Completely transformed into "playing dumb bags", Taobao quietly changed the rules of "buying one item at a time", tracking: promotion after exposure | consumers | rules
Recently, the Shanghai debunking platform investigated the promotion method of "buy 1 item at a time" on Taobao, pointing out that the "buy 1 item at a time" product displayed on the page is suspected of fabricating the original price, and does not support viewing product details before consumers place an order, which is suspected of infringing on consumers' right to know.
After the publication of the report, many readers expressed the same feeling, believing that the platform does not allow consumers to view prices and details, which is a fraudulent promotion and should be exposed and urged to rectify.
Most readers are dissatisfied with "buying one item at a time"
The reporter's follow-up investigation found that Taobao has quietly changed the presentation method of "buy 1 item by hand" recently: the originally displayed "original price" is missing, and the page only displays the actual purchase price of the product. However, the issue of being unable to view product details, which has been criticized by consumers, remains unresolved.
Many consumers have pointed out that this not only fails to solve the problem, but also makes them even more confused: they do not know whether the price advantage of a "buy one piece" product is, nor can they view product details and reviews, becoming a complete "blind bag" sales.
The latest "Buy 1 Piece" no longer has the "original price", but still cannot see the product details. Some merchants even mislead consumers through the only product pictures
Ms. Chen, a consumer, suggested that if the platform wants to make improvements, it should show sincerity instead of "treating headaches and feet with pain": "The most crucial issue is that the platform cannot view product details. Why can't the platform provide a click to view details service? If the technology cannot be implemented or consumers are unwilling to view details, it is better to cancel" buy one item at a time "and not mislead consumers anymore."
It is worth noting that some merchants have also left messages on the Shanghai debunking platform, introducing more information about "buying one item at a time". Some merchants have pointed out that "buying one item at a time" itself is beneficial for both merchants and consumers, but the current activity rules have problems and should be adjusted and improved.
Some merchants say that the platform does not charge promotion fees for "buy one item at a time" products and supports cross store "buy one item at a time", which gives merchants the opportunity to promote their products and services at a low cost. So, businesses are more welcoming of this promotion and believe that products with high cost-effectiveness can attract consumers to pay attention to their stores and products.
At the same time, the requirement of free shipping for the "buy one item at a time" product is not only the price advantage of the product itself, but also the postage advantage for consumers in remote areas. So, this service can completely achieve a win-win situation for both merchants and consumers.
But merchants also acknowledge that the current rule of "buying one item at a time" has flaws.
On the consumer side, due to the lack of options to view details, consumers are unable to fully understand the quality and price of the product, which affects the consumer experience.
On the merchant side, there is a phenomenon where some merchants sell low-quality products by "buying one piece at a time", which affects the overall impression of consumers on this promotional service. This is unfair to those merchants who sell high cost-effective products through this promotional method, "there is a feeling that bad coins drive out good coins."
Some merchants have pointed out that the main reason for this problem is that Taobao has issues with the review rules for "buy one item at a time" products, and "overly emphasizes conversion rates."
From the promotional rules introduced by some merchants, the Taobao platform has an assessment mechanism for the stores and products participating in the "Buy 1" promotion, with a greater weight being the product conversion rate. "For example, if a" Buy 1 "product has a cumulative exposure rate of more than 1000 people, but the exposure conversion rate is less than 0.2%, the platform will downgrade the product and do not support it as a" Buy 1 "product. As for factors that consumers value more, such as product reviews and store reviews, the weight is not significant when evaluating in the background.".
"Some businesses, in pursuit of conversion rates, offer low-quality and low-priced products to participate in this activity, but the platform does not have effective disciplinary measures. In addition, the platform covers up the product details page, resulting in many problems of 'buying one item at a time'. Some businesses believe that currently, it is the" 618 "promotion, and both businesses and consumers need fair marketing.". As a platform, it is necessary to face the problem head-on and fundamentally solve the phenomenon of "blind packaging" sales.
