This is a common saying among the MZ generation these days. Expensive luxury goods are burdensome, but I don’t want to give up on small pleasures for me.
This consumption to get satisfaction at a relatively low cost is called ‘small luxury’.
Small luxury is a choice that can change your mood even if you don’t spend too much money. You can choose lipstick instead of a luxurious bag, or premium coffee instead of a luxurious restaurant. The key criterion at this time is how this consumption makes me feel, rather than price. So I am more familiar with the term “cost-effectiveness” than “cost-effectiveness.”
This is in line with the economic situation these days. As prices have risen, the burden of living expenses has increased, making it difficult to decide big expenditures easily. Instead, people have decided to take consumption that gives them a higher level of satisfaction than usual in their daily lives. This kind of feeling is evident in the premium dessert market. At the end of the year, limited cakes priced between 300,000 won and 500,000 won appear at hotels and department stores, but they often run out quickly when reservations are made. It’s hard to buy often, but I think you can allow it at least for a special moment.
As consumption increases, people are looking for cute elements. Products that can make you laugh just by looking at Santa-shaped cakes, bear chocolates, and character decorations are selling out especially quickly. Cutenomics is the term used to describe such consumption. Cuteness means consumption, which is the key to purchasing.
The “La BuBu” figure presented by Pop Mart in China illustrates this characteristic. The blind box method, which consists of random items, raised expectations for the moment when opened, and stimulated the desire to collect. According to Pop Mart, the sales of the La Boulevard series reached 670 million dollars as of the first half of 2025.
The Pampals by Aurora World, a Korean toy manufacturer, was chosen by the MZ generation at home and abroad for being a cute stuffed doll. Danielle, a member of the girl group New Jeans, introduced the product and gained more attention. This case shows that cuteness is an important factor driving consumption. Small luxury and cutenomics are both attracting attention because they are changing the way people consume. It looks like choosing a memorable consumption rather than buying often and choosing a product with a story rather than a need. The two trends naturally coincide with the current consumption environment in that the scale has become smaller but the standard is more demanding.
However, as this consumption continues, the burden is also increasing. As the price of products that attracted attention rose faster, I thought about desserts and props that I used to choose lightly. There are also situations where people try to enjoy small luxury, but their wallets become heavier.
Small luxury is a common consumption these days. But it’s more of a choice that gives me satisfaction than a trend-setting consumption. So what’s important is to find out what I like. That’s when the true value of small luxury is revealed.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
