Wen | Yi Meishang
Li Jiaqi once again fell into the whirlpool of public opinion.
On September 10th, some netizens commented in the live broadcast room in Li Jiaqi that "Hua Xizi is getting more and more expensive", and Li Jiaqi replied: "Where is it expensive? Sometimes I look for my own reasons. After so many years, my salary has not risen. Have you worked hard? "
As soon as the above remarks came out, they immediately caused heated discussion. According to the incomplete statistics of Yimei, from yesterday to today, at least eight related topics, such as # Li Jiaqi with goods #, # Li Jiaqi said that he couldn’t find his previous state #, # Li Jiaqi apologized # # How expensive the flower west is #, rushed to Weibo for hot search.
As of press time, only the TOPic of # Li Jiaqi Internet Users with Goods # triggered over 1.3 billion readings and 5.7 million interactions, and continued to occupy the top list of hot searches in Weibo for over 15 hours. According to other statistics, Li Jiaqi lost 630,000 powder overnight.
Intercepted from Weibo
Li Jiaqi’s inappropriate remarks are controversial, and double 11 may be affected this year
The incident originated from a live broadcast in Li Jiaqi recently.
Li Jiaqi planted grass for fans in the live broadcast room, saying that one of Hua Xizi’s "Shouwumei chalk is very easy to use". Some netizens commented in the comment area that "Hua Xizi is getting more and more expensive".
After paying attention to this message, Li Jiaqi immediately shook his head and sighed and said, "Where is it expensive? It’s been this price for so many years, okay? Don’t talk nonsense with your eyes open. " "Sometimes look for your own reasons. Has the salary increased for so many years? Have you worked hard? "
As soon as this remark came out, Huowa, a small assistant in Li Jiaqi’s live broadcast room, immediately widened her eyes, and the remark quickly went out of the circle, fermenting on many social platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Tik Tok, and # Li Jiaqi’s user with goods # jumped to the first place in Weibo’s hot search.
Intercepted from Weibo
Under the relevant Weibo, a hot comment pointed out that "you can explain why it is so expensive, whether it is because of raw materials or workmanship or other reasons, but you can’t attack consumers, which is somewhat personal attack". Senior media person @ Hu Xijin also wrote, "The sentence that Li Jiaqi said later is really inappropriate and a bit abrupt."
With the heat of the event soaring, another recording screen of Li Jiaqi’s live broadcast room was also circulated on the Internet. In the video, accompanied by assistant Wangwang, Li Jiaqi explained, "I have no other meaning." "I know that I can sit here thanks to all the fans who support me and trust me. I don’t have to work, but I am sitting here for you." In addition, he also complained that "I can’t find my former interesting state, so I have to be tactful."
This remark caused another wave of fermentation, and many consumers bluntly said in the comment area that "Li Jiaqi is gone with the wind" and "forgot the original heart".
At 1: 00 this morning, Li Jiaqi once again issued a formal apology for his inappropriate comments in the live broadcast room, and his personal Weibo: "Yesterday, when I responded to the product comments in the live broadcast room, I said something inappropriate and uncomfortable for everyone. Sincerely accept criticism. " He also wrote in his apology that fans questioned his remarks that he had forgotten his original intention. "I am a makeup counter salesman and I know that everyone’s work is hard and not easy. I am really sorry that what I said failed to live up to your expectations. "
But netizens didn’t buy it. Li Jiaqi apologized to Weibo, and a hot comment "You earn ordinary people’s money, but in the end you ridicule ordinary people’s poverty" caused nearly 600,000 likes and 10,000 replies.
"Li Jiaqi’s remarks are obviously in the mind of a superior person who is a master, a boss, divorced from the bottom and has enough to eat and wear. It may affect this year’s double eleven. " An unnamed dealer told Yi Meishang.
However, the above-mentioned dealers also believe that, despite this, as a long-lasting head anchor in the industry, it is not difficult for Li Jiaqi to get through this.
