Why should young people ＂go to the top＂ when cosmetics samples are clearly priced？
The mobile phone scans the code and pays attention to it. After obtaining the redemption code, a sample gift box will fall from the pick-up port of the skin care sample dispenser, which contains different types of skin care experience clothes. The Beijing News Shell Finance reporter observed that more and more skin care product sample distribution machines appeared in major shopping malls recently, and there were long queues in front of almost every machine. In the face of "Z generation" consumers who pay more attention to freshness and experience, this more participatory and exploratory way makes the process of getting a try-on full of fun.
In 1950s, Estee Lauder’s founder of the same name pioneered the trial wear and distributed it to customers free of charge, which successfully opened up the brand market. Nowadays, with the vigorous development of e-commerce, samples have become one of the means for cosmetics brands to attract consumers. Originally, only a few milliliters of samples have "evolved" into dozens of milliliters of medium samples and large samples. Those samples labeled "not for sale" no longer simply bear the function of trial, but appear as replacement equipment, which undoubtedly promotes the development of "sample economy" and offline collection stores have sprung up.
Consumer: Two cups of milk tea can make you experience "the happiness of a lady".
Different from traditional cosmetics stores, offline sample product collection stores mostly face consumers in a "storage mode", and the minimalist industrial style makes people "immerse" in the beauty warehouse, from shelf display to product labels, giving consumers a brand-new shopping experience. The mode of no shopping guide and free trial also breaks people’s "social fear" psychology. Even if you don’t spend money in the store, you won’t be embarrassed, and you can even "punch in" to take pictures on the red wall in the store. These are just the "emotional value" provided by the merchants for consumers. What really attracts consumers is the protagonist in the store-the sample.
Consumers walk into HARMAY Huamei Beauty Collection Store in Sanlitun, Beijing. Figure/Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yu Menger photo
On February 25th, the reporter of Beijing News Shell Finance came to HARMAY Huamei Beauty Collection Store in Sanlitun, Beijing. The black and gray decoration in the store emphasized the "high sense" preferred by young people. Even on the morning of a working day, there are many consumers in the store. In front of the revolving shelf, which mainly displays lipstick, perfume and skin care samples, consumers queue up with shopping baskets to choose.
In the HARMAY Huamei Beauty Collection Store in Sanlitun, Beijing, consumers choose samples. Figure/Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yu Menger photo
70 yuan’s Estee Lauder, 99 yuan’s Sea Blue Mystery Essence … The Beijing News Shell Finance reporter noticed that the price of various big-name samples here is only about 100 yuan. Lele (a pseudonym), a young female white-collar worker engaged in the financial industry, told the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter that her skin was sensitive. In the past, when she bought skin care products at the counter, she encountered the situation of "stepping on thunder" when she went home. However, due to the high price, she was unwilling to idle, so she had to use it up. "I get pimples when I encounter inappropriate skin care products. I have to try them first, and then I simply buy samples. Even high-end brands like Leponi can buy them and try them. Two cups of milk tea will give me a taste of’ the happiness of a lady’."
A big sample of about 100 yuan. Figure/Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yu Menger photo
There are also some consumers who buy samples with a "cost-effective" mentality. Tong Wu (pseudonym), a consumer who once shopped in HARMAY Huamei, told the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter: "I just went to the sample. The big-name formal dress is too expensive. Several samples add up to the capacity of formal dress, and the price is still cheaper. I think it is more cost-effective." The price of the sample is from tens of yuan to hundreds of yuan, which is more "close to the people" and the cost of trial and error is lower than that of formal clothes that cost hundreds or thousands of yuan. For consumers who want to try a new product, it is impossible to judge the efficacy of the product only by trying it at the counter, and it is possible to buy it home and find it unsuitable. At this time, the sample has become the first choice for "early adopters".
In addition to being favored by young consumers, the sample economy has also attracted the attention of the capital market. In January this year, HARMAY Huamei announced the completion of nearly $200 million in Series C and D financing. According to public information, HARMAY Huamei has completed four rounds of financing since it completed the A round of financing led by Wuyue Capital and Gaochun Capital in December 2019. After this new round of financing, the single store valuation has exceeded 1 billion yuan. Some insiders said that the rise of HARMAY Plum has made capital see a new way out for offline beauty retail.
