Summary of Key Points
In China, there are over 110 million one-person households and 240 million people living alone (one in every six people). This large group is reshaping business logic by shifting the focus from defaulting on serving "families" to adapting to individual needs, leading to comprehensive changes in product specifications, space design, consumption habits, and urban functions. The mission of businesses is no longer to exploit the "premium of loneliness" but to reduce the costs of living alone and provide choices, enabling everyone to live a dignified and comfortable life.
1. The smallest unit of business has changed: from serving "a family" to serving "an individual"
Previously, businesses catered primarily to families—restaurants had tables for two, shopping malls were designed with family circulation in mind, and individual needs were considered supplementary. Now that living alone is the norm, businesses must treat the individual as the basic unit. This means rethinking the entire supply chain:
- Product specifications: Addressing the issue of waste:
- In the food industry, restaurants like Haidilao have introduced回转 tables for one-person hot pot, Xibamu Mucang offers 30-yuan meals for one person in communities, Pizza Hut has smaller stores with smaller pizza portions, and even the high-end restaurant Xinrongji provides lunch sets for individuals.
- In the food sector, companies like Sanquan and Hema sell small-packaged fresh groceries (even garlic, ginger, and scallions are packaged separately), shifting from stocking up for a week to making daily purchases more convenient.
- For home appliances, Panasonic has released single-person dishwashers the size of A4 paper (which don't require pipe modifications and can be used in rented homes), as well as small furniture and mini household items—the key is to provide exactly what's needed without excess.
- Space design: Eliminating the awkwardness of being alone:
- Physical barriers are used (e.g., partitions in Yilan Ramen, where orders and deliveries are done through side windows to avoid direct interaction), or a "barfront" approach (like in Japanese hamburger shops with circular bars where customers can watch the chef prepare food, creating a warm and lively atmosphere) to make eating alone less intrusive.
2. What do people who live alone spend their money on? The sense of control they want
Living alone means having complete control over time, money, and social interactions, making every purchase a vote for the ideal lifestyle:
- Nurturing oneself: Young people engage in activities like rock climbing and fitness classes after work, while adults participate in pottery workshops or coffee estate tours. According to iMedia Research, personal development is the most promising area of the single economy, surpassing tourism and entertainment. Keeping pets also serves this purpose; caring for a pet is a way to practice love and connection.
- Buying companionship on demand: Instead of being tied to strong marital relationships, people use consumption to seek flexible companionship:
- Light social interactions: Join running groups, study communities, or interest-based circles (gather when you share common interests, leave when you're tired).
- Travel: Solo-style tours abroad that allow for private spaces.
- Emotional services: Photo-taking companions, medical accompaniment, AI companions (e.g., Zeta AI in South Korea with millions of monthly active users and longer usage times than ChatGPT) — the key is having the choice to connect or be alone.
3. Has the concept of "home" changed? The city has become the "external living room" for singles
Singles no longer need large homes; instead, they move the functions of a home to neighborhoods within walking distance:
- Outsourcing household chores: Solutions like Sumally Pocket in Japan (delivery service, mobile management of items, resale options) save space and make decluttering easier.
- Laundry services: Baluko in Japan uses industrial-grade equipment for laundry and offers a coffee and baking area, turning the laundry process into a relaxing experience.
- Expanding living spaces: Services like SHARE LOUNGE in Japan allow you to rent a complete living room by the hour (comfortable furniture, books, light meals), accessible through an app. Local Stitch in South Korea turns unused properties into communities that combine shopping, working, and living spaces, with membership cards providing access to multiple locations across the city. Creators can open stores without fixed rents (based on a percentage of sales). This creates self-sustaining communities where residents are both consumers and content producers.
4. The new mission of business: To enable everyone who lives alone to live a dignified life
Businesses used to assume that people would eventually form families, but now they need to accept that living alone is the norm:
- The goal is not to charge more for loneliness but to reduce its costs (e.g., smaller meal portions and time-saving dishwashers).
- It's about providing choices (social opportunities or private spaces as desired).
- The ultimate aim is for everyone who lives alone to live a complete and fulfilling life without feeling forced to integrate into a collective.
In essence, this article argues that living alone is not a necessity but an active choice. Businesses and cities must adapt to this trend to help people live independently with dignity.