Shopping with your heart, not your head
Emotion-driven, experiential consumption the new retail driver
Shanghai recently witnessed the birth of an unlikely internet sensation — a 5.2-meter-high "scruffy dog" topiary in central Shanghai's Jing'an district.
Originally designed for the 2026 Shanghai International Flower Show from April 18 to May 5, the West Highland White Terriershaped shrubbery, made up of more than 20 types of flowers and plants, has become so popular that the city decided to keep it on display for another three months. In less than a month, more than 30 million people have flocked to see it.
The local government has also invited people to give it a name based on its shape and the rapidly growing greenery it is made of.
The cute attraction, located in the outdoor area of Shanghai Suhe MIXC World, is also being credited with triggering skyrocketing sales in the vicinity.
Retailers located around the topiary reaped over 2 billion yuan ($295 million) in sales during the official exhibition period. Total sales revenue has jumped 49.22 percent year-on-year to nearly 61.6 million yuan since "scruffy dog" was unveiled. A total of 1.7 million consumers visited the mall over the period, up 192.53 percent from a year earlier.
"People have come for the scruffy dog. They linger, take pictures, then find themselves grabbing a coffee, sitting down for a meal, and strolling through the nearby shops. Wrapped in a sense of calm, consumption unfolded as a natural afterthought," officials from the commerce bureau of Jing'an district said.
Han Meiyi, a human resources specialist in Shanghai, is one of the many fans of the topiary puppy. She made a trip to the mall on a rainy day to attend an ongoing bread festival. Despite the weather, she encountered flocks of people wanting to see the novel attraction.
Han described the day as a "sweet memory", with the aroma of bread wafting in the air.
"I bought bread from five different bakeries, enjoyed two milk teas while shopping for bread, and of course, took pictures with the iconic scruffy dog, and loved every minute of the day," she said.
