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author | bai lu

disclaimer | the title image comes from the internet. this is an original article from the jingzhe research institute. if you wish to reprint, please leave a message to apply for whitelisting.

as the mid-autumn festival approaches, a way of traveling by taking three days off and resting eight days off has quietly become popular. the reason is that netizens have discovered that this year, as long as they take three days off after the mid-autumn festival, they can unlock an 8-day super-long holiday and avoid the "large group" of people traveling during the national day holiday to achieve staggered travel.

however, some people think that the cost of this practice of taking a "self-help long vacation" is too high. first of all, it is not easy to take a three-day vacation, and if it is not an annual leave, it will affect salary income. secondly, the extension of the vacation also means that more travel costs will be incurred in aspects such as accommodation.

however, some people have pointed out that although the "self-help long vacation" seems to increase the cost of travel, it actually provides a high-quality and cost-effective consumption experience. in fact, a considerable number of young people have joined the camp of creating "self-help long vacations", which has also set off a new consumption trend in more consumption areas outside the travel market.

a budget-friendly long vacation

as early as the beginning of september, xiaohui submitted a leave application and began to plan her own "8-day long holiday travel plan", sorting out everything from air tickets and hotels to travel strategies.to xiaohui's surprise, although her trip lasted for 8 days, the actual cost was not as much as she had expected.

according to xiaohui, "flights from wuhan to dali start at around 500 yuan a week before national day, but they go over a thousand yuan by national day. adding the difference in return fares, the airfares for mid-autumn festival and national day can be doubled. also, during the mid-autumn festival, homestays in dali only cost 200 to 300 yuan a night, but during the national day, the price more than doubles, and a three-day stay will cost 1,000 yuan more. overall, it is more cost-effective to travel during the mid-autumn festival."

* changes in air ticket prices before and after national day

based on the principle that "travel without beautiful photos is a wasted trip", xiaohui booked her air tickets and hotel, and then took advantage of the mid-autumn festival sale to start buying clothes for her travel.

"now, the shark pants that zhang baizhi wore on douyin e-commerce, originally priced at 359.9 yuan, are now only 159.9 yuan for two pairs, and the three-in-one jacket made in germany, originally priced at 2079 yuan, is now priced at 1139 yuan after the coupon is applied...in fact, these prices are very attractive. if i didn’t go out to play, i would buy them. but before, i might hesitate because i was going out to play and had a limited budget. but this time, i took three days off and eight days off to travel during off-peak hours, and the money i saved was enough to buy clothes. ”

comparing the market situation of national day travel, xiaohui did some calculations. "the round-trip airfare for this trip saved about 1,200 yuan, and the seven-day accommodation in two destinations saved at least 1,000 yuan, which is equivalent to saving 2,200 yuan, and i still have more for buying clothes. in addition, traveling during off-peak hours is definitely better than the national day holiday, so the long holiday i got in exchange for taking leave is really worth it."

saving money is not the goal

in fact, we can see from xiaohui thata big reason why “self-guided long vacations” are popular is that modern young people are increasingly paying attention to high-quality and cost-effective experiences.

although everyone has tightened their purse strings and started to accept the concept of rational consumption due to the overall environment, while paying attention to product quality, people also attach equal importance to the emotional value brought by consumption itself.this also means that despite limited spending power, people's demand for high quality has not decreased. it is important to meet basic needs, reward themselves, and cheer themselves up.

nielsen iq's "2024 china consumer outlook" released in april this year mentioned that compared with the survey results at the beginning of 2023, the proportion of "cost-conscious" consumers who value cost-effectiveness and compare prices on multiple platforms has increased from 28% to 30%. a nielsen survey data at the beginning of the year also showed that the proportion of people who agree that consumption "needs a sense of ritual" reached 53%, an increase of 11% year-on-year.

in other words, all the young people who actively choose a "long self-service vacation" are "calculating carefully", but they are not just saving money and living a life of luxury.

xiaohui told the jingzhe research institute, "saving money is not the goal, but to use limited funds on higher-quality goods and services. for example, if i went out to play during the national day holiday, i might have spent the same amount of money in the end, but i certainly couldn't book flights and hotels of the same quality as now. including cycling and hiking, the time and energy spent should be similar, but if it is the peak season when there are many people, i will definitely not even have the desire to take pictures."

in fact, many people, like xiaohui, have chosen to use a "self-guided long vacation" to start an outdoor trip, and the "douyin mall 2024 mid-autumn festival reunion season" promotion event launched on the eve of the mid-autumn festival has unexpectedly become a "supply station" for many outdoor sports enthusiasts.

