4
0Youngsters take a shine to gold phone stickers
年轻人热衷黄金手机贴
As gold prices rally, driven by market volatility and central bank purchases, younger Chinese consumers are finding a new way to get in on the action — through the purchase of trendy and low-cost gold phone stickers. These lightweight accessories, ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 grams in weight and priced anywhere from 40 yuan ($5.5) to over 100 yuan, come in a wide variety of auspicious designs and motifs, from depictions of the God of Wealth to emblems bearing lucky phrases such as "Peace and Happiness" and "Get Rich".
因市场波动和各国央行购金，金价持续上涨，中国年轻消费者正以一种全新的方式参与这股热潮——购买时尚且低成本的黄金手机贴。这类轻巧的配饰重量在0.01至0.2克之间，售价从40元（约5.5美元）到100元以上不等，设计多样，图案寓意吉祥，如财神画像以及“平安喜乐”“日进斗金”等祝福语。
" By simply peeling off the adhesive and affixing the charm to the back of their smartphones, young consumers can instantly transform their devices into portable talismans of wealth and success," said Wu Ming, a business owner in Shuibei, a gold jewelry manufacturing and trading hub in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. It's a small investment, but the impact is quite powerful, Wu said, adding that the charms allow young people to feel like they're partaking in the gold rush, while also serving as a daily reminder of their aspirations for prosperity.
“只需撕开背胶，将饰物粘贴在手机背面，年轻人便能将手机变成随身携带的护身符，寓意财富和成功。”广东省深圳市黄金珠宝制造和交易集散地—水贝国际珠宝交易中心商家吴明（音译）表示。他表示这笔投资虽小，但影响却不容小觑，还补充道，这些黄金贴纸不仅让年轻消费者在心理上参与到“黄金热”中，也成为他们对财富向往的日常象征。
The gold phone sticker trend has taken on a strong social media dimension, with users actively engaging with and inspiring one another. This has created a powerful viral effect, attracting more people to participate in this fashion craze. A search for "gold phone stickers" on the popular social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, yielded over 5.98 million related posts, as of mid-February.
“黄金手机贴”趋势在社交媒体上迅速走红，用户们积极参与分享，互相启发。这形成强大的传播效应，吸引更多人加入这一潮流。截至2月中旬，在社交平台小红书上搜索“黄金手机贴”，相关笔记已超过598万条。
While gold phone stickers have been around for years, it wasn't until the end of 2024 that they turned highly popular. The key driver behind this surge is advances in manufacturing that have allowed producers to create thinner, lighter charms with a wider array of stylish designs, Wu said. Collaborations with popular IP and the integration of viral social media catchphrases have proved to be highly effective strategies, Wu added.
事实上，黄金手机贴早已存在多年，但直到2024年底才真正爆火。吴明表示，推动其热销的关键因素在于制造工艺的提升，使贴纸更薄、更轻，设计更加时尚多样。此外，与热门IP联名合作以及融入社交媒体流行语，也是助推这一潮流的有效策略。
In the past, the primary driver for gold purchases was the metal's perceived ability to maintain and grow in value over time, but the trend of gold phone stickers has ushered in a new era where the aspirational appeal of these accessories has taken center stage, said Li Yang, an associate professor at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. It's no longer just about the intrinsic value of the gold, but the social currency and cultural cachet these accessories represent, Li said.
长江商学院副教授李洋指出，以往黄金消费的主要驱动力是其长期保值增值的特性，而黄金手机贴的流行则开启了一个新时代——饰品的寓意属性成为重点。如今，年轻人购买黄金手机贴，不仅是因为黄金的固有价值，更看重它所代表的社交属性和文化认同。
