<\/p>\n
New TikTok challenge: Try to scroll the app for 10 minutes before a creator attempts to stop finger traffic by proclaiming that they\u2019ve found \u201cthe PERFECT [insert product here] dupe!\u201d<\/p>\n
There are more than 320,000 videos under #dupe on TikTok (plus all the niche and brand-specific tags, like #makeupdupe or #skimsdupe). And while the dupe-culture trend started taking off in the last few years, it\u2019s been around far longer, previously under the less-chic \u201cknockoff\u201d moniker.<\/p>\n
Amid broader economic volatility and tariff-related price increases, though, the dupe is finding more resonance, and brands like eyewear retailer EyeBuyDirect and clothing and homeware company Italic have leaned into dupe culture, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness and can\u2019t-spot-the-difference qualities of their products. But shaping messaging around being a good dupe (glamorous, but responsible!) while not coming off as cheap (the horror!) is a delicate balance to strike.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s consumers, they are smart, they want quality service, but they never want to break their bank account,\u201d Sunny Jiang, CEO of EyeBuyDirect, told Marketing Brew. \u201cDupe culture plays a critical role to shape people\u2019s approach when they interact with online [stores].\u201d<\/p>\n
For EyeBuyDirect, its two priorities are affordability and accessibility, Jiang said. Its products, mostly prescription and nonprescription glasses and sunglasses, start at $6 a pair, and are sold direct-to-consumer to a mainly US audience. With an almost entirely online business model and about 30% of its customers\u2019 first brand touchpoint being on social media, Jiang said appealing to internet-savvy customers is crucial.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a key channel for us to understand and know the market trends, as well as the audience\u2019s preferences,\u201d Jiang said.<\/p>\n
Much of the brand\u2019s messaging online is crafted around emphasizing its quality, craftsmanship, and materials. They\u2019re key details that dupe shoppers look for as they compare the perceived quality of a less expensive brand to pricier alternatives, she said. In the case of EyeBuyDirect, customers sometimes compare its products to brands like Carrera or to similar DTC eyewear brands Warby Parker and Vehla.<\/p>\n
Jiang said the company\u2019s almost entirely in-house design and engineering processes are an asset when interacting with trends. \u201cThis kind of model allows us to be responsive and cautious about people\u2019s attention regarding the balance between quality, fashion, and price,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Italic, another DTC brand that calls itself a purveyor of \u201cmodern luxury,\u201d similarly emphasizes its quality and materials, according to Head of Growth Julia Paulescu-Kal\u00e9; the brand claims that it sources products from the same manufacturers as Prada, Givenchy, Burberry, and other luxury fashion brands, but sells them at lower prices.<\/p>\n
While this emphasis plays into dupe culture, it\u2019s not the only trend that the brand is leaning into. When deinfluencing, thrifting, and quiet luxury took the virtual spotlight early last year, Italic similarly underscored its products\u2019 technical qualities. These days, the message is still about its materials, but Paulescu-Kal\u00e9 said the tone has shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, especially, we\u2019re in a recessionary time period, and a lot of people don\u2019t want to say that, but consumer sentiment is showing that spending has gone down significantly,\u201d Paulescu-Kal\u00e9 told us. \u201cSo the way that we approach it is continued focus on longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dupe culture\u2019s prevalence began long before President Trump\u2019s second term, but it\u2019s become more pertinent as his trade war and economic policies have tanked consumer sentiment. To meet the moment, Italic is using social media to communicate long-term cost savings.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe’re trying to also educate customers on cost per use,\u201d Paulescu-Kal\u00e9 said. \u201cLike, yes, this towel set costs $94 right now. But you\u2019re going to have this towel set for five years, whereas those towels that you\u2019re going to keep buying and buying are going to actually add up to way more.\u201d<\/p>\n
In behind-the-scenes videos on TikTok, an Italic representative can explain why cashmere costs so much, or a creator might tout the health benefits of a weighted blanket. Italic also keeps up with customers as long as a year after they make a purchase via email to offer tips on care and ask how the product is holding up. Paulescu-Kal\u00e9 said it\u2019s part of building Italic \u201cinto an authority around quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consumer anxiety about prices have also fueled Italic\u2019s push into cost-per-use messaging, and Paulescu-Kal\u00e9 said that when it\u2019s possible, the brand is seeking to lower costs and \u201ctrying our hardest\u201d to not pass tariff-related costs onto consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the right and the fair thing to do, and what we\u2019re seeing the customer demand,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Leaning into dupe culture has its benefits, but not every brand outwardly embraces the dupe label. Italic, for one, doesn\u2019t use the word \u201cdupe\u201d in its marketing, and Paulescu-Kal\u00e9 said dupe culture is just one of several trends that can be incorporated into the brand\u2019s overall aesthetic.<\/p>\n
Makeup brands Este\u00e9 Lauder and Milani Cosmetics similarly don\u2019t often label their products as dupes of others in their typical marketing, execs told us. That doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t engage with the trend in other ways. Este\u00e9 Lauder recently designed an ad campaign around one of its flagship products, Advanced Night Repair Serum, being a dupe for beauty sleep.<\/p>\n