How much IQ tax has been harvested from us by the one-second head-changing technique?

With the rapid development of the Internet, e-commerce platforms have become the main shopping channel for most consumers. The functions and effects of various products are perfectly displayed in the short videos on e-commerce platforms, and consumers are eager to place orders after watching them. Cosmetics are a typical type of product. Let's take a look at how this article discusses the frequent IQ tax of consumers from multiple dimensions.

I was watching short videos recently and was attracted by a liquid foundation.

A host had acne on half of her face, but after just a few pats of foundation, the acne disappeared immediately.

So, I am amazed that this foundation is simply the "god-chosen foundation" for oily and acne-prone skin. What skin type can't be saved? It can immediately turn your skin into one as smooth as your mother's.

Coupled with the host’s intuitive and vivid explanation, I felt like I had met this product too late. I placed the order without hesitation and waited for the foundation to bring me beauty and confidence.

However, after it arrived, the surprise turned into a shock. I applied it on my face and found that it covered the blemishes, but the dark circles became more obvious because the color was too white. The watery skin turned into oily skin after an hour, and the wrinkles on the face were all wrinkled and mottled.

I was instantly disappointed and felt cheated. I went online to check and saw all positive reviews. After learning the techniques taught by netizens, I still couldn't compare with the effect in the live broadcast room. The gap between the buyer's show and the seller's show was too big. However, beauty products cannot be returned after use, so they can only be left idle and covered with dust.

If we count the pitfalls that have been planted over the years, there must be quite a few. Products such as foundation, concealer, and beauty makeup can be "swapped" in short videos in a matter of minutes. One side is filtered, and the other side is the original video. The product effect contrast is very obvious. Consumers place orders because they want to be more beautiful, but they return the products and give bad reviews because they seriously do not meet their expectations.

Is it that the "filter" is too heavy, or is there a problem with consumers' expectation management?

1. Fraudulent marketing, cosmetics have become the hardest hit area

With the Internet now omnipresent, people have fully entered the era of grass-planting.

You need to read travel guides when traveling, read reviews when eating, and read reviews when applying makeup. The survey shows that more than 80% of respondents will read the recommendations before shopping. However, 78.2% of respondents said they had been cheated by recommendations online before shopping, and 61.7% of respondents regarded skin care products and cosmetics as the hardest hit areas.

An ordinary facial cleanser can claim to remove blackheads and shrink pores in a review video; no matter what essence cream you use, everyone’s skin can be as smooth as a baby’s.

In the live broadcast room, the anchor holds a cushion in his left hand and contours in his right hand, and can achieve soft focus and face slimming in one second. The same lipstick can look different on different bloggers, but it is undoubtedly a disaster color when applied on ordinary people's lips.

Don’t ask. If you ask, it’s because the technique is wrong. If you ask again, it’s because it’s not the same face.

After all this time, I realized that what I lacked was not cosmetics, but good bone structure and a pair of hands that knew how to apply makeup.

But is the problem really all on consumers?

This kind of technology and ruthless living creates an overly high expectation for the product, which inevitably makes it difficult to manage the psychological expectations of consumers when they receive the goods. Why is there such a big difference between how I use the product and how the host in the video uses the product?

Brands follow the trend, and it is understandable that live short video bloggers promote products. Real videos are of course a win-win for bloggers and brands, word of mouth and sales. Some domestic beauty brands rely on such marketing methods to carve out a path from a bunch of imported big-name beauty brands and successfully build their brands.

However, due to overly high psychological expectations, live streaming sales are not as optimistic as imagined.

The high return rate and repurchase rate are a headache for brands.

Before the test, the skin was blemished with large pores, blackheads and acne scars, but after the test, the skin was beautified and filtered to the maximum. The huge gap between the buyer's show and the seller's show of the live product not only lowers the repurchase rate of the product, but also has a fatal impact on the brand's image.

In January this year, Mikayla, an overseas blogger with a million-dollar income, was exposed for suspected false advertising. She posted a video promoting a certain brand of mascara, but it was later revealed that she used false eyelashes to exaggerate the effect of the mascara.

The incident caused a huge uproar. Not only did she and the brand officials receive criticism from netizens, but it also triggered a series of massive campaigns such as #Deinfluencing# and #donotbuy# , which attracted nearly 1 billion views. Under the topic, there were a large number of consumers whose wallets and bodies were hurt because the sellers’ fake product was too realistic.

If there is too much water added, the marketing under the filter will become a hidden bomb.

2. Improper expectation management leads to brand reputation failure

Compared with the rationality of pictures and texts, short videos are more contagious.

The display of products, the display of contrast effects, and the rendering of atmosphere all make consumers unable to stop, and this uncontrollable chopping gesture will inevitably bring about problems with consumers' "psychological expectations".

The more addictive the live broadcast is, the more addictive the product will be. With the beauty filter, no one can resist the temptation of ordinary people turning into beauties, but after receiving the product, the product cannot stand the "test" of reality, which causes a huge psychological gap for consumers.

If expectations are not managed well, surprises will turn into shocks and the brand’s reputation will be overturned, resulting in high return rates, low repurchase rates, lack of loyalty, and even negative reputation for the brand.

