Chinese fashion retailer Shein rules supreme when it comes to haul videos on TikTok. Photo: AFP
When it comes to hauls – the social media videos where users show off the results of an online or in-store shopping spree – TikTokers seem to be big fans of Shein.
The Chinese ultra-fast-fashion retailer dominates the ranking of fashion brands most promoted in this type of format, far ahead of H&M and Walmart, according to new research.
As one of the world's most polluting sectors, the fashion industry is regularly singled out for its impact on the planet.
This is particularly true of fast-fashion and ultra-fast-fashion, a kind of disposable fashion that constantly renews collections at breakneck speed, with up to several thousand new items a day for Shein, and all the environmental consequences that entails.
In spite of this, the Chinese brand has become one of the most popular among younger generations, with the added bonus of much free promotion on social networks, led by TikTok, thanks to the popular haul video format.
Read more: Nearly a third of Gen Z-ers want to dress more creatively, says Instagram report
Free publicity
For those who don't know, a haul video is essentially a video in which users and influencers show off the things they bought during their latest shopping session.
Initially very popular on YouTube, hauls have gradually made their way onto TikTok, one of young people's favourite social networks, where they are now one of the favoured formats.
On TikTok, the #haul hashtag boasts over 60 billion views, and #shoppinghaul has over 14 billion. And in this game, Shein stands out with no less than 3.6 billion and 14.1 billion views for the hashtags #haulshein and #sheinhaul respectively.
This dominance is confirmed by a new study carried out by Illumin, which analysed the most-watched TikTok videos in the fashion and home decor haul categories.
Taking all categories together, Shein topped the list of the most popular brands in hauls, accounting for no less than 42% of all products featured under the #hauls hashtag, with an average cost of US$9.33 (approximately RM43.65) per item.
This spectacular figure reflects young people's infatuation with this very low-cost brand – despite the fact that it is criticised for its significant environmental impact.
The figure also highlights the amount of free advertising the brand enjoys on a daily basis on the Chinese social network. It comes far ahead of H&M (8.2% of all products listed in hauls), Temu (7.7%), Walmart (7.2%), Amazon Home (6.2%), Cotton On (4.1%) and Ikea (3.6%).
Still, low-cost chains, brands and retailers are evidently doing very well on the platform.
Focusing solely on fashion, Shein once again comes out on top, with 38% of products listed in these videos.
The Chinese retailer once again comes ahead of H&M (14.8%), although the gap between the two fast-fashion brands narrows, as well as Walmart (12%), Cotton On (7.4%), Brandy (4.6%), Zara (3.7%), and to a lesser extent adidas (1.9%), Amazon (1.9%), Hollister (1.9%) and Mure + Grand (1.9%).
It's worth noting that when it comes to TikTok hashtags, the ranking looks a little different.
While Shein dominates, the hashtags #zarahaul and #haulzara have generated 9 billion and almost 580 million views respectively, compared with "just" 1.7 billion and 78 million views for #hmhaul and #haulhm.
Read more: Gen Zs and Millennials prefer fashion 'dupes' over luxury goods, says report
The success of dupes
Lately, hauls have also been featuring various beauty and personal care products from French pharmacies, which are particularly popular with US visitors to the country.
This phenomenon has propelled brands such as Caudalie, Embryolisse, Nuxe, Biafine, Bioderma, La Roche-Posay and Avène to global prominence, making French pharmacies more popular than ever.
But that's not all: the hauls have also brought "dupes" – low-cost inspirations of luxury products or extremely popular products – to the fore.
Videos featuring hauls devoted entirely to these low-cost replicas are now a regular feature online.
On TikTok, hashtags associated with dupes have already passed the 10-billion-view mark, while those linked to dupe hauls have already scored several million views. And, once again, the popularity of Shein and other low-cost brands is growing.
All these indicators suggest that younger generations are still unable to break away from these brands, which promise attractive prices, mountains of products (and therefore sizes, styles and trends) and huge savings.
A phenomenon to be followed in 2024, a pivotal new year for meeting the many environmental targets set by the Paris Agreement. – AFP Relaxnews
