(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
Chinese luxury consumers hate feeling they chose the “cheap” option, yet they also hate overpaying. The perfect decoy bundle removes both fears by making the high-margin premium bundle appear as the obvious rational winner. Here’s how overseas brands engineer this effect at scale.
- Decoy Design Principles
1.1 The 15 % Price Gap Rule The decoy must be priced only 12–18 % below the target premium bundle. Anything cheaper feels like a different category and fails as a decoy.
1.2 Inferior on Emotional Items Remove exactly the items Chinese buyers care about most in the decoy (signature red gift box, zodiac charm, invitation to brand event).
- Xiaohongshu & Douyin Content Decoy Strategy
2.1 KOL Side-by-Side Comparison Top KOLs film themselves physically crossing out the decoy bundle on paper: “Same perfume, but no red box, no extra cream — I’ll take the big one!”
2.2 User-Generated Comparison Posts Seed templates where buyers post “I was going to buy Bundle B until I saw it was missing the velvet pouch that comes with Bundle C — upgraded immediately!”
- Membership-Exclusive Decoy
3.1 Black Card Early Access Show Black Card members the three bundles 48 hours early — 90 %+ pre-order the premium because the decoy looks weak next to it.
Case Study – British Luxury Skincare 2025 CNY Campaign
Bundles: ¥4,999 (core range), ¥8,888 (core + mini sizes), ¥9,999 (full sizes + gold mask + dragon-year red box + private dinner invitation). The ¥8,888 decoy was deliberately missing the dinner invitation. Result: 81 % chose ¥9,999 bundle, generating 76 % higher revenue than standalone product sales.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97 % of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
