TV Shopping Company: Profiteering Drive, unscrupulous business

Absrtact: Turn on the television in the morning, like into a big store: Do not 998, not 398, as long as 99 yuan, the top ten to call the audience will also get a value of 2000 yuan of the gift of such familiar hawking sound in various channels, every program

Opening the television early in the morning is like walking into a big store: "Do not 998, not 398, as long as 99 yuan, the top ten people who call the audience will also receive a gift of 2000 yuan ..." So familiar with the sound of Hawking in various channels, each of the hosts are very excited, Spit star Flying "Roar faction", selling things are all sorts: from "eight star Eight Arrows" to "799 Yuan notebook computer" to weight loss health care, beauty breast products, and so on. These products have a common feature: rational people use their knees to know that it is a lie. But this kind of obviously has the false propaganda nature the television shopping advertisement, until today still frequently in each big television station's many times noisy unceasing. The audience is already very tired, the 2010 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, by the famous crosstalk actor Li Weijian and Wubin performance of the crosstalk "Super Big Store" is openly with TV shopping "poke fun".

In response to this chaotic industry, regulators have issued more than one document to try to standardize, but the whole industry is still a academics. What part of the problem?

TV Shopping Company: Profiteering Drive, unscrupulous business

Shout hoarse, false exaggeration of the effect, even if the goods are people really need, this kind of funny sales way will inevitably make people suspicious, why not in a gentle way to introduce products to the audience?

Once engaged in the television shopping industry Xu Mingmin to "China Economic weekly" reporter said the truth: "These times are a minute to buy from the TV station, in order to in the shortest possible time to introduce the characteristics of the product clearly, but also to impress people, interested to buy, exaggerated performance is necessary. ”

According to Xu Mingmin introduced, from a larger point of local television to buy advertising time, even the garbage times, a minute has 5000~7000 block, 10 minutes at least 50,000, 10 television stations broadcast, 10 minutes per home, is 500,000.

"Some of the two-tier city TV stations garbage time is 1000~2000 yuan, but because TV shopping ads are often a half hour, the larger the quantity, the more the price is negotiable, generally can talk about 100~200 block of money." Even so, the cost is staggering, in order to be able to quickly sell products in this short time, back to this, we will have a variety of ways to attract you to buy. For example, claiming that some of the former customers can receive a large amount of gifts, in fact, the so-called value of thousands of gifts, the cost of dozens of pieces, or even a few dollars. Xu Mingmin to the reporter to introduce a way. According to the industry's "rules", the net profit of sales in addition to business and production enterprises divided into, but also a part of the profit as a rebate to the "operation" of the television advertising department, so that the next time to buy, still can get the lowest price.

As for the profit margin of the business, Xu Mingmin this to the reporter described: "Almost empty gloves white wolf, we were agents of most of the female products, more famous is the breast products ' bo xx ', at that time the publicity is so big that you almost turn all the TV stations through, no matter which home will be able to see the ads. The price is 99 yuan per box, in fact, the cost is only a few dollars, profit space is nearly 10 times times. At that time, a cursory look at the company's accounts, at least 2.4 million yuan a day of income, one months to put the advertising fee is almost 52 million, this profit is how big, you want it. A lot of people bought three boxes not effective, encouraged by the sales staff, a buy and buy, spend a few tens of thousands of. A lot of buy ' bo xx ' consumers and we reflect no effect, we will advise them to cooperate with the diet, such as eating pork feet or chicken claws, such as food, in many cases are eating out of effect, is not the medicine effective. ”

Local TV station: The game of survival and law-abiding

A local television station in Jiangsu Province, the director of advertising for many years Mr. Zhang explained the local television station's "difficulties": big brands generally do not like to put ads in local stations, and these self-financing local stations, the main income is by advertising. Almost 70% of advertising time is often filled with discontent.

"Instead of leaving these hours idle, it's better to gamble and make money first." Most of the time even because of the illegal advertising has been investigated, but the amount of fines and huge advertising costs are bucket. "Director Zhang briefed reporters," once a TV shopping company gave us a one-time 90 million yuan of advertising fees, as long as we bombed each day to broadcast their ads 10 minutes on the line, the annual income of the TV station is 100 million or 200 million, such a big customer naturally can not miss. ”

In these advertisers, the temptation of huge advertising fees, the general level of television stations will agree to broadcast these TV shopping programs, and therefore, the two or three-line city has always been the main battlefield of this kind of TV shopping program profit. "A lot of ads are one-time, one-time broadcast for one months, such as money are cheated almost on the withdrawal, when these consumers according to the address of the product box to find the manufacturers most of the time can not find." "said director Zhang.

Zhang introduced that in 2011, sales of weight-loss products sold only through television outlets were as high as 70 billion yuan, and that figure was still growing, and the cost of these products was generally less than one-tenth of the price. This industry has been so rapid development, in addition to the TV shopping company profits driven by the internal cause, but also benefited from the major media to promote.

