Creating a travel shop for “Princess of the Assembly Line” collapsed during the holiday.
Behind the seemingly low threshold, tourists are waiting for subtle "invisible consumption." Taking makeup as an example, most tourists do not know that the package only includes upper eyelashes, and if you want to add lower eyelashes, you have to pay extra. Additionally, for face glitter and stickers, you have to pay more if you want more sparkle. The biggest extra charge comes from selecting additional retouched photos later, with each additional retouched photo costing an extra forty to fifty yuan. Many shops promise retouching, which is actually done by specialized AI software with just 0.3 yuan cost per photo.
文 | Wang Xiao Guo Siwen Chen Jingxuan
Editor | Xinye
Operations | Cream puff
Travel photography store going out of business or up for sale.
The Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are connected, which is considered a small peak season for many shops in Dali Ancient Town. Many photography studios need to make preparations in advance to welcome a large number of customers. They need to stock up on false eyelashes, hairpins, and glitter for makeup, and confirm whether various styles of ethnic costumes are in good condition.
This year, Li Li's preparation is very different. He settled the wages of the makeup artist and photographer, sat in front of the computer typing the "relocation notice" word by word, and then removed the group-buying link from the platform. Li Li decided to close the store. The online store can no longer be accessed, the offline door is also locked, and the store closure notice hangs there lonely.
This decision had signs of happening during this year's summer break. July and August are the peak season for tourism in Dali, Yunnan. Many parents bring their children to Yunnan during this time, and the entire Ancient City of Dali is crowded with people. When viewed from above, it looks like a dense crowd. For photography studios, these two months are also the peak season. They can earn more money during this time compared to other times because "everyone wants to keep a memento."
Dali Ancient City is packed with people | Tuchong Creative
In previous years, during these two months, Li Li would be busy all day, from early morning to late at night, with a constant stream of customers coming for photography sessions. However, this summer vacation, the customer flow has significantly decreased. Li Li had to reduce the price of the travel photography package from 599 yuan all the way down to 349 yuan, stating that "even the cost is barely covered." When the holiday rush died down, Li Li checked the accounts of the shop and found that the money earned was barely enough to pay the rent. Li Li lamented, "It's been like this for these two months, and it's just not worth it anymore."
"The two busy months are already difficult to sustain, not to mention the off-season. After a rough calculation, Li found that he could no longer afford to invest more manpower and resources into supporting the store. He would rather close the store and settle this worry."
In the relocation notice, Li deliberately wrote a line: "Fellow photographers, please don't come." In his view, this is a kind reminder. Poor management in travel photography shops is not uncommon. After circling the ancient city, not only are there very few new travel photography shops, but also those that were once thriving are now closed. In some shops, the mannequins that were not removed in time are leaning to one side, and the Bai and Yi ethnic costumes on the mannequins have disappeared, leaving behind a mess. It is estimated that "there must be dozens of shops closing down."
Not only in Dali Ancient Town, hundreds of kilometers away in Xishuangbanna, many tourist photo shops have also changed their businesses. Over the past two years, Zhao Xinyu has been working as a travel photo evaluation blogger, self-funded to evaluate tourist photo studios across the country. She calls herself the "wild inspector of tourist photography nationwide."
Two years ago, Zhao Xinyu found more than a dozen travel photography studios with excellent makeup quality and good aesthetics in Xishuangbanna. However, when she went again this year, she circled around the location in her memory several times but couldn't find them. After inquiring, she learned that "most of them have closed or changed ownership," and those travel photography studios have now become specialty shops, fruit shops, or clothing stores.
Some stores, even if they haven't closed, are struggling to support themselves. Earlier this year, Zhang Yunni, a post-95 freelance photographer, saw a lot of information about transferrable travel photography shops in Xishuangbanna. Among them, there was one that had been operating in the scenic area for three years, maintaining good ratings and reputation on the platform. She was very tempted, and after discussing with her boyfriend, they decided to take over the business, leaving their residence of nine years in Hangzhou and flying to Xishuangbanna.
Compared to opening a new store, taking over an old store is much easier. There is no need to spend money on renovation and decoration, and there is no need to build up a new customer base. The store already has a group of fans, and the transfer fee is also very cheap. Zhang Yunni invested very little in this store, totaling around 160,000 yuan. In her original plan, she thought she could break even before the National Day holiday in October.
