The appeal of lower-priced product alternatives has expanded beyond its original youth base, with millennials currently representing the largest purchasing share. Driven by viral social posts and comparison marketing, consumers are aggressively substituting designer goods with budget options, such as discount supermarket candles and high-street perfumes. Industry observers expect this shift to accelerate as buyers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence tools to scout affordable luxury substitutes.
Key points
Viral online platforms have made purchasing affordable alternatives socially acceptable a…: Viral online platforms have made purchasing affordable alternatives socially acceptable and shareable for festive shoppers.
High-street chains and supermarkets are directly capitalizing on consumer demand by offer…: High-street chains and supermarkets are directly capitalizing on consumer demand by offering low-cost alternatives to premium goods.
Artificial intelligence tools are projected to further boost the market by simplifying ho…: Artificial intelligence tools are projected to further boost the market by simplifying how shoppers find high-end substitutes.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
For fans of the festive season nothing is more Christmassy than lighting a super-sized botanical candle with its trim of orange slices and berries.
But as the notes of cinnamon and clove fill the room will you be burning money spent on the White Company’s £95 “winter indulgence” candle that customers describe as the “scent of Christmas”. Or have you followed TikTok’s advice and bought the Aldi “dupe” for £25.
Dupes are products that claim to offer a similar experience to a high-end item though do not claim to be that product. They were originally a Gen Z obsession but have become a mainstream shopping trend at a time of strained household finances.
“No matter what age you are, how much money you’ve got to spend, everyone wants to ‘luxe it up’ with a dupe,” says Catherine Shuttleworth, a retail consultant and chief executive of Savvy Marketing.
“The message is ‘why not be smart like me saving cash but still looking good’,” she says.
“In the case of homewares, a high street dupe of a luxury branded candle can look…
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