Shopping malls in Tianhe district have been deploying differentiated intellectual property strategies to compete for consumer foot traffic and spending on August.

At Parc Central Plaza, a pure-white winged spirit named Am'miri — a virtual personal intellectual property created by Hong Kong singer Miriam Yeung — stands with wings outstretched in front of its pop-up store, welcoming fans from all directions.

Monitoring data show that foot traffic on the first day of Yeung's concert rose close to 50 percent from the previous day, and that related consumption in the area reached 314 million yuan ($43.6 million) during the concert period.

During the summer vacation, major shopping malls have also been introducing traditional animation IPs to attract consumers, tapping into what Generation Z champions as the "goods economy" (anime economy). The anime fans behind these IPs have emerged as a spending powerhouse that commercial districts can no longer afford to overlook.

Zhang Yi, CEO and chief analyst of iiMedia Research, said, "The integration of IPs with business formats such as coffee and dessert shops has extended consumption from mere shopping to a lifestyle experience." 

Such lightweight, scenario-based additions offer a viable path to exploring diverse consumer experiences and enhancing customer loyalty. This also reflects a deeper shift in the IP economy, where consumption is transitioning from paying for goods to paying for experiences.

Fans flock to the Am'miri pop-up for a photo. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]