Zhang Yunni's Travel Photography Shop | Images provided by interviewee
After taking over the store, Zhang Yunni found that the business was far from being as smooth as she had imagined. Even though the online store has a perfect rating of 5.0 on Dianping, if she wants to be found by more consumers, she still needs to pay for promotion. Natural traffic is also very limited, and Zhang Yunni feels that "this year's tourists seem to be less interested in taking photos". Her store's package prices start at 399 yuan, including clothing, makeup, and photography. Even if someone visits, they would just leave with a comment like "Why is your place so expensive" before leaving.
The plan to break even before Singles' Day has also gone down the drain. After months of expenditure, the income barely covers the expenses. "I haven't received any orders for a week already." But Zhang Yunni continues to invest, not only in clothing purchases and cleaning but also in personnel wages and expenses for various platforms. During the peak season, she needs to make one to two thousand yuan a month, and even during the off-season, she still needs several thousand. She vaguely feels that even after the Singles' Day holiday, it may not be possible to break even.
On social media, many people have also shared their experiences of traveling photo shops going out of business. Some tourists took photos at a travel photo shop, but have not received the retouched pictures yet. Upon searching again, they found that the platform had already displayed a "closed" sign, feeling emotional and saying, "Is it so difficult to do business now?" There are also people who followed a friend's recommendation to find a travel photo studio, but the store has been closed for over two months, with "dust on the doorknob."
"Huge photography studio"
In the past few years, travel photography was once a track flowing with milk and honey. When tourists traveled far and wide in search of their inner poetry and distant places, a group of people picked up their cameras and poured into the seemingly lucrative travel photography industry.
The trend looks very enticing, prompting some people to decisively switch careers and dive into travel photography. Li Li, who originally worked in the bridal photography industry focusing on sample development, found himself caught up in the wind of travel photography in early 2023 when it blew into Dali. In the ancient city, one can casually take a few steps and encounter people dressed in elaborate outfits, especially during the peak season. Almost every street with some flowers, city walls, or brick embellishments has a tourist posing for photos every few meters. Whether they are dressed as ethnic minority girls or transformed into exotic princesses, "even the poses directed by the photographers are the same."
At that time, the marriage market was weak, and the business of wedding photography was also sluggish. Li Li thought that this might be a good opportunity for transformation. In April of last year, he bought a two-story, 80-square-meter pitched-roof building and specialized in ethnic photography. The shop was located at the corner of the street in the ancient city of Dali.
This two-story building carries many of Li's expectations. After buying it, he meticulously decorated the storefront, installed new air conditioners, and planted roses and night-blooming jasmine in the flower beds beside the building. The second-floor terrace is filled with succulents. In his original plan, he hopes to work for a few more years steadily and continuously.
More than just Li Li, there are also many people from the wedding photography industry transitioning to doing travel photography, as Zhao Xinyu has seen more. When experiencing travel photography, she found that many makeup artists used to do makeup for brides, but in recent years, fewer young people are getting married, causing many bridal photo studios to close down. As a result, many makeup artists and photographers have directly entered the travel photography industry, as the required skills are quite similar.
The photo studio went out of business, and many wedding dress photographers and makeup artists have joined travel photography shops. | China News Service
The demand for travel photography from all over the country has once overwhelmed industry practitioners. Zhao Xinyu learned that a seasoned makeup artist can earn twenty to thirty thousand yuan per month doing travel photography during the peak season.
Before the freelance photographer Zhang Yunni took over a travel photography studio as the boss, she had also experienced the joy of "picking money". Right after the epidemic lifted, she stayed in Xishuangbanna for more than two months. She did not actively operate her own social media, occasionally posting a photography sharing once every one or two weeks. Nevertheless, there were still people messaging her every day to book photography sessions. During that time, working only one or two hours a day could easily earn her a monthly income of over ten thousand yuan, "money was really easy to earn".
And transferring the shop to Zhang Yunni's boss has also planted more expectations in her. This travel photography shop opened in 2020, with the lowest price for a set of portraits being 699 yuan. This price was considered average in Xishuangbanna at that time, and they could earn three to four hundred thousand in a month, "business was not slow at all".
