We spent more than 8 hours at work every day. Have you ever asked yourself what the purpose or meaning of your job is? One of our colleagues, a consumer researcher, has given it some thought.

There is ONE question that we talk about all the time at work: is this system intuitive to use for the user? In this article we try to find out.

A blind box is a box with opaque packaging, hiding the product inside. The idea of blind boxes is highly welcomed by GenZ as overconsumption and materialism don’t satisfy them anymore and they start to seek for emotional stimulation and excitement.

We often test smart systems for different manufacturers. Depending on the area and product, consumers may enjoy or complain about the integrated smart assistant. In the following text we elaborate on different areas where smart assistants are used and consumers opinions on those smart assistants.

Back in the 90s, compared to a car a motorcycle was the cheaper option in terms of transportation. This still applies to a lot of families and individuals in the less developed cities and suburb areas of big cities in China. In this article we highlight the cultural difference considering the meaning of having a motorcycle in China and Germany.

Plastic/cosmetic surgery is no longer a rarity these days. It is still mainly women who undergo aesthetic surgery, but the demand from men is increasing. Culturally, there are some differences in which changes to the body are considered. In this article we will take a look at the booming beauty industry in China.

In our first article, we took a closer look at the car brands Audi and BMW and discussed how German and Chinese drivers perceive these cars. Now we will continue with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche and present the different points of view.

Brand perception research studies show a vivid picture of car brands as different persons. And there are clear differences in brand perception in Germany and China. For this article series we use the topic “brand image as a person” to explain the cultural, political, and economic background and further: how the brands got their image in China and Germany.

Simulation games continue to enjoy great pleasure among gaming fans. Escaping from everyday life and immersing yourself in virtual but real-life-like worlds, designing a theme park, building cities, or imitating activities you can't do in real life – that's the appeal of this type of video games. Chinese manufacturers are now using the enthusiasm for these games in different business models.

Spiegel Institut has conducted plenty of market and consumer researches for premium manufacturers all over the world. Before we go more into detail about premium products or brand image during interviews, we always ask the study participants one definition question: What does “luxury” mean to you? Here we noticed clear differences between the answers of the European and Chinese consumers.