western media: “ant consumption” fascinates young people
2024-10-01
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reference news network reported on october 1the spanish "el mundo" website published on september 24 the title "welcome to the era of "ant consumption": why does online shopping for 5 euros fascinate people? "the article, written by jose m. rodriguez silva, is compiled as follows:
when i was shopping online, i encountered a magical game: just guess which of the three moving glasses has the ball in it, and you can get a shopping discount as a reward. after getting the discount reward, some products priced under 20 euros will appear in front of you. a string of lanterns costs 2.95 euros, a set of accessories costs 7.97 euros, and an oil spray bottle costs 3.48 euros... these may be things you don’t need, but you may need. don’t you deserve the shopping discounts you’re lucky enough to get? under this logic, we have entered a new era of consumption: the era of "ant consumption". this era is built on three pillars: the need for instant gratification, social media, and the disappearance of the boundaries between entertainment and consumption.
sandra tovon, a professor at the autonomous university of madrid, has been studying the gamification of consumption for years. "on a personal level, there are a lot of needs that are not being met," she explains. "in this case, you click into these apps and they give you a positive reinforcement as you shop."
a few years ago, people would only make larger purchases on large websites, but now the data confirms that more and more people are beginning to make smaller purchases over multiple times.
every year, the spanish national market and competition commission asks its household survey department how many times people shopped online in the past six months. although there is still a large proportion of residents (approximately 40%) who have never shopped online, it is noteworthy that an increasing number of people shop online at least once a month. about 9% of people shop online more than ten times every six months.
there are also companies in this area that can provide more detailed information. a mobile financial service provider in spain conducted an anonymous analysis of its users' business and found that the single sales of major e-commerce platforms were around 20 euros, with the exception of amazon, whose single sales were between 28 and 30 euros.
"we all want to be fashionable, and it has never been so cheap," tovon said. she also warned about finances: "it's just a small expense, it happens every day, and almost no one will calm down." let’s add and subtract. excessive consumption not only consumes personal financial resources, but also affects sustainability.”
in fact, it is younger generations and those who claim to be more concerned about sustainability that are more actively adopting such shopping patterns. this contradiction is reflected in a study called "the new rules of marketing: building authentic brands that connect with gen z." jesus moradillo, who led the study, said: “when you ask young people what they want to buy, they talk about sustainability, brands that align with their values... but when it comes to the ultimate purchase drivers , the impact of price is huge, far greater than all other factors.”
the expert said: "i am convinced that by the end of the month, this (ant consumption) expenditure will usually greatly exceed the expectations of these young consumers." at the same time, he admitted that to explain this phenomenon, we must take into account the current needs of young people. economic status. their wages are low and they cannot afford large expenditures.
however, there's another key factor that may explain this trend, which researchers also call impulse shopping, and that's social media. the influence of short videos is closely related to consumer activities.
in its annual report on global online consumption habits, the american nielsen company analyzed the degree of connection between young people’s consumption and social media: 53% of young people have already used the shopping functions introduced in social media and rated them as as their most trusted reference factor when shopping.
some brands take the strategy a step further and directly engage people’s psychology. "we need to feel part of a group, need communication and reinforcement," tovon explains. "gamification of consumption is fulfilling that need. it's artificially affecting a psychological need that we all have. ." (compiled by tian ce)