But as more and more people smell the scent of money, even those who have no experience in photography or makeup want to get a piece of the cake.
In her spare time, Zhang Yunni would pay attention to and observe the other businesses in the Starlight Night Market. Last year when she was living there, there weren't many travel photography shops in the night market. The stalls selling fruits, local specialties, or various small ornaments were the most common. But this year, the situation has completely changed, with travel photography studios dominating the scene. "The Starlight Night Market is like a huge photography studio now."
In this "photo studio", it seems like everyone can become a photographer or makeup artist. The level of skill and experience seems to be the least important thing. Zhang Yunni remembers that there was a vendor who had been selling watermelons at a stall before. In less than a month, he transformed himself and picked up a camera, joining the ranks of travel photographers.
Originally a business storefront, with slight modifications, it can be transformed into a travel photography studio. Zhao Xinyu once had an experience at a travel photography studio located in Fenghuang Ancient Town. While having her makeup done, she clearly felt that the makeup artist was not professional, using only four or five makeup products to complete a full makeup look. After finishing her eyebrows, Zhao Xinyu looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that her eyebrows were uneven in height, making her appear as if she was about to cry. It was only after a few conversations that she found out that prior to this, the makeup artist had surprisingly only done makeup for herself.
The comments from the neighbors around the travel photography studio made Zhao Xinyu laugh and cry, "This store was still selling barbecue last month." Seeing two makeup tables being carried in and hiring a few people responsible for makeup and photography, a travel photography studio opened like this.
There is also a type of travel photography store that doesn't even have employees. Qin Sang once worked as a photographer in a travel photography store in Lijiang. She has seen many one-person travel photography stores, where the owners first play the role of salespersons. Once they have secured a deal, they would then quickly find a makeup artist and a photographer from the neighboring stores, thus completing the team. In the travel photography industry, these one-person travel photography stores are called "wild shops".
In this mode, the boss won't hire any employees. When customers come in, they will first assist in selecting clothes. During the customer's changing period, the boss will then find makeup artists and photographers before settling the order payment.
swept at a low price
The hot travel photography industry is following the surge of traffic.
Last November, when Zhao Xinyu went to Harbin to explore photo studios, she mentioned, "In the whole of Harbin, there are not more than three travel photography studios." She went to take photos at Sophia Square, and also took a walk at the nearby Golden Sunmall. It was a nearly deserted building with only a few open shops selling old clothes, cotton pants, and doing business for just a few tens of yuan, with very few customers visiting.
When "Erbin" became popular, Zhao Xinyu went there again and found that everything had changed. In less than a month, the former Jintaiyang Shopping Mall had turned into the "Heilongjiang Travel Photography Base," with hundreds of new travel photography stores squeezed into the old mall. The rent has also increased from two to three thousand per month to nearly ten times that amount. Even for a small shop, the annual rent would be at least one hundred thousand.
After the travel photography becomes popular, the first thing that changes is the price.
Since around August or September last year, Li Li discovered that many new travel photography studios have emerged in Dali Ancient Town, and their package prices are getting lower and lower. Most of them offer packages for 299 RMB, 199 RMB, or even buy one get one free for 199 RMB, where you can take a set of photos, and some even offer a free set of men's clothing when you purchase women's clothing.
Not only are more and more shops opening, but there are also many seniors on the streets of the ancient city handing out flyers. After inquiring in many ways, Li finally understood the logic of making money at low prices. In the travel photography industry, people handing out flyers are called "little bees." They stay in the busiest areas of the scenic spots, with flyers printed with the low price of 199 or 299, attracting tourists to take photos with a relatively low entrance fee, emphasizing "small profits but quick turnover." For a flyer priced at 199 yuan, the little bees can earn a commission of 100 yuan.
But behind the seemingly low threshold, tourists are waiting for subtle "invisible consumption." Taking makeup as an example, most tourists do not know that the eyelashes in the package only include the upper eyelashes. If they want to attach the lower eyelashes, it will cost extra. As for the glitter and stickers on the face, if they want a bit more shine, they have to spend a bit more. The biggest additional charge occurs when selecting additional retouched photos later, with each additional retouched photo costing an extra forty to fifty yuan. And many stores' agreed-upon retouching is actually a dedicated AI software for whitening and slimming with just a cost of 0.3 yuan per photo.
