"Haulers." A weird word that has nothing to do with heavy labor. It actually stands for a group of young people who get free stuff from retailers just by taping their "steals" on youtube. Before the invention of the Internet when we wanted to tell our friends about the things we did or bought we'd call them or tell them at work or school...face to face.
But then something happened: youtube was invented. It allows us to publish even the most mundane facts about our lives so that strangers can comment on it. In the retail world the concept has been used as an advantage:
Look at this clip provided on npr.org from youtube: [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129187210]
(The article states that some "haulers" get more than 75 million viewers!)
Taking what the young person population does naturally and then give them free products to create a trickle down effect. Their friends will try it, then the friends of their friends and so on. This is nothing new.
Amazon, Sephora, Forever 21, Apple, almost any brand that has an online site has user comments. Sites like Amazon and Sephora practically beg you to leave comments about products recently purchased. It's a productive way for potential customers to see how products are received by the general population.
Many times it is an essential tool, especially for pricey products. It's an objective opinion because there is no threat of employees or retailers doing whatever they can to get you to purchase. This youtube phenomenon is just a better way to accomplish the same thing by making it interactive.
By: Samantha Taylor
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