力，恰恰源自于男性消费逻辑的颠覆性重构。当男性从“为爱付费”转向“悦己消费”，其消费行为不再依附于婚恋关系，而是围绕兴趣圈层、身份认同与情绪价值展开重构。
这种从“他者导向”到“自我表达”的转变，不仅催生了运动装备、电竞、潮玩等千亿级赛道，更推动男性美妆、智能家居等新兴市场的爆发。
至此，男性消费已从“沉默的附属角色”蜕变为驱动市场变革的核心力量，一场围绕“兴趣主权”与“孤独消费”的商业革命正式拉开帷幕。
男性“悦己消费”崛起，兴趣、身份与圈层重构
波士顿咨询报告指出，中国男性消费的种类和额度均在增长，其中线上部分中国男性消费者的消费已经超过女性，达到10,025元。同时，雪球数据显示，2025年中国男性消费市场规模预计将突破6万亿元，年复合增长率达9.8%。
随着男性消费能力的不断提升，悦己型消费正呈现出显著增长态势。这种消费升级主要体现在两大维度：颜值经济崛起与兴趣消费转型。
在“颜值经济”赛道，男性群体的外貌关注度持续攀升，“外貌焦虑”成为美妆个护市场的全新增长引擎。
魔镜洞察数据显示，2024年1-10月，抖音平台男士身体护理、美发护发、彩妆、香水/香膏、护肤五大类目商品销售额达18.60亿元，同比增幅高达65.0%，彻底打破“男性不重外表”的传统认知。
男士护肤品牌中的理然凭借“新男士护肤”的定位迅速崛起，仅三年销售额就突破10亿元。LV、Dior等国际大牌同样也嗅到了信号，纷纷推出男性专属的香水、护肤和配件系列。
图源来自pixabay图库
医美领域同样展现出强劲的男性消费潜力。德勤调研数据显示，45%的受访男性计划在2024年增加医美投入，且在选择医美机构时对专业资质的要求与女性相当。
值得注意的是，男性医美客单价达到女性的2.75倍，其中植发、肉毒毒素祛皱等项目尤为火爆。
而这一趋势也为行业龙头带来新机遇，如复锐医疗于2024年9月提交的全球首款长效A型肉毒毒素“达希斐”已获国家药监局受理，有望进一步巩固其在男性医美市场的技术壁垒。
与此同时，男性兴趣消费正经历从“功能性需求”向“社交价值与精神满足”的深刻转变。
社交媒体上流行的男士消费“三件套”，成为圈层社交的身份标识：从“中产三件套”特斯拉、萨洛蒙、拉夫劳伦，到“中年三件套”茅台、钓鱼、始祖鸟，这些消费符号不仅承载使用价值，更成为社交货币。
以钓鱼为例，中国钓鱼协会数据显示，我国2亿钓鱼爱好者中，80%以上为35岁以上、具备中高收入水平的男性，充分印证兴趣消费已成为男性提升生活品质、拓展社交圈层的重要方式。
如今，中国男性消费者正经历从“功能实用”到“悦己表达”的深刻转型。线上年消费首次超越女性的背后，也印证“颜值经济”已突破性别刻板印象，成为男性自我投资的重要场景。
兴趣消费的“去工具化”趋势下，无论是特斯拉、萨洛蒙构建的“中产三件套”，还是钓鱼、始祖鸟代表的“中年身份符号”，男性消费日益与圈层认同、精神归属深度绑定。这也揭示了一个新的底层逻辑，消费已成为男性构建社交资本与情感寄托的核心载体。
“孤独消费”时代，如何掘金万亿男性市场？
当婚恋关系不再是消费决策的主轴，品牌需要回答一个关键命题：如何将“一个人的需求”转化为可持续的商业价值？这一问题的浮出水面，也在将男性消费推向“孤独消费”时代。
从复锐医疗押注男性医美赛道，到始祖鸟借“中年三件套”绑定中产身份认同，先行者已给出部分答案：精准分层、场景创新、生态闭环。
从年龄维度划分来看，Z世代与中青年存在差异化需求。Z世代（95后、00后）追求国潮、电竞、盲盒等圈层文化，依赖小红书、抖音等社交媒体种草。库润数据调研显示，2023年游戏周边的消费客群中，66%为30岁以下的年轻人。
图源来自pixabay图库
中青年（30-45岁）则注重科技赋能生活与健康管理，智能家居、健康科技、高端户外装备成核心需求。比如小米推出的“米家男士理容套装”，集成剃须刀、洁面仪、吹风机等设备，该套装上线三个月销量破50万套。
再是从“功能满足”转向“身份认同”的场景创新。面向男性群体的内容营销模式也在经历分化，营销逻辑从过往单纯比拼性价比，逐步转向侧重传递情绪价值的产品推介，男性消费领域的营销转型已初现雏形。
以男装的直播带货为例，从过去的充分展现产品性价比，到现在整活烘托精英感。现下，商家面向男性消费者正在转变思路，从卖产品开始转而贩卖情绪价值、身份认同。
最后是长线运营构建男性消费生态闭环。一是可以通过打造电竞、骑行等兴趣社群转化私域流量池，增强用户黏性。
二是通过数据驱动，结合用户行为分析（如男性日均5.2小时短视频使用习惯），优化投放策略。
数据显示，2024 年移动互联网男性用户的平均每日使用时长为 5.2 小时（月人均使用时长 157.1 小时），其兴趣偏好活跃度从高到低依次为：短视频、达人内容、时尚、音乐、游戏、分享、影综、科技、阅读、资讯等。
品牌与商家可紧扣这一特征，与 Z 世代青睐的 KOL 展开合作，围绕目标群体的兴趣爱好与价值取向打造营销内容，以实现对目标消费群体的精准触达，进而激发其购买意愿。
而这轮崛起更深层的启示在于，男性消费市场已从“流量红利”转向“心智红利”，唯有真正理解孤独背后的情感缺口，才能打开万亿蓝海的终极密码。
结语
2025年“5·20”的消费图景，再度成为男性消费逻辑转型的缩影：当鲜花与钻戒的浪漫叙事逐渐褪色，男性消费正以"悦己觉醒"的姿态重构市场格局。
这场由单身经济、技术赋能与价值观迭代共同驱动的变革，不仅催生万亿级新市场，更倒逼品牌从"功能满足"转向"精神共鸣"——当男性开始为游戏皮肤、限量球鞋与定制剃须刀买单，商业世界的底层逻辑已经悄然改写：消费的本质不再是交易商品，而是争夺"意义定义权"。
本文来自微信公众号“松果财经”，作者：江河有堤，36氪经授权发布。
该文观点仅代表作者本人，36氪平台仅提供信息存储空间服务。