Opposite Li Li's shop is a typical "bundle pricing" store, where you can buy two sets for 199 yuan. Although the early profits per order are not high, only a few tens of yuan, the advantage lies in attracting a large number of customers due to the low price and high turnover. Sometimes Li Li chats with the photographer from the shop across the street: they can photograph over a hundred pairs of customers in a day. The money earned from the actual photography is not much, but when you factor in the fees for post-production and selecting photos, at most, they can earn nearly 20,000 yuan in a day.
It is hard for Li Li to imagine the intensity of taking more than a hundred pairs of customers per day. Generally speaking, at Li Li's shop, simple makeup takes about an hour. Some complex makeup may take even longer, for example, Western makeup requires hair styling and makeup and takes about an hour and a half. In cheaper shops, the service and prices are reduced, so doing makeup in about ten minutes is already considered lengthy. The shooting process is even more exaggerated - when there are many people, customers take turns standing in the same place, the photographer takes a dozen shots to the left, a dozen shots to the right, and then the shooting is done, "without even moving the location."
Zhang Yunni usually strolls in the night market and finds that the "little bees" are usually middle-aged and elderly people who look friendly. They have well-prepared conversations. When they encounter young women, they will say charming words and use some PUA-style urging; when they see couples, they will grab the man and use deepening relationships as an excuse, sometimes pretending to accuse straight men of not taking good photos; when encountering a family, they will target the older women in the family - often they are the ones who have the active power in travel consumption decisions. With this process, it is always difficult for the selected person to refuse.
There are also many layers of routines when putting on makeup. When a group of customers enters the store and changes into selected clothes, the boss will opportunistically separate the customers and provide one-on-one guidance. The makeup artists usually complain to the customers, saying that they don't have a basic salary and rely solely on customers' additional spending for income. After going through a session, customers who leave for photography will have their faces glowing.
Many consumers once felt that they were "trapped" by hidden consumption, including Zhao Xinyu. In 2022, when she traveled to Xishuangbanna, she took a group of travel photos. After choosing the photos, she waited for a long time at home but did not receive the retouched pictures. When she called to inquire, the travel photography store said she needed to pay more money, or else they wouldn't provide the retouched pictures. Although very uncomfortable, Zhao Xinyu really wanted the photos, so she had to pay extra money. However, the retouched pictures she received were so sloppy that it left her speechless, "like they were quickly processed using AI templates." With no way to complain, in a fit of anger, she became a review blogger to help more people "avoid traps."
Roll to the end.
For Li Li, the end of the price war was filled with bitterness.
Visibly, almost all the customers have been snatched by low-priced travel photography stores. In the past peak season, the schedule at the Li Li store was packed every day, but now it has become very quiet, with maybe only one order coming in every few days. Online, many people inquire about prices from Li Li, but most of them will stop engaging after hearing the price of 399 yuan. When they come in person, the customers frown and leave.
Zhāng Yúnnī has also experienced having clients stolen. Not only have the number of people entering the store decreased, but sometimes even clients who have appointments in advance can also be snatched away. One time, Zhāng Yúnnī made an appointment with a client to do makeup at 7 PM. She had already shared her location, but when 7 PM arrived, the client was nowhere to be seen, and didn't reply to messages. After calling, she found out that the client was already getting makeup done at another store.
This situation is not uncommon. On the way to the travel photography shop, you will pass by many other travel photography shops. Sometimes you might be attracted by other low-priced shops, sometimes you might be "hijacked" by the older folks, and the "buzzing bees trying to pull customers are quite persistent."
With the increase in the number of discount stores, the explanation about prices is also increasing in cost. Initially, the market was all about 399 yuan or 499 yuan for travel photography, and customers' perceived price was there. Now, with discount stores everywhere, every time customers question the high prices, Li always has to repeatedly emphasize: there are no hidden costs in the store, and their own store follows the quality route. However, in reality, most customers do not buy into such explanations.
