Shoppers becoming smarter (2)

Some brands from all over the world, including China, are now just basing their campaigns on the influence of social networks, which are proving more effective in some cases, and almost always cheaper in terms of marketing, Vacirca added.

Accenture's report also said that China's urbanization process is playing a huge part in influencing how people shop.

The report estimated that as approximately 13 million people in China move to different cities each year, online shopping and research are opening up areas of China not previously available to retailers.

"Consumers from rural China are not used to buying any branded goods. But they are exposed to branded goods for the first time, and if you have a good product, households become loyal to that brand," said Vacirca.

China is not yet considered a consumption economy.

The contribution of household consumption to China's GDP was just 38.8 percent in 2010, compared to the 71 percent in the United States and 50 to 60 percent in most European and other BRICS countries.

A report of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November said that domestic consumption should account for 45 percent of GDP by 2020.

In the Government Work Report delivered on Tuesday, Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated that boosting domestic consumption is "a long-term strategy for economic development", adding that "to expand individual consumption, we should enhance people's ability to consume, keep consumption expectations stable, boost the desire to consume, improve the consumption environment and make economic growth more consumption-driven".