Emotional value is becoming the main driving force behind the hot sales of products

This article introduces the importance of product emotional value, and specifically describes how to create products with emotional value from three aspects. It is recommended for friends who are interested in product operation to read and watch.

I organized an event called Han Xu's Afternoon Tea. I invited friends to come to the company to discuss topics related to growth and have a cup of coffee.

Last week, eight friends from all walks of life came to visit. We had a great time chatting and it was very rewarding.

There is an interesting phenomenon: more than half of these friends are working on products related to emotional value.

There are categories such as aromatherapy and spice bags. Our recent research has also found that more and more companies are anchoring their product selling points on emotional value.

What is emotional value?

To borrow Cai Yu’s definition of emotional value:

Product value = asset value + functional value + emotional value

The so-called asset value refers to investment funds, equity, etc. in order to obtain asset returns.

Functional value, such as eating a meal at KFC to quickly fill your stomach is a basic function. Emotional value is the value paid to get a certain feeling.

I buy Holiland’s Barbie pink cake for its good looks and the joy of eating it; I buy Pop Mart for the surprise after opening it; I go to Tiaohai Tavern not to drink good wine but to enjoy the atmosphere.

These consumptions are actually emotional values.

Why is emotional value important?

Maslow's theory of needs can be divided into five levels: from low to high, physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, respect needs, and self-actualization needs.

Once people have enough material needs, they will definitely pursue higher spiritual needs. This is human nature.

For example, more and more people are enjoying the outdoors, fishing, doing group exercises, and traveling, all to make themselves happier.

In my opinion, emotional value is a high-level spiritual self-expression.

The continuous increase in per capita income can be said to be an irreversible trend.

I have observed that the consumption behavior of many young people around me has undergone obvious changes. We have also repeatedly mentioned in our video accounts that the need to please oneself has become a consumption trend.

The higher the emotional value and spiritual attributes of a brand, the greater the room for premium.

More and more people make consumption decisions by considering whether the product can bring them a unique experience.

If a product is pleasing and makes people happy at first sight, users will be more likely to make a purchasing decision as long as the price is right.

So how can we create a product with good emotional value?

First, shaping the concept

The quality of the product is only a foundation, not the most important sword to attract users. Only when they agree with your ideas can you satisfy users’ emotions. This is an underlying logic.

For example, the reason why Huawei sells well is not only because of its great products, but more because of its patriotic emotional value.

Xiaomi SU7 is a hot seller, thanks to its suitable price and unique emotional value . It is such a surprise that a billionaire CEO opens the car door for you. It is also the emotional value brought by everyone's recognition of Xiaomi's brand story and Lei Jun's personal IP values.

Behind Chu Orange is an inspirational story of never giving up, which gives the product higher spiritual, philosophical and positive values.

The brand expresses its product concept through storytelling, uses content to resonate with the crowd, and embeds the product concept into the minds of users.

Second, select the category

The rise of segmented brands is often due to capturing the pain points of a certain group of people, especially the emotional value .

When it comes to category selection, if you are just starting a business, I think the probability of success will be higher if you choose categories with relatively high emotional value.

What are high emotional value products?

Products that can stimulate consumers' sensory experiences or meet specific psychological needs, such as coffee, desserts, chocolate, aromatherapy, perfume, pets, fitness, social media platforms, etc.

These products can often provide instant pleasure, emotional connection, personalized experience, and social atmosphere. These feelings are emotional value. Once users like them, they can lead to long-term repurchase.

Third, matching channels

The channel solves two problems: what kind of grass to buy and where to sell it.

Even when telling stories, you have to choose the right platform for telling stories, for example, which platforms are suitable for storytelling?

Platforms such as Xiaohongshu, official accounts, and Weibo are naturally suitable for storytelling, while the function of Taobao and Douyin is to sell goods.

Moreover, emotional value categories are generally concentrated in young groups, so when choosing channels, we must consider what platforms these people are concentrated on.

For example, aromatherapy brands.

Choose to tell stories and release products on the official account, insert product links in the articles, and buy directly after reading the article. The entire closed loop from content-subscription-transaction-sharing-repeat purchase is opened.

What users remember is often not the ingredients or origin of the fragrance, but the aesthetics and creativity of the product shaped by the content, which stimulates users' emotions.

Are there much differentiation among these fragrance products themselves? Not much. No brand has come out and said that my product is 10 times better than everyone else's.

Another example is high-end home furnishings.

The target audience is high-spending people who pursue the taste and tone of design. Where is the best place to plant grass? Xiaohongshu is the most suitable. ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Therefore, in the environment of internal circulation and low growth, products, marketing, and channels are in turmoil. If brands want to create differentiated competitive advantages, the ceiling of emotional value must be high enough.

Capturing users on a spiritual level is a higher-dimensional way to build brand connotation. Once this differentiated competitive barrier is established, it is very solid.

Final summary:

Products with high emotional value are often a powerful tool for brands to obtain premiums and build barriers.

The underlying logic of the premium comes from the identification of spiritual culture.

In the past, consumers would use brands to label things, but now more and more people place more emphasis on pleasing themselves, being self-centered, and are more willing to buy products that can bring them spiritual happiness.

The biggest benefit that emotional value brings to a brand is breaking the circle and opening up the ceiling of growth. Rolling products and rolling prices can last for generations, but rolling emotional value is scarce and difficult to replicate.

Author: Han Xu, WeChat public account: Han Xu HanXu (ID: kenengyouxihanxu)