She is France’s most popular shopping influencer, with 348,000 followers on YouTube, 168,000 followers on Instagram, and 108,000 followers on TikTok.
In total she has attracted millions of views across all social media platforms.
She is also a key player in a new competitive segment of the influencer economy, in which social media personalities such as @Elise_cm, @Alicia_tv_ or @anaissanson_officiel battle for supremacy over the course of countless videos.
She is called Razika – she declined to give her surname in order to protect herself from unwanted harassment – and lives in Alfortville (Val-de-Marne). But her devoted followers know her under another name, mes_secrets_de_nana (My lady secrets).
Videos on discount supermarket deals
Razika publishes videos about the trips she makes down the aisles in some of France’s most popular discount supermarkets such as Action, Lidl or Aldi.
In her clips she lets shoppers know the new products and good deals currently on the shelves.
On October 18 alone, she published three videos, one from Lidl in Santeny (Val-de-Marne), one from Action in Servon (Seine-et-Marne), and one from Aldi in Brie Comte Robert (Seine-et-Marne).
Read more: Which is the cheapest supermarket chain in France?
Sniffing out the bargains
Her passion to sniff out the best bargains has no fixed schedule, but she has been known to work seven days a week and late into the night on some occasions.
Although she has left her job working at the mairie, and earns a living from the revenues she makes from posting her videos, she does not consider it to be a full-time job.
She stressed this several times during her interview with The Connexion.
How did Mes secrets de nana start?
In 2018, when I was in an Action supermarket.
I have always had a knack for finding things at discount prices and for getting good deals, so I often looked out for them when I went shopping.
Based on countless conversations I’ve had with people who did not know these brands, I thought making videos about them would be a positive experience for viewers.
I found it challenging when I launched on social media because of all the questions people and staff asked me as I wandered in the aisles.
Staff wanted to know how allowing such an activity would benefit them. But my community grew over time.
Why do you do this?
It is my daily life. I do not like to say that it is work because it is a passion actually.
I spend my days sharing everyday products. I help people save time and money with their grocery shopping, particularly for arrivages (new products hitting the shelves).
Read more: These apps and coupons help you save on your French supermarket shop
Was it specifically centred on daily new products at the beginning?
Not necessarily. It was mostly about deals on everyday products. But as the popularity of my videos soared, people started asking lots of questions, and I got caught up in it.
I started exploring new themes, including arrivages, and shot more and more videos.
I go to shops even on Sundays. Lidl receives its new lines on Sundays, for instance.
You are by far the most popular grocery-shopping influencer across all social media platforms. Why do you think you are so successful?
I think because I was the first one to explore this idea.
Many YouTubers have shot ‘hauls’ – videos that become very popular for showing viewers their shopping bags of general items, or make-up and clothes. But nobody was filming themselves walking in the aisles to find those products.
My strength is that I can show and tell what I see, the brands, the prices, the difference in sizes and colours, for many products.
People are walking with me – virtually – from their couch at home.
I also think people like that I’m genuine. I have been doing this for five years but I have not changed.
They hear the same voice and see the same person presenting products in exactly the same way. I am like the well-known brands’ sections, I do not change.
Read more: 11 tips to save money on your food shopping in France
You have said that you are neither paid by shop brands nor have partnerships to promote their products. Do you think this attitude has contributed to your success?
I do not sign partnerships because I wish to remain free to say what I like.
I do not want to let myself be influenced by anyone else, or be told what to say. I do not know if this explains my success.
I think for most people, whether I’m paid or not doesn’t make a difference to them. Many think I work for these companies.
You have chosen to focus only on discount retailers such as Action, Lidl and Aldi, and only go to those in the Ile-de-France region. Why?
Because these are my local shops. I have expanded the shops over time to include Carrefour and Leclerc because I want viewers to find what they are looking for, the products they want that I might not choose for myself.
I do not just shop around Ile-de-France. I went to a Lidl in Nice, and in Cannes while I was on holiday.
Even on holiday I shoot videos. Have you heard of people doing this? I do not say that “I am working”, I say “I shoot videos”.
You can sometimes see me walking down the aisles around 9 o’clock at night. Supermarket staff know me now, and viewers often come to talk to me. It is wonderful.
Do you think the success of your videos is in part because of rising inflation?
Well, it really shifted during lockdown and again once it was lifted.
I have also noticed that people are more interested in watching videos about saving money on everyday household products when rising inflation prevents them from filling up their trolleys.
I actually attract more views for the videos I make about clothes or home decoration items than I do for videos about food.
It is maybe a mistake for me not to make videos that attract the most views. I really do not do it for fame or money.
I make videos to help people find the best deals, or to save money if they are on a tight budget.
These deals exist for home decoration and household items as well, but this is not what I’m about.
Read more: Why are essential items so expensive in France?
In the past, supermarkets had a marketing technique that focused on the origin of products, such as ‘Made in France’ for instance. Have you noticed a return to price as the main selling point?
People have had less and less money over the past few years. That is not a new trend.
Some viewers criticised me for highlighting products made in China or Morocco. But ultimately consumers will think about their budgets before the well-being of the producer.
Organic products are less affordable than previously. That is something I have noticed.
There are more and more discount supermarkets coming to France (TEDi, Primaprix, Toujust, Atacadão). Does your success come from people becoming poorer?
No. People are sometimes stigmatised for being poor because they go to Lidl or Action. This should not be the case.
It should actually be the other way around. More people should be going to these supermarkets considering that many have brands with great low prices.
I do not know where the stigma comes from. Maybe because in Lidl, for instance, there were no brands, and people used to take products straight from the cardboard boxes.
This is how it was when I was younger, but I believe that this stigma has now passed.
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