Is eyebrow pencil more expensive than gold? Hua Xizi responds to price disputes
In this matter, Huaxizi has also become a hot topic for consumers, and topics such as # How expensive is Huaxizi #, # The exclusive currency unit of Huaxizi workers #, # More than 20% of Huaxizi’s revenue comes from Li Jiaqi # have been on the list for many times.
On the live broadcast that day, Li Jiaqi said that Hua Xizi’s first black eyebrow chalk was "one from 79 yuan, buy one and get two replacement clothes". In this regard, some netizens summarized the common eyebrow pencils on the market, and listed the brand, gram number, price and gram unit price of each eyebrow pencil for comparison.
As shown in the following table, the weight of a 69 yuan eyebrow pencil owned by Huaxizi is 0.07, and the average price per gram of Huaxizi eyebrow pencil is 985.71 yuan, which is higher than the domestic gold price of 467.98 yuan/gram that day, and 16.76 times that of the classic machete eyebrow pencil of international famous brand Shu Uemura. In this regard, some netizens ridiculed that "migrant workers have a new exclusive currency unit: 1 flower west =79 yuan".
Tuyuan Weibo
Yi Meishang observed that there was also a popular poll in Weibo today, that is, in this incident, "Is the implicated Huaxizi wronged?" 19% of netizens chose "wronged, and the reputation and sales of Huaxizi were affected", but 76% chose "not wronged" and thought that the pricing of Huaxizi was "expensive".
As can be seen from its official flagship store, the price of Huaxi Zi is generally in the range of 69-269 yuan, which basically conforms to its positioning of mass makeup. Take the product Shouwumeibi as an example, its single price in official website is 69 yuan, and in the live broadcast room in Li Jiaqi, it is 79 yuan 3/ piece, which is economical to 26 yuan/piece. But on Taobao platform, the sales volume of TOP5 eyebrow pencil is mostly in the range of 9.9-20 yuan. It can be seen that Hua Xizi is not expensive compared with international brands, but for other cheap makeup items, this price seems to be slightly higher.
There are also consumers who bluntly say, "Hua Xizi’s money is spent on channel promotion, and more than half of it has entered the live broadcast room in Li Jiaqi." This statement is not groundless. According to statistics, since 2019, Hua Xizi and Li Jiaqi have been deeply bound, with a turnover of 1.13 billion in that year alone, up 25 times year-on-year. In the first seven months of 2020, Hua Xizi participated in 45 live broadcasts in Li Jiaqi. In January and February of 2021, the broadcast rate of Hua Xizi was as high as 50%. According to the news, Huaxizi’s monthly marketing investment is as high as 20 million yuan only on live broadcast platforms such as Li Jiaqi, accounting for more than 20% of the total marketing expenditure.
In addition, Li Jiaqi is also the chief brand recommendation officer of Huaxi Zi, who has participated in the creation of Huaxi Zi’s "Miao Impression" and "Dai Impression" series products. Ke Rundong’s research once said, "Li Jiaqi alone brought more than 20% of the revenue to Hua Xizi."
After the Li Jiaqi incident was fermented, it began to spread on the Internet that "Hua Xizi gave Li Jiaqi 80% commission". Regarding this matter, Hua Xizi’s customer service staff said that it was not clear for the time being. Regarding the price dispute, Hua Xizi responded that "the products in our store are relatively cost-effective. If you have the need to buy, you can also try it. I believe you won’t be disappointed." In the face of Li Jiaqi’s "inappropriate remarks", Hua Xizi also said that this matter has been recorded and there will be a special department to investigate. However, at present, no notice of suspension of cooperation between the two parties has been received.
Domestic products are expensive, do consumers have to pay the bill?
From the market point of view, it seems that the higher price of domestic products is the general trend.
According to Yi Meishang’s previous report, domestic products have fallen into a "price hike" this year. For example, a lip mud that was once priced in 20 yuan is now sold in 60 yuan; A skin care essence suit has increased by more than 100 yuan in two years. Some bloggers even labeled individual domestic products as "price assassins" and named brands such as Polaiya. "In 2018, the price of a brand’s special care cream was half cheaper than now." (Recommended reading: domestic beauty, "robbery" by fire? )
In a live broadcast in February this year, Li Jiaqi also issued a price increase forecast, saying, "Don’t compare it with the price three years ago. It’s not that I sold it expensive, but that brands are upgrading and increasing prices, and domestic products are no exception."
