PARIS, Dec 8 — Retailing for the price of US$825 (RM3,480.51), Chanel’s Advent calendar is the subject of lively debate on social networks, where some people are denouncing it for its disappointing contents, including pins, stickers and snow globes, which come at a price inaccessible to most people. Does the backlash have merit?
Let’s look at what this giant replica of the luxury house’s century-old perfume bottle holds in its various windows.
The countdown to the big festive day is on, and with it the opening, each day, of one’s long-awaited Advent calendar.
A genuine windfall for brands, Advent calendars have multiplied at breakneck speed in recent years, in just about every sector, and consumers snap them up like hotcakes. In the beauty and cosmetics sector, there’s a vast array of choices, with some brands even offering up to three or four different calendars.
Makeup, skincare, perfumes, candles, shampoos... Everything is available in the form of this traditional countdown format to suit the greatest number of people.
And while these magical boxes with their daily compartments are a boon for brands as the holidays approach, consumers (usually) get their money’s worth as well, whether it’s because they’re testing new products at a lower cost, or because they (usually) get content that has an overall greater retail value than the price of the calendar package.
It’s a sales argument put forth for most of the products presented to the public.
For instance, the Body Shop offers a calendar for US$79 which is actually worth US$132.59, Sephora for US$45 instead of US$102, or Lookfantastic’s US$135 product with US$640 worth of products. Rather attractive, we must agree.
So what about Chanel and the bad buzz?
For a few days now, luxury house Chanel has been at the centre of conversations on social networks, and particularly on TikTok where the influencer Elise Harmon, followed by some 240,000 subscribers, committed to opening, day after day, the boxes of its luxurious calendar.
It should have been a spotlight for the brand’s various products. But it turned sour when the young woman began to share her disappointment over the days.
Miniature versions of collector perfumes, lipsticks, hand creams: the brand has a host of objects that beauty fans dream about but the calendar also contains pins, stickers, pouches, and decorative Christmas baubles that the house would generally offer free to its customers when they purchase a certain product. And therein is the issue.
Considering the price of the calendar, consumers expected classics, albeit in small formats, rather than trinkets.
@eliseharmon Worth the hype? Probably not but it is pretty
♬ It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas - Michael Bublé
So let’s take a look at what’s inside this hotly discussed calendar, which is currently unavailable on the e-shop of the house but whose content is perfectly visible through a series of photos and a list of each product. Note that the Chanel brand is completely transparent about what its calendar houses, offering every potential customer the possibility to know all the contents before checkout.
If we take a closer look, we see that among the most valuable ‘gifts’ are the N°5 Eau de Parfum Spray 1.2 fl. oz. (US$85), N°5 L’EAU On Hand Cream (US$55), N°5 The Bath Soap 2.6 oz. (US$26), limited edition Rouge Allure lipstick (US$45), LE VERNIS nail polish (US$28), a miniature Rouge Allure lipstick plus several miniature collector perfume bottles whose value is hard to identify.
This makes a total of about US$250-350, including miniatures. Of course that’s without counting the various bracelets, mirrors, pouches, snow globe and other accessories.
If that total seems far off the retail price, it must be acknowledged that in the end it is difficult — as with many Advent calendars — to evaluate the totality of the contents. What someone considers a trinket can quickly rise in value in the luxury world.
And indeed many other consumers, aside from the influencer, have expressed their displeasure, around the world, the main argument being that these small objects are usually graciously offered by the house with a purchase. Something that Chanel may have to take into account when it puts together its next Advent calendar.
Read up on the contents before buying
To avoid such disappointment, it is better to look carefully at the contents of these little boxes that many people are obsessed with as the holidays approach.
With just a few rare exceptions, the brands are transparent about the products contained in each Advent calendar.
Although the desire to be surprised on the day can sometimes be predominant, it’s better to find out what they contain before heading to the cash register, whether they cost US$50 or US$700, to avoid any disappointment. — ETX Studio
