Haidilao is on the search again, this time to “label” consumers. Recently, netizens broke the news that Haidilao privately tagged customers in the membership system,It mainly includes physical characteristics and personality needs, and some people are marked as “like to complain on the app”.
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Haidilao customer service said it is an internal system, and the label does not support modification. Some customers said that after they found out that they were tagged, the store manager apologized and sent gifts to compensate.
On February 24, Haidilao replied that this is an old news, and it has continued to optimize the relevant content since 2020, and it is expressly prohibited to make any remarks on customers’ personal information such as physical appearance and other characteristics.
Netizens have a lot of controversy about this. Many people believe that “labeling”, which seems to be critical to consumers, is actually a reasonable and common practice in the commercial field. If you change the expression of high emotional intelligence, the effect is completely different: if you say it is “remark information”, it can be understood that the business wants to provide “personalized service” to customers.
To be honest, from the motives of catering companies, making irresponsible remarks to customers is completely thankless, but it is easy to understand that “labeling” is embedded in part of the management mechanism: in order to maximize benefits. Therefore, Haidilao’s practice of “labeling” is probably mainly a business strategy for merchants.
People like the fireworks of the city, and hope that the corner is the familiar shop and the familiar waiter. This “retro” business environment, in the urban context of the stranger society, can only be realized through data and label memory. From this perspective, Haidilao’s approach is not surprising.
In particular, the service of Haidilao is often referred to as “intimate”. To achieve this level of service, it is impossible without accurate user portraits. From the perspective of customers, many people also hope that their demands such as “spicy”, “no ice” and “shrimp slide down by themselves” will be remembered by merchants and do not need to be emphasized every time.
However, unobjectionable “labeling” must be built on a premise – not discriminating against consumers. For example, if the purpose of the remarks information is to “eliminate” some consumers, for example, if the merchant picks out “incapable”, “difficult” and “critical” consumers, and deliberately lowers the service level or even does not provide services for them, then It also deviates from the original intention of the user portrait.
This is also the reason why Haidilao’s note “like to complain on the app” is particularly focused. People worry, what if I exercise my legitimate rights and are treated differently and differently by businesses?
In addition, “labeling” should also avoid offending customers. For example, it is not suitable to describe physical characteristics, because it is easy for consumers to have a feeling of being commented on. In the news, Haidilao apologized to a customer and sent a gift to compensate. Obviously, the label made the customer feel unhappy, and Haidilao also realized the problem.
Haidilao has been in the news many times, and some of them are indeed controversial and negligent in marketing methods and business details. Of course, it is also related to the brand’s “Internet celebrity physique” that is easy to attract hackers. Right now, including Haidilao, many catering companies are not having a good time. Catering companies will definitely come up with various solutions in terms of quality, service and price in order to tide over the difficulties, but customers’ feelings and social impact cannot be ignored.
Consumers do not have to deify these companies, such as the overwhelming praise of Haidilao; they do not have to demonize them, as if they have many ulterior motives. Some innovative management methods of enterprises should be evaluated objectively after a comprehensive understanding.
I hope Haidilao can understand the direction of this wave of disputes, avoid those sensitive points, and continuously optimize services. After all, customers definitely don’t want to be the object of being “stared”, but want to be respected from the heart of the businessman. Haidilao may wish to use this as a starting point to think about ideas for improvement.