At the end of August, Little Red Book blogger @ A Ding Er Million with 130,000 fans released a video denouncing the price increase of domestic products. She said, "When some domestic products just started, they were cheap and easy to use, and each called themselves the light of domestic products. When the fire rises, it floats. It can’t be called cutting leeks. It’s called uprooting leeks. " Less than half a month after the release of this video, it attracted nearly 10,000 likes and caused many consumers to resonate.
Excerpt from Little Red Book
On the one hand, as Tian Liming, vice president of Heheda Group, said, "Under inflation, the price increase of products is the inevitable way." In recent years, foreign brands, such as SK-II and Estee Lauder, have also adopted the price increase strategy to increase revenue.
In addition, the continuous rise in raw material prices is also one of the factors contributing to the price increase of cosmetics. According to public reports, some cosmetic raw material suppliers have raised the prices of raw materials such as emulsifiers, oils, preservatives, surfactants and polyols by 15%~25%. BASF, the global cosmetic raw material giant, also mentioned in its 2022 financial report that its main source of growth is the price increase in the whole business area brought about by the rise of energy and raw materials.
For domestic beauty products, "domestic products are cheap on the surface and expensive on the gram" and other remarks are also rampant. According to Yi Meishang, in the above-mentioned industry background, reducing gram weight and increasing gram price have become the most commonly used "price increase" methods for domestic cosmetics.
Some brands bluntly say that reducing gram weight can control costs and improve repurchase rate, but also for safety and hygiene considerations. "The shelf life of lipstick products such as lipsticks is generally three years, but most consumers own more than one lipstick. A small gram of lipstick can largely avoid the oxidative deterioration of Kaifeng products, which will lead to the decline of product texture, quality and safety."
On the other hand, price increase is also one of the strategies of high-end domestic product layout, that is, price increase is realized through single product upgrade and high-end line product layout.
In Tian Liming’s view, taking the high-priced road can win more market share. "First, be a high-priced brand, and then hit the downside, and the winning rate will be particularly high." According to reports, a brand owned by a foreign-funded giant is often imported before entering the China market, and the price is high. After the brand image is firmly established, it will switch to domestic raw materials to reduce the cost, thus reducing the product price and fully "harvesting" high, middle and low-end consumers.
"From this point of view, brands that have been striving for consumers at low prices have to do the opposite and seek high prices to avoid being hit."
However, for consumers, the price increase of domestic products and the "worth" of the products themselves are still the fundamental reasons.
In this incident, Li Jiaqi said that "domestic brands are very difficult". In the face of such remarks, consumers bluntly said, "It is not a gold medal to avoid death to make domestic products" and "It is also difficult for me to make money".
In the minds of consumers, the impression that domestic products "emphasize marketing and neglect research and development" is always indelible. Still taking Hua Xizi as an example, public information shows that half of the 177 patents applied by Hua Xizi are product packaging design. Previously, the Qixi gift box, which was priced at 1314 yuan, was also criticized as "over-packaging" and "IQ tax". Based on this, the price increase of Huaxizi is not easy to be accepted by consumers.
According to the statistics of Yimeishang, in recent years, local beauty companies have begun to increase their research and development in an attempt to reverse the "stereotype" of consumers. For example, in the first half of this year, 10 local beauty companies spent a total of 713 million yuan on research and development expenses in the first half of this year, an increase of 17.27% compared with 6.08% last year. Among them, the research and development expenses of Huaxi Bio and Betani exceed 100 million yuan. (Recommended reading: Top 10 local beauty giants, start the championship battle! )
However, the Li Jiaqi rollover incident still sounded the alarm for beauty practitioners. As a practitioner said, "domestic products are far from enough. If you want to become a’ high-end domestic product’ recognized by consumers, you need to have solid high quality and high efficiency, build a more stable order price and channel system, and have better service value and cultural value."
