Over the past few years, “new consumption” has become one of the hottest buzzwords in the business world.
New brands, new channels, and new marketing tactics emerged rapidly, fueled by capital, traffic, and attention. It once seemed that standing on the side of “new” guaranteed rapid growth. But as the hype fades, one reality becomes clear: in the end, new consumption still comes down to fundamentals, not concepts.

After the Boom, the Weaknesses Appear

During the early stage of traffic dividends and capital expansion, many brands grew fast through marketing efficiency.
Livestreaming, social media virality, and content-driven promotion delivered explosive exposure. However, as traffic costs rise and consumers become more selective, many new consumption brands now face similar challenges:

• Rising customer acquisition costs

• Low repurchase rates

• Weak customer loyalty

This is not a failure of the model—it’s a failure of foundational capabilities keeping pace with growth.

Product Strength Remains the Starting Point

No matter how consumption patterns evolve, the product remains the core competitive advantage.
Brands that endure across cycles usually share three traits:

• Consistent quality

• Clear user experience

• The ability to solve real problems

Many new consumption brands focused on storytelling in the early stage but neglected product refinement. Once marketing momentum fades, weak product strength becomes impossible to hide.

Supply Chain and Execution Define the Ceiling

New consumption is not just a front-end marketing game. It also tests supply chain management, cost control, and execution efficiency.
Can the brand supply consistently?
Can it control costs without sacrificing quality?
Can it respond quickly to market changes?

These seemingly “traditional” capabilities ultimately define how far a brand can go. Without solid backend systems, even the best positioning is unsustainable.

A Brand Is Built on Trust, Not Traffic

A real brand is not a label created by traffic spikes, but trust built through repeated choices.
Trust comes from:

• Consistent product experiences

• Reliable service quality

• Clear and disciplined brand communication

When novelty fades, trust is what remains.

User Operations Matter More Than Growth

In the traffic-driven era, growth was the top priority. In a more mature stage, retention and repurchase become the real lifeline.
Understanding user needs, listening to feedback, and continuously improving experiences matter far more than chasing short-term metrics.

The next phase of new consumption is not about acquiring users faster, but about serving them better.

Returning to Common Sense Is True Evolution

Some view a return to fundamentals as regression, but in reality, it is the opposite.
As the market shifts from hype to rationality, respecting common sense and business principles becomes a form of progress.

Avoiding blind expansion, resisting trend worship, and staying grounded in long-term value are what enable brands to survive cycles.

Conclusion

New consumption hasn’t failed—it has entered a more realistic phase.
When concepts lose their power and traffic is no longer cheap, only brands with strong fundamentals will remain.

Product, supply chain, service, and brand trust—
These seemingly simple capabilities are the true moats that carry brands through cycles.