Keeping Up with the Daigous: an Industry in Flux

Daigous have been transforming the way they do business. 

Daigous in Europe, for instance, many of whom are studying there at prestigious universities, are making the shift away from solely acting as buyers to functioning as personal shoppers who offer style advice to wealthy Chinese customers back home. To keep things discreet, many daigous have created invitation-only group chats on WeChat where they can live-stream their store visits, market their product offers, and post celebrity-endorsed content to help build demand among their customers.

“轻奢 (Affordable luxury) brands like Sandro and Self-Portrait have been selling like hotcakes the last two years because they offer good value for the money,” she said. While marketing products to her customers, she often uses “欧美网红款” (“Western influencer favorite”) as a keyword. She told Jing Daily “Chinese women will save up to buy ultra-luxury bags, but they are willing to spend much less on clothes.” Chic styles, a strong influencer endorsement, and a premium-yet-not-over-the-top price point are all key elements for sales success, she added.

An insider glimpse into the world of daigou might not offer a complete picture of today’s Chinese luxury consumers, but it provides some practical insights for the luxury industry from a grass-roots level that official data reports and consumer surveys can’t always provide.