[Jihye Choi's Trend 2023] If You Buy It, So Do I!... The Era of "Ditto Consumption"

More Choices in Products and Purchase Channels
Consumers Follow Influencers and Stars to Ease Decision Fatigue
Tendency to Align with Personal Values and Tastes
Rising Preference for Specialized Malls Over Large Department Stores and Retail Channels

These days, if you ask consumers how they purchase clothes, you might get a surprisingly diverse range of answers. Some buy from vintage shops, others from overseas direct purchase sites, some from their favorite influencer brands, and others from resale platforms... The issue is not just about the purchasing channel. Even searching for a single shoelace on Amazon yields over 2,000 products, and Starbucks offers 80,000 possible drink combinations. The number of menu items registered on the Baedal Minjok application exceeds a staggering 26.83 million. There are more choices than ever before. In such a complex consumption environment, consumers adopt a strategy of following specific individuals, content, or commerce to reduce the effort of making purchase decisions. This type of consumption can be named “Ditto Consumption,” derived from “Ditto,” meaning “me too.”

Ditto Consumption differs from blind imitation of stars or influencers. Mindlessly following whatever a person advertises or suggests is closer to superficial follower consumption. In contrast, Ditto Consumption is a subjective follower consumption where one finds a target that aligns with their values and interprets and accepts its meaning. In the past, when superficial follower consumption dominated, the focus was on stars who were popular with the majority or famous in the mainstream. In the era of Ditto Consumption, people scatter to find their own sharp tastes. This column aims to explore the various aspects of Ditto Consumption and predict the changes it will bring to the market in 2024.

The first object of Ditto Consumers’ following is people. In the past, “Which brand’s product do you own?” was important, but nowadays, “Who uses the product?” matters more. It means that the symbolism of the product or brand itself has become less important than how the product is interpreted among the reference group, i.e., the people who influence the consumer.

The ‘person’ that Ditto Consumers follow plays a role in selecting products through their own interpretation and assigning meaning to the products. This is what differentiates it from traditional fandom consumption or star marketing. In fandom consumption or star marketing, consumers would unconditionally consider purchasing products used or advertised by a star they liked. In contrast, in person Ditto, the lifestyle of that person and how much it aligns with “my values” ? the follower’s subjective ‘interpretation’ ? plays a decisive role in purchase decisions.

The second object people follow is content. From simple questions like “What should I eat for dinner tonight?” to more complex ones like “Where should I go for this vacation?” consumers seek answers in content such as comics, dramas, and movies. Immersion in content influences reality beyond the screen. While content was originally just something to watch and enjoy, for Ditto Consumers, content is a factor that practically influences consumption.

The third object of following is distribution channels. Nowadays, more consumers prefer online and mobile shopping over large retailers like department stores or supermarkets. Among online and mobile shopping options, more consumers are choosing specialized malls that handle only specific categories of products rather than large general malls. These specialized shopping malls are called ‘vertical commerce,’ as they are vertically specialized in a particular area. They select and suggest products with their own unique tastes and insights in that domain. Although there are slight differences among edit shops, select shops, taste shops, and curation shops, all have criteria and contexts that convey the unique character of commerce.

So, what background has led to this Ditto Consumption trend? The most important reason is that choices have increased. Patrick J. McGinnis, an American venture capitalist and author, points out that the spread of social networking services (SNS) combined with excessive abundance has led to the emergence of FOBO syndrome. FOBO stands for Fear Of Better Options, meaning the anxiety that there might have been a better choice. This anxiety can cause people to waste more time before making a final decision. Even after choosing, regrets persist because they feel they missed the chance to make a better choice.

It is also important that as options increase, the value of time rises. Naofumi Nakamura, a leading columnist for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, analyzes that digital technology has made humans more convenient but has also explosively increased the amount of information. While the number of options to choose from has grown exponentially, time remains limited, so modern people feel pressured to make optimal choices. In short, there are many options to choose from and many experiences to want, but since time is limited, the opportunity cost of failure increases.

In the past, consumers compared as many products as possible at popular distribution channels like marts, department stores, or comprehensive online shopping malls and chose the product with the best quality. However, in today’s market, where the number of products and distribution channels has increased absolutely and product quality has leveled up, excellent product quality alone is no longer enough to drive Ditto Consumption.

Now, selection and concentration are necessary. The first step is to accurately set the target users for your product and develop nano influencers and vertical commerce sites that fit them. Furthermore, as a prerequisite, a philosophy unique to the company or brand that goes beyond product quality has become important. What Ditto Consumers truly want to follow is not just the product but the ‘perspective’ of the object they follow.

Ultimately, Ditto Consumption must start from questioning the philosophy of the company and brand, not the product itself. “What is the philosophy of our company and brand?” In 2024, brands will need to offer clear choices with distinct tastes and philosophies to consumers drowning in information overload.

Choi Ji-hye, Research Fellow, Consumer Trend Analysis Center, Seoul National University