Behind the popular Nut Chocolate, the post-2000 generation is rewriting the New Year shopping list on Pinduoduo

In the processing factories of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, spicy red oil with boneless chicken feet still sways in the jars; on the production line in Jiaxing, truffle chocolates coated with crushed nuts have just cooled and taken shape. These snacks, once considered unrelated to the Spring Festival, are quietly taking over the coffee tables of millions of Chinese families.

The definition of New Year goods is being rewritten. When post-95 and post-00 generations take over the family’s New Year shopping rights, their shopping carts become the best window to observe changes in Chinese consumption.

This generational shift is especially evident in this year’s Pinduoduo New Year Festival sales rankings: Zhenweishang’s boneless chicken feet sales exceeded 3 million yuan in a single month, doubling compared to previous periods; Nofan’s holiday sales have reached 2-3 times last Christmas. These two domestic brands from Zhejiang—one focusing on chicken snacks, the other on chocolates—have found their growth curves on Pinduoduo and are quietly reshaping the landscape of Chinese New Year shopping.

Generational Revolution in the Shopping Cart:

From “What to Buy” to “What I Want to Buy”

“People used to think New Year goods were just nuts and dried fruits, but now young people buy whatever they want. The concept of New Year goods no longer has a fixed impression,” said Li Jian, head of Zhenweishang’s Pinduoduo channel.

Unlike their parents, young people no longer see New Year goods simply as “what to buy,” but as “what I want to buy.” Li Jian observed that today’s youth prefer to DIY their New Year treats—“Every year during the New Year, they think about what they want to eat, and they believe the concept of fixed traditional items shouldn’t be rigid. They prepare based on their personal preferences.”

This shift in consumption mindset stems from a profound generational revolution. As Generation Z becomes the “main decision-maker” in family New Year shopping, the traditional “big three” New Year staples—sunflower seeds, candies, and alcohol—are quietly falling behind.

Ma Xiaquan, head of Nofan’s Pinduoduo channel, also noted a shift in consumer scenarios: “In the past, chocolates were mainly for lovers, with elegant and romantic packaging. Now, chocolates are for friends and children, with more emphasis on health and sharing.” Based on this insight, Nofan upgraded raw materials and fused traditional Chinese nut elements into their flavors for the core Pinduoduo consumer group.

Zhenweishang: From Wenzhou OEM to a Breakout Star in the New Year Market

Zhenweishang’s story began in 2016 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. At that time, the company was just an OEM supplier for offline channels, offering seafood, meat, and other products.

“Relying solely on OEMs makes us too dependent on others’ markets. When competition heats up, it’s hard to guarantee annual performance,” Li Jian recalled. This sense of crisis prompted the company to shift from behind-the-scenes manufacturing to creating its own brand, “Zhenweishang.”

The transformation was not immediate. Between 2017 and 2018, the boneless chicken feet category was still in its market cultivation phase, with modest sales across platforms. The turning point came in 2019—when a wave of internet influencers began recommending the product, bringing this niche category into the mainstream.

What truly propelled Zhenweishang’s leap was its strategic layout on Pinduoduo. After settling in in 2019, the brand continuously iterated its products based on platform data.

Li Jian explained that initially, the factory produced a sour-flavored “Lemon Chicken Feet,” popular in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. But as they aimed for the national market, they identified a key issue: “People in the south and east prefer sweet and sour flavors, but beyond that region—like in the Northeast or Yunnan-Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hunan—they favor spicy and numbing tastes.”

Based on this feedback, Zhenweishang adjusted its flavors, gradually introducing spicy and garlic varieties, and offering different spice levels such as mild and extra spicy. Data shows that the highest repurchase rate currently comes from the mildly spicy flavor—“it retains the spiciness without being too刺激.”

They also made packaging adjustments. “Initially, we offered 200 grams per box, but customers said it was too little and preferred to buy multiple boxes to avoid hassle,” Li Jian said. So, Zhenweishang upgraded to 500 grams, and this change immediately paid off.

During the New Year Festival, Zhenweishang’s sales on Pinduoduo more than doubled compared to usual, with monthly sales surpassing 3 million yuan.

Nofan:

The “Chinese Transformation” of a Chocolate Heritage Brand

Unlike Zhenweishang, Nofan, based in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, is a “heritage” brand deeply rooted in the chocolate industry.

Founded in 2008, Nofan initially offered a diverse product line including cookies and bread. Ma Xiaquan explained: “The founders’ predecessors might have been involved in OEM chocolate manufacturing. They thought they had the technical expertise and wanted to create their own brand.”

Around 2019, Nofan established a chocolate R&D lab; in 2020, they built a large-scale annual production facility in Jiashan, with a capacity of over 1 billion yuan, in the same industrial park as international brands like Dove. From 2021 onward, the brand focused solely on chocolates, aiming to “make Chinese people’s own chocolates.”

For a long time, chocolates in China were seen as “Western holiday gifts.” But Nofan’s sales data on Pinduoduo revealed an important shift: consumer scenarios are moving from Christmas to the Spring Festival.

Ma Xiaquan revealed a key timeline: “In 2022, Christmas sales were quite strong, roughly equal to the New Year Festival. But by 2023, when we stocked up with the same expectations, we found that Christmas sales were much lower—many platforms couldn’t move the stock—while the Spring Festival saw explosive growth.” By 2024 and 2025, Nofan’s Spring Festival sales are 2-3 times those of Christmas.

Regarding this change, Ma Xiaquan offered his perspective: “Now, people’s expectations for Western holidays are not as high. Young people have more gift options, not just food but also trendy toys, pastries, and other products.”

