Decaying wedding candy sales a sign of social change

No sugarcoating

Lin Yiwei lived on Zigu Road during her elementary school years in the late 1990s, and fondly remembers the rows of candy shops filled with all sorts of confectionery. They were her favorite places in the city.

"During those days, my mom used to take me to the shop downstairs to buy candies on weekends, which was the happiest moment for me. Later in the 2010s, these shops moved to the middle section of the street, and we moved out of the district," Lin said.

Now, there are only eight candy shops remaining on Zigu Road. The street is a microcosm of China's wedding candy industry. In recent years, the declining number of marriages has had an impact on various aspects of economic life, including the candy industry.

The number of marriages in China dropped from 13 million in 2013 to below 7 million in 2022, reaching the lowest level since records began in 1986.

It was only last year that the number of marriages started to pick up again.

From 2013 to 2016, China's marriage rate hit new highs, leading to a resurgence in the Chinese wedding candy market.

During this period, the market expanded from 30 billion yuan to about 40 billion yuan, with an annual growth rate of over 10 percent, surpassing the growth rate of the traditional candy market.

However, a report by market research company Mintel indicates that China's candy industry experienced a turning point in 2014 and has been declining ever since.

Furthermore, the marriage rate in Jiangxi is notably low.

According to the China Statistical Yearbook 2023, Jiangxi's marriage rate stood at 4.65 percent, ranking among the lowest in the country. Last year, only 210,000 couples registered their marriages in Jiangxi.

It's also uncertain whether those intending to get married will buy candies from brick-and-mortar shops or purchase them online.

Lin said most of her married friends either buy candies online or entrust the entire wedding ceremony to a matrimonial agency. "None of my friends go to brick-and-mortar candy shops," she said.

Youyou, who married in May, spent an afternoon comparing prices on e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo while preparing for her wedding. She finally decided to buy 700 boxes of wedding candies online.

"Each box of candies costs about 1.9 yuan, and I bought what I like to eat. Weddings are expensive, so I try to save where I can," she said.

The quality of wedding candies bought online can vary, but the variety is greater, and products are updated quickly. Offline shops also have to follow online trends.