一項針對中國消費者行為展開的最新調查推翻了人們普遍持有的觀念，這就是：中國花錢最大手大腳的人不僅存在于大城市，小城鎮(zhèn)里也有。

　　迄今為止，很多跨國公司，特別是奢侈品牌經(jīng)營者，一直將主要精力放在躋身北京、上海等中國大城市面，即營銷術語里所謂的擁有800萬或更多人口的一線城市。為什么會有這樣的思路呢？因為城市越大，人們的收入就越高，可花在奢侈品上的錢也就越多。

　　這個想法在一定程度是沒錯。據(jù)全球市場調研公司Synovate最近的一項調查顯示，生活在中國一線城市的人們，其收入是生活在欠發(fā)達、人口只有60萬或更少的小城市（即所謂的五線城市）中人們收入的幾乎兩倍。一線城市里，人們的月均收入是6300元(合926美元)，而五線城市的月均收入則是3400元(合500美元)。

　　但報告也同時顯示，盡管存在收入差距，小城市居民在衣服、食物、娛樂、保健以及健身方面的花費與大城市的人們一樣多。Synovate執(zhí)行董事加頓(Steve Garton)說，一線城市雖然收入高，但生活成本也大，規(guī)模較小城市的購買力更強。報告對中國按規(guī)模大小分為五類的、共66個城市里年齡在15-64歲的超過6.8萬成年人進行了調查。

　　當然，大城市的購買力因其人口數(shù)量而倍增。一個有100萬或更多人口的城市，其收入可能是一個只有10萬人小城市的十倍多。但即使如此，中國小城市對奢侈品牌的吸引力也越來越大。

　　中國市場研究集團(China Market Research Group)董事總經(jīng)理雷恩(Shaun Rein)解釋說，雖然全球奢侈品牌歷來都是在中國一線城市投資最多，但是近日大連等三線城市奢侈品投資增長最快，這些三線城市被界定為中型城市，具有強烈的創(chuàng)業(yè)精神。奢侈品在這些地方十分走俏。

　　雷恩說，中國新興中產(chǎn)階級的概念簡直難以捉摸。他稱，美國藍領工人一輩子在梅西百貨(Macy’s)買東西就十分開心，而在中國，人人都想發(fā)財，這是為什么Marks & Spencer及Calvin Klein等中產(chǎn)階級品牌賣得不好的原因。

　　路易威登(Louis Vuitton)在中國二線(指成都等發(fā)達的省會城市)和三線城市里有17家專賣店，每一家都開得紅紅火火。這可以作為中國小城市是否準備好“隨時迎接奢侈品”的一個很好的衡量標準。中國一線至四線(如金華)共 35-40個城市中約有200個施華洛世奇(Swarovski)水晶專賣店。奢侈品消費與城市發(fā)展以及商場和購物中心等商業(yè)地產(chǎn)的發(fā)達程度直接相關。

　　A new survey into consumer behavior in China overturns a commonly held belief: China's biggest spenders live in big cities…and small towns, too.

　　Up to now, many global companies, especially luxury brands, have focused first on building a presence in China's biggest cities such as Beijing and Shanghai - called Tier 1 in marketing-speak - that boast a population of 8 million or more. The thinking? The bigger the city, the higher the earning power and the more money there is to spend on luxury goods.

　　Part of that theory is true - people living in Tier 1 cities earn almost twice as much as those living in Tier 5, undeveloped small cities with a population of 600,000 or less, according to a recent survey by Synovate, a global market research firm. In Tier 1 cities, the average monthly income is 6,300 yuan (US$926) compared with an average 3,400 yuan (US$500) earned in Tier 5 cities.

　　But the report also shows that despite the income discrepancy, people in smaller cities spend just as much on clothes, food, entertainment and health and fitness as their big-city cousins.

　　'Tier 1 earnings are high but then so is the cost of living,' said Steve Garton, Synovate's executive director. 'Lower-tiered cities have a higher purchasing power.' The report surveyed more than 68,000 adults aged 15 to 64, in 66 Chinese cities across all five tiers.

　　Of course in larger cities, purchasing power is multiplied by the population - a city of a million or more people, can make ten times more revenue than a city with a population of 100,000. Even so, China's smaller cities are becoming more attractive to luxury brands.

　　While investment by global brands has traditionally been highest in Tier 1 cities, explains Shaun Rein, managing director of the China Market Research Group, these days, most growth is happening in Tier 3 cities - defined as medium-size cities such as Dalian that are highly entrepreneurial. And it's luxury that sells.

　　'The concept of an emerging middle class in China is a myth, says Rein. 'In the U.S., blue-collar workers are happy to shop at Macy's [department store] for life. Here everyone wants to be rich. It's why middle-class brands like Marks & Spencer and Calvin Klein haven't done well.'

　　Louis Vuitton has 17 thriving stores in Tier 2 (in developed capital cities such as Chengdu) and Tier 3 cities in China. That's a good measure of the 'luxury readiness' of smaller Chinese cities. Swarovski crystal can be be found in about 200 shops spanning 35-40 Tier 1 through Tier 4 cities (such as Jinhua). Luxury brand consumption is linked directly to the development of cities and commercial real estate, specifically malls and shopping centers.