Recognizing the shift in core consumption scenarios and the change from “young lovers” to “young mothers,” Nofan made two key product adjustments.

First, raw material upgrades. Ma Xiaquan recalled that this change stemmed from user feedback: “During live streams, consumers interact strongly—some ask in comments whether it’s cocoa butter or pure cocoa; others think it’s pure cocoa butter and leave negative reviews when they find out it’s cocoa substitute.” Based on this, in 2022-2023, Nofan launched the “Golden Truffle” series made with West African Ghana cocoa butter.

Second, product innovation. Nofan fused traditional Chinese nuts with chocolates, launching nut truffle chocolates. “This year, the most popular is the nut truffle. We use nuts as the filling inside the chocolate, so you get both flavors in one bite, with a richer texture,” Ma Xiaquan said. The new pistachio flavor received especially good feedback—“much better than the Golden Truffle.”

In terms of channel strategy, Nofan adopted differentiated approaches. Ma Xiaquan explained: “On live e-commerce, we aim to increase the average order value with premium experience packs; on Pinduoduo, we focus on cost-effective options, like 30-50 yuan per pack. We also started offering bulk loose chocolates—people want to try different flavors, and demand for loose chocolates exceeds that for gift boxes, so our stock of loose chocolates is often insufficient.”

Platform Empowerment:

Ease of Entry and High Compatibility

In the transformation of Zhenweishang and Nofan, Pinduoduo played a crucial role.

For new brands transitioning from OEMs, Pinduoduo is “very friendly to newcomers.” Li Jian compared his early experience with traditional e-commerce: “Initially, on other platforms, you have to consider testing products, images, keywords, and target audiences. If any step isn’t done well, the product won’t succeed. Even if the product is good, poor titles, images, or unclear audience targeting can prevent success. It’s frustrating and makes you doubt your product.”

But on Pinduoduo, “many keywords and audience targeting are simplified. As long as the product quality, supply chain, and promotion bids are set properly, traffic will come naturally.” Li Jian added that many Wenzhou colleagues in footwear and valve industries, even without e-commerce experience, can quickly start their stores.

Nofan also benefits from the platform’s marketing tools. Ma Xiaquan said: “Pinduoduo offers activities like Billion Subsidy, flash sales, and group buying. We tailor our product offerings accordingly—for example, promoting single boxes during Billion Subsidy, double boxes during flash sales, and multi-box packs for group buying.” Currently, these activities account for 60-70% of Nofan’s daily sales on Pinduoduo.

More importantly, the platform provides “one-on-one” support for brands. Li Jian recalled that from initial advice to switch from white-label to branded products and apply for black-label certification, to daily communication about promotional schedules, product data, and inventory planning—“the platform’s rules and features are mostly shared with us upfront, so we can act early.” Zhenweishang, which joined Pinduoduo in 2019, became one of the earliest brands to obtain “brand black-label” certification in 2021.

User Profiles:

Who Are Buying These “New Year Goods”?

As sales grow, both brands have gained clearer insights into their core consumers.

Zhenweishang’s user distribution shows distinct regional characteristics. Li Jian explained: “The best sales are in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, followed by Guangdong, then the Northeast, and finally Yunnan-Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hunan.” He also noted an interesting phenomenon: “Northeastern consumers buy a lot—some buy five or six cans during the New Year, and others stock up with ten or twenty cans at home, worried about stockouts during the holiday.”

In terms of age, Zhenweishang’s customers initially ranged from 18-26-year-old college students and singles, gradually expanding to 30-40-year-olds, with women far outnumbering men.

Nofan’s users are more concentrated. Ma Xiaquan said: “Our top-consuming province is Guangdong, followed by Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong. The main age group is 30-35, then 25-30, mostly women.” He believes the rise of young mothers as the core consumer group is due to two reasons: “First, women tend to prefer sweets; second, mothers want to choose high-quality ingredients for their children.”

From Single-Category to Multi-Category:

Future Plans for New Domestic Brands

With the rise of online sales on Pinduoduo, Zhenweishang and Nofan have gained not only increased sales but also confidence for further development.

Li Jian revealed that currently, the ratio of their own brand to OEM business is about 8:2. They plan to adjust this ratio. “We’re planning to open one or two more factories to increase capacity. This will support both our online and offline channels, and we also want to grow the OEM side—more brands are entering, but not all have their own factories, so many still rely on OEM.”

In product expansion, Zhenweishang plans to extend from chicken snacks to duck, marinated meats, beef, lamb, and even seafood. “Relying on a single product to dominate is difficult; in the future, we want to diversify and build a product matrix.”

Nofan intends to continue deepening in the chocolate sector, focusing on product iteration. Ma Xiaquan said they are experimenting with more new flavors, with the pistachio flavor receiving particularly good feedback. Their channel strategy emphasizes differentiation: high-end experience packs on live e-commerce to increase order value, cost-effective options on Pinduoduo, and offline expansion into Walmart, Yonghui, and other supermarkets to build a comprehensive omnichannel network.

On a macro level, the popularity of Zhenweishang and Nofan reflects a changing Chinese consumer view of New Year shopping. Chocolate is no longer just a Valentine’s Day gift but a snack shared during family gatherings; chicken feet are no longer just a bar snack but can be a cold dish on the New Year’s dinner table.

What changes are the forms and categories, but what remains constant is people’s longing for reunion and happiness. Between these changes and constants, new domestic brands are finding their own positions. They not only meet diverse consumer needs but also, under the dual drive of “quality + platform,” inject lasting momentum into expanding domestic demand and promote the healthy, sustained development of China’s consumer market.