The days of scraping and saving while keeping an eye on eBay to place the winning bid for those luxury purses, trousers, watches, or other items you have your heart set on are long gone. Any item you’re looking for may now be easily found on TikTok by searching for the best dupe, also known as a duplicate, and purchased almost instantaneously.
Danielle Carmody from Atlanta claims she frequently searches Instagram for dupes of commonplace items she wants to purchase. “I do not discover there’s a big difference among the real stuff and dupes, and I don’t have to pay four times the price,” she said.
Contrary to the millions of individuals who will seek for knockoffs of everything from basic leggings and exercise attire to purses, Dyson Airwraps, KitchenAid mixers, and even fragrances, Carmody has a strict line she won’t cross. She remarked, “I see the quality difference with price, so I don’t like getting dupes on things like handbags and shoes.”
What are dupes?
This year, dupes have emerged as one of the most popular purchasing trends, particularly among younger consumers who embrace social media and internet shopping. Red-hot inflation in the previous year may have encouraged consumers to shop for less costly dupes in order to save money, but it’s also now fashionable and enjoyable to look for the “best dupes” on specific things. Popular, reputable journals like Teen Vogue and Shape routinely compile lists of knockoffs for name-brand products, including leggings and beauty products.
How big is the dupes economy?
It’s challenging to be precise. The majority of data are concerned with the almost $1.7 trillion “counterfeit” market. Dupes and counterfeits aren’t exactly the same thing. Dupes resemble or copy the outward appearance of other things, but they do not imitate a trademarked product’s brand name or emblem the way a counterfeit, or fake, does.
However, the rise in popularity of dupes may be seen in search trends. According to Google Trends, searches for “dupe” have nearly reached a record high since 2004. #dupe has received 4.3 billion views on TikTok, up from 3.6 billion in April, and #doop has had approximately 315 million views, up from just over 223 million.
There are now apps available specifically for dupe searches, some of which are product-specific. For instance, Brandefy focuses on discovering dupes for products linked to beauty, which makes it easier to locate users suitable and economical dupes.
According to Daniel Shapiro, senior vice president of strategic alliances and brand relationships at Red Points, a company that aids businesses in fighting counterfeits, piracy, impersonation, and distribution abuse, the boom in dupes has also been partially attributed to the rise in e-commerce.
“E-commerce is growing at a fast, amazing rate,” he declared. “You can order today and receive it tomorrow. People can keep up with trends without paying a fortune because everything moves so quickly. You can watch a $25,000 gown on Sunday’s Grammy Awards show, discover that silhouette online within 36 hours, and purchase it.
Who’s buying dupes?
According to YPulse, which compiles studies on Gen Z (born 1997 to 2013) and Millennials (born 1981-1996), young customers are the most likely to purchase knockoffs since they can’t afford premium goods.
According to YPulse, 47% of people aged 13 to 39 admitted to buying a knockoff or counterfeit of a luxury good. Women were more inclined (52%) than males to do so.