Temple fairs can help ‘sell’ tradition to next generation

DURING THE HOLIDAY, toys based on mobile games, such as dolls based on the character in Travel Frog, have become bestsellers at the temple fairs held in many cities. Rednet.cn comments:

Travel Frog dolls are just one of the bestsellers at the fairs based on mobile games. The vendors at temple fairs always sell dolls of the most popular cartoon figures, from Peppa Pig to Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf to the frog of today.

But the strange thing is, the same dolls do not sell as well online. In an age when online shopping has become the most popular way to buy stuff, this is rather rare.

Yet temple fairs grant people unique experiences that online shopping platforms lack: People can feel the atmosphere, see the toys for themselves and have fun at the fairs.

The temple fairs are part of traditional culture and as such create a feeling of historical continuity. It can be said that the vendors at the temple fairs are selling not things but feelings.

That’s a wonderful, irreplaceable cultural experience that people cannot get anywhere else.

Online shopping is see, click and done, so there is no real emotional satisfaction from the process, that’s why many people are returning to bricksand-mortar stores.

It is why the claw crane arcade machines are so popular. Although people know that grabbing a doll is unlikely, they still enjoy it. The reason is that the game experience is more rewarding than the potential prize. Similarly, although people pay more to buy the merchandize on sale at temple fairs than they would buy it online, the experience of the once-a-year temple fair is what is valued the most.

In a word, online shops cannot totally replace offline retail stores, especially those with cultural elements and unique shopping experiences. But in order to prosper in the age of the internet, offline shops must learn to adopt online elements too.