Low-cost travel photography swamps the market | Dianping screenshot
In a low-price atmosphere, Li Li also had to lower prices. When it first opened, the all-inclusive package was priced at 599 yuan. Since then, the market has been going downhill. Last summer, Li Li lowered the price to 499 yuan, and this summer it was reduced by another 100 yuan. The lowest package even dropped to 349 yuan, "I really can't lower it anymore."
Every time the price is reduced, Li Li has to recalculate the costs and revenue of employees, rent, and other items in her mind. As Li Li's profit decreases, so does the commission for the employees. The photographers and makeup artists in the store used to be able to make about a hundred yuan per order, but now it has dropped to seventy or eighty yuan.
Walking the route of quality and cutting prices are almost irreconcilable contradictions. It's very difficult for Li Li to reduce costs. The makeup artist and photographer he hired are of higher quality, and the labor costs are higher. Unless he completely transforms into a low-cost travel photography shop with a conveyor belt model, there is simply no room for price reduction.
The travel photography market is also experiencing a period of turbulence. Last August, Qinsang joined a travel photography studio, only to discover that it was quite different from what he had imagined. Most of the photographers in the studio had no prior experience, let alone a portfolio. As long as they owned a camera and "knew how to press the shutter button, they could get started."
At that time, the price for a set in the store was 298 yuan, and the photographer could earn 20%. During the peak season, there was even more to be made. However, this year, the price has dropped to 198 yuan. When divided, a makeup artist and a photographer each only earn thirty to forty yuan. "Many people are no longer willing to do it." In January of this year, Qin Sang also resigned from the travel photography studio.
The continuously escaping and injured customers. Qian Wei traveled to Dali in August this year. She and her friends wanted to take a set of travel photos as a memento. While strolling in the ancient city of Dali, they encountered the "little honeybees," speaking in a Northeastern accent, holding a tablet with various promotional images. Before they could react, they were surrounded and ushered into a shop.
The location of the store is very hidden, one has to go through an alley and walk to a deep corner before being able to see it. The store has a size of about thirty square meters, with many models wearing ethnic clothes displayed. However, the clothes worn by these models cannot be provided to customers upon inquiry. The clothes that customers can choose from are placed in plastic bags in the fitting room. There are many people coming and going, and the clothes have become quite old and a bit dirty, "the silver jewelry is all broken."
There is no escape from hidden costs when it comes to makeup. It was originally agreed that the makeup service would cover everything, but upon arrival at the store, I was informed that there would be an additional charge for men's makeup. If I wanted to add false eyelashes or have makeup done on my shoulders and neck, there would be extra charges as well.
The most frustrating part is the post-processing stage. When in the store, the staff were all very friendly, but after returning home, the photographer's attitude became lazy. It was agreed to have the edited photos ready in a week, but after waiting for almost half a month, there was still no sign of them. When I messaged to remind them, they would only reply briefly after five messages, and eventually stopped replying altogether.
Finally received the photo, but it's different from what was originally promised. Qian Wei found that the photo was mostly just brightened, some skin smoothening and light filling were done. The people in the background that were supposed to be removed were not edited out, making it look very messy. "Flaws on the face and clothes were also left uncorrected."
Qian Wei once tried to seek justice by calling the complaint hotline several times, but the issue remained unresolved - the fee was non-refundable, and despite the editor's attempt to make changes, only the brightness was adjusted. Eventually, it ended in nothing. Since then, Qian Wei has also been disappointed with travel photography.
The shop owner who wants to escape is eagerly waiting for someone to take over. Li Li decided to close the shop in Dali, but after posting the transfer notice, few people contacted him. There was only one person who showed stronger interest, but he was unwilling to pay the transfer fee. "Forget it, let's just keep waiting."
Also waiting are the travel photography shops that are unwilling to lower prices or to leave. Zhang Yunni does not want to do assembly line photography, and she still employs skilled makeup artists and photographers. When she took over the shop, the previous owner shared his experience with her: the peak season in Xishuangbanna is in the winter. During that time, one can easily make one or two thousand each month. "Even during the Chinese New Year, you can make back a year's worth of money."
Zhang Yunni does not know what the situation will be like in the winter. She only knows that currently, she is not making as much money as she did working, "just spending money to entertain herself." However, Zhang Yunni still wants to wait a little longer. She is unwilling to close the store just like that, and wants to wait for the legendary hot winter.