Why do these local stations know that these TV shopping programmes are illegal and take risks? A head of the Legal Affairs Advisory Department of the China Advertising Association gave this explanation: "Many local television stations are independent and self-financing, and they are under great pressure." For them, this is a simple question: choose between survival and compliance, and you will certainly choose to live. ”

Consumer: The difficulty of defending rights often bad luck

Tianjin consumers, Ms. Liu, in a satellite TV channel saw a "xx thin" weight loss products, advertising claims that 15 days can lose 20 kg, holding a try to think, Ms. Liu bought three courses of medicine. However, after the use of a period of time, the effect is not so obvious publicity, and, a bottle of 99 yuan of products sprayed two times to see the bottom. Helpless, Ms. Liu through the sales of the telephone, get the reply is: the use of the quantity is not enough, need to continue to buy a few courses. A Taobao agent of this weight loss products store to reporters that the price of 99 yuan for weight loss products in real prices only 25 yuan.

Similarly, Hebei province, Mr. Zhang also encountered a similar problem, he bought a claim to be free internet access to the computer, as long as 299 yuan, but bought home can not access the Internet, he called customer service, the staff explained: "As long as wireless WiFi in the environment can be free internet access." This answer makes Mr. Zhang laugh and cry.

Such cases as Ms Lau and Mr. Zhang are very common in the Consumer association's complaint record. These consumers, after being bombarded by exaggerated direct-selling programs, were tempted to buy products, but found that they were seriously inconsistent with what was described in the program. When consumers realize that they have been fooled, want to complain, only to find that the hands in addition to phone numbers and money orders and no strong evidence-sellers generally will not provide formal invoices, and often in the return of the channel set up a lot of obstacles. Moreover, since television shopping is often produced in one place, vendors in another place, and the logistics company is another city, customer service call is a shot to change a place, there are problems, only complaints, you need to go many places, if the food products involved in the test, the cost is higher. Many consumers have to admit bad luck, which leaves the TV shopping company with an opportunity.

Regulatory department: Immature industry "dilemma"

"TV Direct Selling this way is the first from abroad, in foreign direct television is a legitimate way of sales, through the television program, and then directly sell products, such as everyone familiar with Avon, Amway, Mary Kay, are the way of sale." But when this kind of direct marketing to China, it was a lot of unscrupulous business to get the smell. The Director of the Legal Affairs Advisory Department of China Advertising Association introduced.

In the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries, television shopping is a consumer purchase of important channels, only the United States cable television network TV shopping program sales can reach tens of billions of dollars, in the United States more attention to shopping programs are mainly selling jewelry, high-end clothing, slimming fitness products, Although the phenomenon of deception has also occurred, but the supervision and punishment is very large, once the product involved in the examination of counterfeit, the relevant departments will be fined several times to the dealer, the number is often dealers in a few lifetimes can not pay the astronomical figures, and once in this industry has bad records, The dealer will no longer be able to dabble in the industry.

In Japan, there are special TV shopping channels, the main sales are clothing, sports equipment, audio-visual products, food, such as daily necessities, are generally factory outlets, cheaper than shopping malls, in accordance with the relevant laws of Japan, television shopping advertising must be marked the price of goods, postage, other costs, payment time and method, delivery time, Merchant name, address and telephone number, legal representative name, application period and so on a series of detailed information, once the commodity problems, consumers can return through these information or rights.

In China, the supervision of such TV shopping programs has been advancing, SARFT has more than once stopped some illegal television advertising, but in the regulation of the measures have been groping.

"The nature of TV shopping needs to be further clarified, if it is advertising, then must be subject to the" Advertising law "adjustment; if the sale of TV direct sales, China General administration of industry and SARFT have made a number of relevant provisions, these provisions are in accordance with the requirements of television advertising to its restrictions, But sometimes another special request, such as we in 2006, has made a provision for 5 products, do not allow these 5 kinds of products on television advertising, including: Slimming products, breast enhancement products, medical equipment and so on. But this provision is also unreasonable at some level, in foreign countries these things can be sold. So from this point of view, the regulation of the legal level of TV Direct selling program in our country needs to be further explored. should be the relevant regulatory departments to establish the appropriate market conditions, distribution and management methods, the implementation of standardized management. The head of the China Advertising Association's Legal Affairs Advisory department has expressed this view.

TV Shopping Tips

Zhang Chun, secretary general of Anhui Consumer Association:

Consumers should pay attention to improve their own risk consciousness and awareness of protecting rights in TV shopping, choose some good brand and good reputation operators when choosing TV shopping operators. Before purchase, can check the information of relevant operators on the Internet, and pay attention to keep the relevant evidence.

Shanghai Yangpu District People's Court judge Zhang:

Television shopping operators in the publicity almost exclusively to take the "cod" shopping model, and announced the sale of products on approval replacement. However, in the actual transaction, the delivery staff are required to pay first, and then inspection. Consumers as far as possible to choose the mode of delivery of goods to the payment, the receipt should be prior to the goods, after payment, to have damage, defects, functional goods should be rejected.