the jingzhe research institute noticed that on douyin e-commerce, 33,000 pieces of camel martin boots worn by wang junkai, with an original price of 609 yuan and a price starting from 299 yuan after coupons, have been sold; 1,616 pieces of adidas' trefoil "baguette shoes" with an original price of 899 yuan are only 484 yuan after coupons; and 5,272 pieces of the german wolf's claw three-in-one jacket, which is 940 yuan cheaper than the original price, have been sold.

in addition, there are also many hot-selling items priced below 100 yuan.

decathlon's sun-proof and windproof tops priced at 86.9 yuan, jeep bucket hats priced at 56 yuan, and camping folding chairs priced from 36 yuan have also won the favor of outdoor enthusiasts.it is worth mentioning that from the results of the selection of these products, we can also see that young people who embrace the "self-service long vacation" are more "calculating" about every detail on douyin e-commerce.

"for example, two packs of misswiss shark pants originally cost 359.9 yuan, but i can get them for 155.9 yuan after using the douyin e-commerce coupon. in addition to the attractive price of german wolf claw jackets, the average delivery time of brand stores is 12 hours, so i can be sure to receive the goods before i leave. moreover, high-quality stores also have guarantees such as freight insurance, seven-day no-reason return, compensation for over-purchasing, and extremely fast refunds. even if i buy the wrong size or pay too much on impulse, i don’t have to worry about after-sales service. this shopping experience is more convenient and worry-free than the self-service long vacation that i can put together by taking three days off." xiaohui said.

healing life with quality consumption

whether it is "three days off for eight days" or rushing to buy outdoor equipment in the "douyin mall 2024 mid-autumn festival reunion season", these consumption phenomena all show thaton the surface, “self-service long vacation” consumption may not maximize economic efficiency, but consumption based on quality and service is what young people really need today.

xiaohui also said that taking a leave in exchange for a self-help long vacation may result in losing three days of salary, "full attendance bonus", and even having to bear more accommodation costs due to the "extended" vacation. however, in the eyes of young people, compared with these visible and calculable costs, the improvement in travel quality brings unquantifiable value.

interestingly, consumers’ perception of this “unquantifiable” value often occurs only after they try it.

for example, a user wrote in the product review of a men's long-sleeved jacket priced at 389 yuan, "it was a bit painful at first, but i was pleasantly surprised after wearing it for two days. first, when it drizzled, the rain did not wet the clothes at all, and the water droplets all slid down the surface of the clothes. also, when i was eating a peach, i accidentally got some on my clothes. i was shocked and quickly wiped it with paper, but there was no stain left."

in addition, a "dad" commented that the clothes he bought home were so popular with his daughter that he repurchased two more pieces, turning a men's long-sleeved jacket into parent-child clothing. there are many similar comments, and these comments all reflect the added value that quality consumption brings to people.

“what young people really want is not an absolutely low price, but a good quality-price ratio."xiaohui also said that the "self-service long holiday" consumption is not popular among young consumers because it is relatively cheaper, but because it can provide consumers with a better experience while ensuring price concessions.

therefore, under the consumption trend of "self-service long holidays", what consumers need are high-quality, cost-effective products, and platforms like douyin e-commerce that can provide high-quality products and services are naturally easy to be loved by consumers.

according to the jingzhe research institute, during the "douyin mall 2024 mid-autumn festival reunion season" event from september 6 to 17, consumers who place orders for promotional products will have the opportunity to enjoy a 15% discount. for young consumers who choose to spend their "long holiday on their own", douyin e-commerce has also selected a batch of high-quality new autumn clothes and practical sports outdoor equipment to meet the autumn short-distance travel needs of outdoor enthusiasts.

frankly speaking, long holiday travel plans are just an "excuse" to rationalize consumption. using high-quality consumption experience to adjust life is the core meaning of "self-service long holiday" consumption.

just like the young consumers who placed orders on the "douyin mall 2024 mid-autumn festival reunion season", not everyone has the plan to "take three days off and rest eight days off". but even without a "self-help long vacation", workers can also reward themselves with high-quality goods and services on douyin e-commerce, get rid of the work atmosphere and enjoy life.

people often say that if you have sand in your heart, everywhere is the maldives, and workers can always heal themselves through the consumption experience of "good quality and low price".

*xiaohui in the article is a pseudonym.