Chinese retail store replaces mannequins with actual women walking on treadmills

Gone are the times when we hardly had any options for buying goods or services. Today, we live in a world where consumers are overwhelmed with choices which has led to cut-throat competition between the suppliers. Recently, an incident involving a Chinese retail store taking the unexpected step to grab eyeballs has got everyone thinking about the dynamic shift in retail marketing. The video shared on X has now gone viral and shows a Chinese retail chain swapping traditional mannequins with real women walking on the treadmills.

As shocking as it may sound, the real-life news has created a hurricane, emphasizing the elevated competition in the world of promotion and marketing. As seen in the video, the gorgeous women can be seen wearing fashionable clothes and walking on treadmills just like ramp models. Their straight and neutral faces allowed the audience to focus entirely on their clothes, which is what mannequins are typically used for.

While the marketing strategy is unusual, it worked wonderfully and as expected people stopped to look at the women model the products live. The 11-second video clip has paved the way for widespread discussion with some people calling it an “innovative approach” and others saying it a “weird unskilled dehumanizing job.” According to the video shared by @gunsnrosesgirl3, the marketing strategy was adapted, believing that this would help "customers see how the garments fit and move on a person."

Reacting to the outlandish way of promoting a brand, several people flooded the comment section with their sarcastic and hilarious opinions. At the same time, many people also shared their concern for the models and questioned if the store makes them "walk for 8 hours a day."

@KusumMi77984401 showered praises on the store's brilliant promotional tactics and wrote, "Replacing mannequins with real women on treadmills gives customers a better sense of how clothes truly fit and move. A step forward in retail!" "I wonder if they will one day be replaced with robots that look exactly like them,"@RobertBroganNFT asked, considering the current landscape where manual work is eventually getting replaced by technology. Interestingly, an individual on X, @10acitee, commented, "Well, at least these models don't have to go to the gym after work," while looking at the brighter side for the models.

Although this particular incident from China has taken over the internet, peculiar yet astonishing marketing strategies across brands have made headlines previously as well. In another similar incident, @Buhlenomuhle shared a post on X and revealed a supermarket's genius marketing that is a blessing for families with lower incomes. The person shared a picture of a combo meal put together for a more economical purchase.

According to the picture, this particular under $6 meal combo includes a capsicum, a potato, an onion, a tomato, and a can of meat, making a perfect balanced meal. Buying ingredients separately is often more expensive which eventually leads to many choosing less healthy and pre-packaged alternatives. People on social media were evidently impressed with the store's strategy and applauded the affordable and tasty option.