Chinese consumers are shifting gears to more meaningful purchases as they strive to boost incomes and tighten spending to navigate economic uncertainties, said a report by global consumer and retail analytics leader NielsenIQ.

It said that although lower-income consumer groups have shown clear signs of improvement, over half of Chinese households report no significant financial improvement over the past six months. Some 34 percent of consumers believe their household finances are better than last year, down 16 percent year-on-year.

Against this backdrop, more consumers are adopting a "save and earn" strategy. A remarkable 72 percent are actively hunting for "side gigs" to supplement their primary incomes. At the same time, they're making every yuan count, with 47 percent confessing that they now only buy items necessary to avoid waste — a 7 percent increase year-on-year.

Notably, value-conscious shoppers, who routinely compare prices across platforms, have surged from 30 percent to 39 percent, and have become the dominant consumer group in China's consumption market, said the report.

Zhou Lingqing, managing director of NielsenIQ China, said: "Chinese consumers remain resilient and cautious and are adopting more purposeful spending habits. They are redefining what value means to them by pursuing products that bring tangible happiness and fulfillment. As the world's second-largest economy, China's steady growth continues to lead globally (among major countries).Policies promoting employment, stabilizing incomes and boosting consumer welfare have effectively stimulated both online and offline consumption. We are confident in the gradual recovery of China's consumption."

The National Bureau of Statistics said there was steady economic improvement in October, with major indicators rebounding significantly.

Social retail sales for October rose 4.8 percent year-on-year, reaching 4.54 trillion yuan ($622 billion), up 1.6 percentage points from the previous month. Sectors like cosmetics, automobiles and home appliances led the charge, with high-end and upgraded goods seeing particularly brisk sales, the NBS said.

Despite caution from Chinese consumers, only 17 percent choose products solely based on low prices, compared to 33 percent in the Asia-Pacific region overall, according to the latest NielsenIQ report.

Chinese consumers are also more willing to pay premiums for high-efficiency or innovative products. A whopping 75 percent are willing to pay extra for items that last longer, 71 percent for innovative products with exceptional value and 65 percent for anti-aging beauty products — all outpacing both Asia-Pacific and global averages.

Looking into 2025, the report predicts that new technologies — including artificial intelligence and emerging demand — will lead to transformative lifestyles and new consumption patterns.

For instance, health and wellness-related wearables and tech-driven gadgetry will accelerate the shift toward healthier living.

January-September sales of such wearables increased 14 percent year-on-year, with devices featuring heart rate, blood oxygen and blood pressure monitoring growing by 28 percent, 35 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

Additionally, 71 percent of Chinese consumers use social media to better understand new products and services, and 44 percent report switching brands based on online recommendations.

At the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with six other departments, unveiled a guideline urging the country to grasp global opportunities in technology innovation and industrial development, especially in future industries and emerging technologies.

6G, humanoid robots, quantum computers, high-speed trains, next-generation aircraft, green intelligent ships and unmanned watercraft are among some of the key priorities, the guideline said.

Wang Peng, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said in an earlier interview that no doubt, frontier technologies are expected to play an increasingly bigger role in driving economic growth.

"As new quality productive forces are highlighted this year, more innovations from emerging industries will empower more industries and the real economy in the years to come," Wang said.