First-hand cosmetics samples are also "lively" in the second-hand market.
The sample market is full of more and more young people who pursue "exquisiteness", but "poverty" limits many people’s choices. Although "exquisite poor girl" is the self-mockery of netizens, the demand of consumers to "buy more" and "buy less" makes the sample popular. In addition to factors such as high cost performance and early adopter psychology, the popularity of "sample economy" is inseparable from the "buy one get one free N" trend in the live broadcast room in recent years.
Figure/Li Jiaqi live screenshot
On February 23rd, Li Jiaqi, the anchor of e-commerce, sold the Guerlain Gold Diamond Liquid Foundation with the original price of 750 yuan in the live broadcast room, and the assistant broadcaster said passionately in front of the camera: "Buy 30ml formal clothes and send 30ml samples, which is equivalent to half price." This practice has stimulated the nerves of many consumers, and this liquid foundation was robbed in a short time.
Outside the live broadcast room, those "quick-handed" consumers turned into "profiteers" on the second-hand platform, selling "freshly baked" liquid foundation samples in the form of spelling orders.
After searching for the keyword "Guerlain spell single", the same product in the live broadcast room appeared. Figure/idle fish screenshot
After entering the keyword "Guerlain spell list" in the idle fish search column, the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter quickly saw the same liquid foundation sold in the live broadcast room in Li Jiaqi. Some netizens packaged and sold 6 samples as gifts at the price of 260 yuan, and the platform showed that 11 idle fish users "wanted".
In fact, in last year’s Double Eleven Shopping Carnival, idle fish were equally lively. The data shows that on the second day of the Double Eleven, the release of "beauty samples" on idle fish increased by 201% compared with the previous day. Many people stick to the "missing" early, and when the pre-sale goods have not been shipped, there are many information on the platform that changed hands and spelled out the pre-sale goods. Judging from the information searched, most of them are selling samples, and at the same time, they posted the order information, and the price is slightly lower than the formal dress price. For consumers, selling samples on the second-hand platform, some people can share the cost, and some people can earn the difference. The linkage between the sample economy and the second-hand platform has flourished among young people for a time.
Gifts clearly marked, the source of the goods is in doubt.
While the sample is popular, it is also concerned by some brands. For example, Kazilan launched a light-sweet lip box in JD.COM flagship store, which combines small-capacity lipsticks of different colors. L ‘Oré al Group opened an independent flagship store of Tmall Xiaomei Box, and combined its products according to the efficacy and consumer demand to form a variety of sample boxes.
However, not all samples on the market have clearly stated sources. Although the sample has been clearly marked, the product still faces the problem of authenticity.
Givenchy issued a statement in the official Weibo, saying that there was no 6g sample in the product, and called on consumers to buy goods through official channels. Figure /GIVENCHY Givenchy Beauty Weibo screenshot
In 2019, when the "sample economy" first appeared, the "Givenchy Powder 6g sample" incident pushed the problem of sample fraud to the forefront. The reason was that a beauty blogger was accused of fraud in selling 6g samples of Givenchy Loose Powder, which was deeply mired in public opinion. The incident forced Zhengzhu to issue an official statement in Weibo, saying that it had never produced a 6g sample. Since then, questions about the source of cosmetic samples have been endless.
According to insiders, most of the samples currently circulating in the market come from counters or duty-free shops. Some professional purchasing agents buy formal clothes according to normal channels and sell the samples as gifts. Some samples are sold privately by salespeople, and the samples that are not given away are sold to merchants.
It is also difficult for those well-known offline beauty collection stores to explain the source of the sample clearly. In January last year, Only Write, a beauty collection store in Hangzhou Kerry Center, was reported by consumers as suspected of "smuggling". The local municipal supervision bureau contacted the customs department to assist in the investigation, and nearly 3,000 pieces of cosmetics suspected of smuggling were detained, most of which were samples of big-name cosmetics.
The fiery "sample economy" is a reflection of young people’s redefinition of consumption concept. People get a short-term satisfaction while chasing big-name samples. The once insignificant samples now affect the development of the entire cosmetics market. At the same time, shoddy samples are circulating in the market, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. If the "sample market" wants to continue to prosper, it needs to further standardize the purchase channels and sales channels. When the quality is guaranteed, the industry can go further.
Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yu Menger
Editor Jake proofreads Guo Li.