The Future of Spring Festival Shopping: How AI Toys, Housekeeping Services, and Pet Apparel Are Reshaping “New Year Goods” in 2026

• Traditional Auspicious Goods (Aesthetic & Culture)
• AI & Smart Technology (Innovation & Fun)
• Professional Services (Convenience & Quality of Life)
• Pet Care & Apparel (Family Inclusivity)
• Emotional Value & Companionship (Core Motivation)

The way we buy New Year goods just shifted.

Gone are the days when Spring Festival shopping meant stockpiling rice, oil, and basic clothing.

Today, purchasing New Year goods has become something entirely different—a ritual for expressing emotions, defining the vibe of the holiday season, and exploring new interests.

The 2026 Spring Festival consumption landscape reveals a distinct “fusion of old and new” where traditional holiday shopping collides with cutting-edge technology, lifestyle services, and emotional value.

And honestly?

This shift tells us a lot about where consumer culture is headed.

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Traditional Auspicious Goods Still Hold the Throne

Let’s start with what hasn’t changed: people still love buying things that feel lucky.

Research from the Jingdong (Jingdong 京东) Consumer and Industrial Development Research Institute shows that 76.2% of consumers believe auspicious products are “relatively important” or “very important” for creating that authentic Spring Festival atmosphere.

Even wilder?

41.4% of shoppers straight-up call these items the “soul of the New Year.”

That’s not just preference—that’s cultural backbone.

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The Color Red Dominates Everything

Red isn’t just popular during Spring Festival.

It’s everywhere.

Approximately 83.1% of consumers said they “will definitely buy” or “might buy” red-themed New Year goods.

On JD.com alone, searches for red-themed products have jumped by over 80% month-over-month.

The breakdown of what people are actually buying tells the story:

• Traditional decorations (window cutouts, Spring Festival couplets, “Fu” characters, lanterns) lead the pack at 39.2% of purchases
• “Red fruits” like strawberries and cherries come in second at 26.7%—combining lucky symbolism with fresh, consumable products
• Red elements now extend beyond decor into apparel, daily necessities, and lifestyle items—creating an immersive festive experience

The message is clear: consumers want red everywhere, from wall hangings to what they wear to what they eat.

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Enter the “New” New Year Goods: Where Technology Meets Tradition

This is where things get interesting.

The boundaries of what counts as “New Year goods” are expanding at serious speed.

A new wave of high-tech products, entertainment items, and practical services is completely reshaping the holiday shopping landscape.

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What’s Trending in New Year Goods Right Now

According to the data, here’s what’s moving:

• Lucky-named products and trendy foods: Items with auspicious names (like “Ma Shang You Qian” or “Rich Immediately” ornaments) and modern treats (milk skin, butter rice cakes) are chosen by 58.8% and 58.2% of consumers respectively
• AI toys and household robots (Jiqiren 机器人): About 32.2% of consumers have added smart technology to their shopping lists, hoping to add fun and family warmth through innovation
• Blind boxes: These mystery products attract 29.4% of shoppers with their surprise factor and social appeal—injecting youthful energy into traditional customs

The pattern here is unmissable: emotional value is becoming the primary driver of Spring Festival spending.

It’s not just about what you buy.

It’s about what it makes you and your family feel.

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AI Toys Are Becoming a Real Market Phenomenon

Here’s where investors should pay attention.

The AI toy concept isn’t just cultural chatter anymore—it’s turning into serious market gains.

According to DataBao (Shuju Bao 数据宝), several A-share listed companies have entered the AI toy industry.

As of February 13, AI toy concept stocks rose by an average of 7.61% this year, with several companies posting double-digit gains.

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The AI Toy Players Making Moves

Ronxin Culture (Rongxin Wenhua 荣信文化):

• Launched pre-sales for its “Shanshan AI Intelligent Companion Toy,” based on the “Lililand’s Little Bugs” IP
• Available across Tmall, JD, and Douyin
• Cumulative stock gains: over 10%

Rastar Group (Xinghui Yule 星辉娱乐):

• Accumulated core technologies in VR spatial positioning and intelligent voice interaction
• Positioning itself as a serious player in the smart toy sector
• Cumulative stock gains: over 10%

Leyard (Liya De 利亚德):

• Introduced consumer-facing products including Mini AI toys and AR glasses
• Selling through official channels and major retail platforms
• Cumulative stock gains: over 10%

Kingnet (Kaiying Wangluo 恺英网络):

• Launched the AI trend brand “Warm Star Valley Dreamland”
• Focus on emotional companionship for the 12 to 35-year-old demographic
• Cumulative stock gains: over 10%

What’s fascinating here is that these aren’t toy companies branching into AI.

