"Even If It Costs More Than the Drink... Chinese Millennials and Gen Z Drive Trend for 'Stickers' Pricier Than Beverages"

Custom Stickers Gain Popularity

Concerns Raised Over Excessive Spending

Recently, a trend among Millennials & Gen Z in China has emerged where people decorate franchise beverage cups with custom stickers.

According to Haibao News on August 26, it has become popular for customers to simply draw a picture using a mobile application when ordering a drink, and have it printed as a sticker to attach to their disposable cup.

In China, it is popular to create stickers from drawings or designs made by oneself and stick them on disposable paper cups. Xiaohongshu.

Popularity Soars as Stickers Reflect Individual Taste

Stickers featuring one's own unique personality have recently gained popularity, leading various brands to allow users to upload their own designs. The number of young people paying tens of yuan for professional illustration services to create personalized stickers is also on the rise.

Creating stickers from drawings or designs made by oneself and attaching them to disposable paper cups is becoming a trend in China. Xiaohongshu.

The media reported, "Even if you lack professional drawing skills or artistic sense, you can create your own artwork with just a few taps." Anything can be turned into a sticker, from quirky, childlike characters and quotes from literary works, to internet memes and personal motivational phrases. With just a single sticker, people can create their own special drink experience.

However, some have raised concerns that paying 50 yuan (approximately KRW 10,000) for a single small sticker is a waste of money, noting that “the fixer is bigger than the main”—meaning the extra is more expensive than the actual item purchased.

Copyright and Portrait Rights Violations Also Emerge as Issues

Experts agree that the younger generation in China prefers low-cost, low-pressure modes of self-expression. Instead of logging in and orchestrating forced performances for content to upload on social networking services (SNS), they choose to display their individuality and form a sense of belonging with peers through a single small sticker.

It is trendy in China to create stickers from drawings or designs that one has drawn themselves and stick them onto disposable paper cups. Xiaohongshu.

Local media explained, "Having grown up in an era of abundance, today’s young generation values emotional worth more than functional value," adding that "sharing the personal stories and tastes embodied in stickers is considered meaningful."

On Chinese secondhand trading platforms, self-drawn sticker designs are being sold for 4 yuan. There are more than 1,950 related listings, most priced between 2 and 10 yuan, but popular works or character stickers can go for as much as 50 yuan.

However, issues surrounding copyright and portrait rights remain challenges to be addressed. In one case, a user created a sticker using a famous celebrity’s photo and posted it on SNS, only to face controversy and eventually have it deleted.

Haibao News stated, "Creators should refuse to produce works that infringe on copyrights, and platforms need to strengthen their review and oversight processes for the sticker market to continue sustainable growth." The article also pointed out, "While it is possible to pay for emotional value, consumption should always follow rational standards," and emphasized that "it is also important to express individuality and communicate with others through appropriate spending that suits one’s circumstances."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.