Brokerage firms' "Customer Acquisition War" kicks off: birthday numbers, lucky numbers, consecutive numbers—pick whatever you like...

Ask AI · Why are brokerages shifting from commission wars to emotional value marketing?

“Birthday number,” “Lucky number,” “Consecutive numbers”… Once highly sought-after “beautiful numbers” in license plates and phone numbers, are now quietly entering the securities account opening market.

Recently, many brokerages have simultaneously launched optional “beautiful number” account services. New account opening users can choose their preferred account combination as their funding account based on personal preferences, and some brokerages even set it as a no-threshold basic service, with no additional capital or trading volume requirements.

Playing the “Beautiful Number” Card

According to reporters, several brokerages including Guojin Securities, Guoxin Securities, Hualin Securities, Eastmoney Securities, and Dongwu Securities have recently launched “beautiful number” account opening services, but their specific operation methods vary.

Among them, Guojin Securities and Guoxin Securities adopt exclusive traffic diversion models, where new users need to first connect with a client manager, use a dedicated activity link, input the last four digits of their desired account, and once confirmed, complete the full account opening process. Hualin Securities and Eastmoney Securities focus on lightweight online experiences; investors open the official app, search for keywords like “select beautiful number” or “666” on the homepage, and can directly access the number selection page for self-operation. Dongwu Securities requires entering through the app’s activity zone, purchasing the corresponding smart selection package to unlock the beautiful number rights. Depending on the package level, users can customize the account suffix into two, four, or six digits to meet diverse personalized needs.

Reporters also noticed that many brokerages target young customer groups on social platforms, promoting beautiful number account opening activities on channels like Xiaohongshu and short videos, bundling them with new customer financial literacy courses, AI investment advisory experience packages, and preferential commissions to further amplify marketing effects.

From investor feedback, it is clear that opening a beautiful number account precisely appeals to some consumers’ psychological needs. Many netizens ask on social platforms, “How to get a beautiful number.” Several new investors say that compared to tiny differences in commissions, exclusive lucky accounts bring a sense of ritual and psychological comfort. Some investors even assign “wealth attraction and good luck” to beautiful numbers, hoping for “smooth transactions.” However, rational investors admit that the account number itself has no relation to investment returns and they would not choose a brokerage solely based on a beautiful number.

“Before, if you wanted a good number, you either had to rely on luck or meet high asset thresholds,” a recent investor who successfully registered a “birthday number” through self-selection told reporters. “Now, opening an account via the app allows for customization, and the experience is much better.”

Refined Service

It is worth noting that the intense entry of brokerages into beautiful number marketing reflects a deeper shift in industry competition logic.

Interviewees generally believe that as the commission war continues to bottom out, industry homogenization and internal competition have become more severe. Relying solely on low prices to attract customers is no longer sustainable. Exploring emotional value and deploying refined operations have become key paths for brokerages to break through with low costs.

Liu Youhua, Director of Wealth Research at Paipai.com, analyzed that this wave of “beautiful number” service features three distinct characteristics: First, breaking high asset barriers, most brokerages now offer zero-threshold number selection, open to ordinary investors; second, lightweight operation relying on online apps for one-click number selection, aligning with young users’ habits; third, service bundling, combining beautiful numbers with investment advisory, wealth management, and preferential rights to enhance customer retention.

“This shift reflects changes in the business logic and competitive focus of the securities industry,” Liu further explained. Currently, the industry’s average commission rate has fallen to a low level, reducing the competitiveness of fee rate differences. Brokerages are gradually abandoning the “high-net-worth screening” mindset and shifting toward deepening the customer experience for the general public. Meanwhile, industry development has moved from rough growth in account numbers to focusing on customer retention and in-depth management. Using “emotional value” as an entry point helps solve homogenization problems and supports wealth management transformation. Additionally, providing nearly zero-cost value-added services can also create communication touchpoints for subsequent deep services like investment consulting and asset allocation.

A client manager from a brokerage told reporters: “There’s limited room for commission reduction, and customers are no longer sensitive to a few yuan difference. The current competition is shifting from front-end trading costs to back-end service experience and emotional connection.”

According to the Shanghai Securities Association, by 2025, the average commission rate in Shanghai’s A-shares market will drop to 0.192‰, a 13.9% decrease year-on-year. Excluding high-frequency quantitative trading, the average commission rate is 0.206‰. With commissions continuing to decline, brokerages seeking new differentiation methods is an inevitable choice.

Marketing Shortcomings Remain

Despite the eye-catching traffic effects, the hidden shortcomings of “beautiful number” marketing cannot be ignored.

“A few days ago, you promoted self-selected numbers, and tomorrow others can do the same. When everyone can choose numbers, it’s no longer a highlight but a standard. Plus, beautiful number resources are inherently scarce and cannot be fully widespread,” admitted a client manager from a brokerage. He pointed out that the replicability of beautiful number services is very high. Once it becomes an industry standard, its differentiation advantage will quickly diminish.

Financial commentator Zhang Xuefeng said that, in terms of the actual role of “beautiful numbers,” as a marketing tool, it may have some effect in attracting certain customer types and improving account opening experience. But in the long run, the healthy development of the securities industry requires establishing a more comprehensive and in-depth service system. How to balance short-term customer acquisition with long-term growth remains a key issue for industry participants.

Liu Youhua also noted that “beautiful numbers” as a marketing method can generate immediate traffic and increase account openings, but due to their scarcity and replicability, they are difficult to form long-term competitive barriers or effectively enhance customer loyalty, thus cannot support sustained business growth alone.

“To build genuine core competitiveness, brokerages need to go beyond superficial marketing and return to the essence of financial services,” Liu suggested. First, improve professional service capabilities to retain clients through asset allocation skills; second, adhere to long-term value creation, transforming from “channel providers” to trusted “asset allocation experts,” establishing solid customer relationships and brand moat; third, deepen technological empowerment and ecosystem construction, using digital means to provide full-process support before, during, and after investments, creating an integrated service platform to improve service efficiency and experience.

Reporter: Lu Yiwen

Text Editor: Chen Sai