Sell something useless
Apparently Labubu, the cute plushie with a wicked smile, has become a thing. It reminds me of an anecdote about Pop Mart, the company behind it.
The company has been teaming up with indie designers for years to turn original characters into toys. Understandably, it's quite difficult to get the consumers pay for cartoon images they've never seen before, no matter how cute they look. During the design process, a staff member suggested “Why don't we make it useful by adding a USB port?”
Wang Ning, the founder of Pop Mart, dismissed the idea. He argued that adding a utility to an otherwise “useless” fashion item strips away its “magic”. A fashion item is reduced to a mere commodity. Now the vast of majority of consumers will think of this item as a glorified USB adapter. And they don't need another USB adapter.
A similar idea is being discussed in Japan’s retail industry, where businesses are said to be transitioning from selling “mono” (もの) to selling “koto” (こと). Both words translate to “things” in English. The distinction lies in that “mono” means a tangible object. While “koto” means something intangible, for example, an event or an experience.