Academic Journal of Business & Management, 2026, 8(3); doi: 10.25236/AJBM.2026.080311.
Qiuyi Li1, Minhong Rao2, Dijia Wang3, Yuqi Zhang4, Yuanyuan Wang4, Guorui Zhao1
1School of economics, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
2School of accounting, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
3School of law, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
4School of business, Guangdong Ocean University, Yangjiang, China
By the end of 2024, a "collective collapse" of Chinese sanitary napkin brands had exposed the industry’s indifference to the real health needs of women during their menstrual periods. This paper focuses on residents aged 16 to 30 in Zhanjiang City, exploring the perceptions and consumption behaviors of Generation Z women towards sanitary products within the context of the "she-economy". Data was collected through questionnaires and analyzed using Principal Component K-Means Clustering and Structural Equation Modeling. The clustering results categorized consumers into three groups: "price-sensitive", "low-frequency practical" and "quality-oriented" with notable age and occupational differences among these groups. The Structural Equation Model indicated that product functionality is the key factor influencing consumers to try new brands, while product design, price, and promotion have significant positive effects on consumers’ repurchasing of products from "collapsed" brands, revealing brand loyalty in sanitary napkin consumption. Based on these findings, improving the sanitary napkin industry ecosystem requires the joint establishment of a support system from the perspectives of government, enterprises, and communities to collectively promote the healthy development of the industry and safeguard women’s health rights.
She-economy; Sanitary napkin consumer; Cluster analysis; Structural equation
Qiuyi Li, Minhong Rao, Dijia Wang, Yuqi Zhang, Yuanyuan Wang, Guorui Zhao. She-Economy Driven Consumption Patterns: Multi-Group Segmentation and Mechanism Analysis with PCA-Kmeans-Structural Equation Modeling. Academic Journal of Business & Management (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 3: 98-105. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJBM.2026.080311.
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