These are technology and entertainment companies recognizing that emotional connection is the real product.

The toys are just the vehicle.

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Housekeeping Services: The “Effortless New Year” Trend

This one might surprise you, but it makes perfect sense.

Housekeeping services have exploded as a New Year goods category.

Approximately 36.5% of users booked pre-festival cleaning packages, including:

• Deep house cleaning
• Range hood degreasing
• Laundry services
• Professional car detailing

The scale of growth here is staggering:

• Housekeeping service sales: up more than 300% year-over-year
• Laundry services: up more than 1,000%
• Car wash services: up more than 1,000%

This reflects a fundamental shift in how people want to spend the New Year.

Instead of spending weeks cleaning and preparing, consumers are outsourcing the grunt work.

The tagline is simple: “spend the New Year effortlessly.”

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Companies Scaling to Meet Demand

JD Housekeeping understood the opportunity immediately.

Despite the holiday period, they kept operations running and launched an aggressive expansion plan:

• Hiring 100,000 cleaners across 180 cities
• Hiring 100,000 appliance cleaning specialists across 180 cities
• Continuing service availability during the holiday when competitors typically shut down

This is a play on supply and demand at its finest.

When everyone wants services and no one’s offering them, scale wins.

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The Pet Economy: Pets Are Now Official Family Members

Here’s a stat that tells you everything you need to know about modern family dynamics:

45.7% of consumers purchased New Year “outfits” for their pets.

Let that sink in.

Pets aren’t just pets anymore.

They’re family members participating in holiday traditions.

The pet economy (Chongwu Jingji 宠物经济) is now deeply integrated into holiday consumption patterns.

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Key Players in the Pet Sector

There are 11 A-share listed companies in the pet sector gaining traction.

The major players include:

• Yantai Pet Food (Zhongchong Gufen 中宠股份): Highest analyst rating coverage with 33 institutions
• Gambol Pet Group (Guaibao Chongwu 乖宝宠物): Strong market presence and growth trajectory
• Peidi Share (Peidi Gufen 佩蒂股份): Focused on pet nutrition and wellness
• Tianjin Yiyi Hygiene (Yiyi Gufen 依依股份): Specializing in pet hygiene products
• Yuanfei Pet (Yuanfei Chongwu 源飞宠物): Pet care and apparel solutions
• Wuhan Keqian Biology (Keqian Shengwu 科前生物): Pet health and nutrition

The investment thesis here is straightforward:

As pets become family members, spending on them increases across every category.

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The Bigger Picture: Emotional Value Is the New Driver

If you step back and look at all these trends together, one pattern emerges crystal clear:

Emotional value has become the primary driver of Spring Festival consumption.

This isn’t about survival purchases anymore.

It’s about:

• Quality of life: Paying for services to reduce stress and create time for family
• Emotional bonds: Buying AI companions and pet outfits as expressions of love and connection
• Personal expression: Choosing trendy, lucky, and tech-forward products that reflect identity
• Novelty and surprise: Embracing blind boxes and new categories that create excitement

The evolution of New Year goods consumption mirrors the evolution of consumer culture itself.

From basic needs to lifestyle enhancement to emotional fulfillment.

For investors and founders watching Chinese consumer trends, this is the signal: the future belongs to products and services that deliver emotional value, not just functional value.

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References

• Emotional Value Becomes New Element: AI Toys, Services, and Pet Outfits Rank as New Year Goods – DataBao
• Spring Festival Consumption Trends Report – Jingdong
• AI Toy Concept Stocks Rise as Market Demand Surges – Securities Times
• Pet Economy and Housekeeping Services Modernize Spring Festival Spending – Eastmoney Finance