On the morning of the 10th, # A woman bought an empty bottle of Est é e Lauder in Li Jiaqi's live broadcast room # topic hit Weibo hot search.
The reason is that Ms. Zhou, a consumer, recently reported on the Internet that she bought an Estee Lauder face cream for 1080 yuan in Li Jiaqi's live broadcast room, but found it was empty after receiving the goods. For the first time in all these years of online shopping, I have encountered this situation
According to the chat records posted by Ms. Zhou, Est é e Lauder customer service has stated that they will provide feedback on the situation to relevant departments. According to the Qilu Evening News on November 9th, Ms. Zhou stated that the brand has agreed to a return and refund application. She has returned the empty bottle and customer service has stated that a refund will be issued after inspection.
Interface Fashion has sought a response from Est é e Lauder and Li Jiaqi's live streaming room operator MeiONE regarding this matter, but has not received a response as of the time of publication.
According to the regulations on Est é e Lauder's official website, there are three situations where products can be returned or exchanged unconditionally within 7 days: damaged products, received products that are different from those ordered, and expired products. Est é e Lauder Tmall flagship store customer service stated that the store supports consumers to apply for no reason return or exchange within 7 days from the date of package receipt, but it is necessary to ensure that the product and packaging are intact, and that the original and gift items are returned together. Both did not mention the special case of empty bottles.
This is not the first time Est é e Lauder products have experienced empty bottle issues.
According to a search of interface fashion on social media platforms, a consumer posted on Xiaohongshu platform in 2021 stating that during the 2020 "Double 11" event, they purchased an empty bottle of eye cream from Est é e Lauder's flagship store through Li Jiaqi's live streaming room. But due to the late discovery, "it's useless to contact customer service". Some netizens in the comment section also expressed similar experiences.
In addition, in January 2023, consumers published many posts, saying that they bought empty bottles of face cream in Estee Lauder flagship store. Although they contacted after-sales in time, customer service responded that there was strict internal process, which would not exist. After more than 20 days of negotiation, the brand agreed to reissue the product.
Other brands have also been exposed to similar situations. For example, a consumer once posted that the products they purchased at the official flagship store of Xiulike during the 2020 "Double 11" were empty bottles.
In addition to the issue of empty bottles, some consumers have also posted that they encounter missed shipments of skincare products online, and the after-sales service is not smooth. This situation involves multiple domestic and foreign beauty brands, and often occurs during major promotions such as the "Double 11", as the brand usually promises to give more samples as gifts.
Generally speaking, empty or missing bottles may be due to problems in the filling or packaging process, reflecting certain loopholes in the brand's supply chain management. Consumers are not fault-tolerant, but what matters more is the brand's attitude. Because at this point, how the brand handles after-sales service for consumers reflects the brand's level of trust in consumers. If handled improperly, it can easily damage consumers' loyalty to the brand.
Photographer: Zhang Xinyu
With star products such as small brown bottle eye cream, Est é e Lauder has become one of the key brands of Est é e Lauder Group in the Chinese market. However, due to long-term dependence on key brands and classic products, and weak performance in launching new explosive products, supporting sub brands, and promoting youthfulness in marketing, Est é e Lauder Group has encountered difficulties in its performance in recent years.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, Est é e Lauder Group's net sales were $15.91 billion, a decrease of 10% year-on-year; The net profit was $1.006 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 58%.
From a quarterly perspective, the revenue of the first three quarters of the fiscal year continued to decline. Est é e Lauder Group executives attribute it to a setback in the Asia Pacific, especially in the Chinese market - a decline in demand from Chinese consumers for domestic consumption, while tourism retail has not yet recovered. It was not until the fourth quarter that Est é e Lauder Group's performance rebounded, with net sales slightly increasing by 1% year-on-year, while net profit turned from profit to loss year-on-year.
But the new fiscal year failed to continue growth, even compared to the low base of the same period last year. According to the latest financial report of Est é e Lauder Group, in the first quarter of the 2024 fiscal year ended September 30, the group's net sales decreased by 10% year-on-year to $3.52 billion; Net profit fell 94% year-on-year to $31 million.
Based on this, Est é e Lauder Group lowered its performance forecast for the 2024 fiscal year, which directly led to its stock price falling to its lowest level since 2017.
The Asia Pacific region, including China, contributes approximately 30% of Est é e Lauder Group's annual sales revenue. Peter Jueptner, International President of Est é e Lauder Group, stated in an interview during the 2023 CIIE that China is the "second home" of Est é e Lauder Group.
In the 2022 Tmall Double 11 Beauty Chart, Est é e Lauder ranks second only to L'Oreal. However, in the first stage of the 2023 Tmall Double 11 (October 31-November 3) ranking, Estee Lauder was overtaken by Pereira and Lancome, sliding to fourth place.