This kind of marketing method, which can be described as fraudulent, has obviously become a poison. It can "stimulate" sales in the short term and achieve performance targets in the short term, but in the long run, it is like drinking poison to quench thirst for companies. It makes the industry indulge in short-term prosperity, but ultimately causes damage to the brand and the industry.

Building brand trust is like a pyramid. Trust is accumulated brick by brick, but trust collapses in an instant.

3. Breaking the information cocoon, the industry needs to correct its deviation

Faced with excessive publicity, state departments have long taken action.

Eyelash growth serum was once popular in the market, and the State Food and Drug Administration once specifically stated that it had never approved any cosmetics claiming to promote eyelash growth, reminding consumers to be vigilant. However, there are many beauty and skin care products, and it is difficult to fully cover them.

At the same time, another voice appeared on Weibo, helping consumers break out of their information cocoon. #直播间皮肤产品多少坑#, some media came out to report some anti-counterfeiting voices, and the topic #美妆骗指南# had a monthly reading volume of over 100 million times and over 100,000 interactions.

Discussions on these topics are helping consumers correct some of their perceptions:

1. Skin care awareness

In recent years, as the beauty industry has become more and more popular.

• There are endless concepts in the beauty circle, such as "special for pregnant women", "base serum", "anti-aging"...
• Skin care products are becoming more and more segmented, including toner, essence, eye cream, lotion, face cream...
• Skin care procedures are becoming more and more complicated, including washing, fumigation, brushing, sticking, steaming...

But do we really need such complicated skin care? A recent trending search #doctors suggest reducing skin care# gave the answer.

One netizen said that after using makeup remover and facial cleanser according to online tutorials for a period of time, his skin became sensitive and easily turned red. Excessive cleansing and excessive skin care caused damage to the skin.

Dr. Li Jianqin, who attended the patient, explained that makeup remover itself has a cleansing effect, and excessive cleansing with facial cleanser will damage the skin.

There are many netizens who have similar situations. Many dermatologists and official media have popularized science on Weibo, setting off a trend of "streamlined skin care" and calling for reducing the burden on the skin.

There is actually no need to overdo skin care. The skin has its own regulatory barriers and systems. Modern products are becoming more and more sophisticated, and the procedures are becoming more and more complicated. Apart from adding some sense of ritual and good wishes, they may not be of much help to the health of your own skin.

2. Skin care ingredients

The second most discussed category is about ingredients. In recent years, "ingredient skin care" has become very popular, but on the other side of the rise of ingredients, it is difficult for consumers to distinguish which ingredients are truly beneficial. While manufacturers continue to roll out ingredients, many ingredients have become "IQ taxes" and are cutting consumers' leeks.

It was observed that some time ago, #The IQ tax of skin care products containing peptides# became a hot search on Weibo, which originated from the popular science of a dermatologist.

A netizen from Shandong left a message on Weibo, saying that she bought a peptide skin care product a few days ago to remove fat particles, but after applying it twice, half of her face began to itch, sting, and swell. Dermatologists on this topic told people that most skin care products with added peptides are just gimmicks and have no practical effect. They also told people that the most effective anti-aging product for topical use is retinoic acid.

In a poll initiated by @新闻晨报, 1,270 netizens voted that they had bought skin care products containing peptides. Many netizens left messages on the doctor's Weibo, thanking the doctor for his popular science and avoiding pitfalls in time.

Image source: Weibo screenshot

There are also discussions about more product formulas, such as #Renhe Artisan Amino Acid Cleansing Formulas Are All Soap-Based##The Main Ingredient in Lip Mask Is Actually Detergent# , etc. These can help consumers look at ingredients more rationally and distinguish the ingredients of products.

As the official media account of Weibo, @新浪科技说 also assumed media responsibility and compiled #How to check skin care product ingredient information# on Weibo to educate the public on the official channels for checking the registration information of domestic cosmetics.

Image source: Weibo screenshot

3. Consumption Concept

There are also many discussions on consumption concepts, such as #Are there really substitutes for big-name skincare products?##What's the use of Bose eye cream for only 40 yuan?##The top 5 skincare products on the list of popular toners have fake names# , etc. These topics hosted by the media are all hot topics and issues that netizens are concerned about.

In the vote on #Which one would you choose between big-brand skincare products and affordable alternatives# , some netizens think that you get what you pay for from big-brand skincare products, some think that affordable alternatives are more cost-effective, and some believe that big-brand and affordable alternatives are not naturally contradictory, and the one that suits you is the best.

The discussion #Do big-name skincare products really have substitutes# also tells us that the research and development strength, raw material quality, and core ingredients of "big brands" are guaranteed to a certain extent, but it is actually difficult to buy "big-brand substitutes" at super low prices. If the budget is limited, it is better to look for efficacy reports or affordable products from the same group of big brands.

This type of topic also helps consumers establish some correct consumer perceptions. Unlike short videos, diverse consumer voices allow consumers to identify and choose the brand that attracts them and shares common values.

In the information cocoon, you can only be fed passively, and in the open public opinion environment, you must accept the real consumer test. Only the brands that can truly accept the test can be called brands and survive the test of the times.

Chief Writer: Riding the Wind and Waves Article Architect: Miaomiao

Official account: Party A Finance