Chapter 452: Business Circle 3.0

In the following days, Linchuan welcomed a week of sunshine. Though still chilly, it was much better than before.

Jiang Qin had been closely monitoring the news about the group-buying market to understand the moves of various companies.

“Dianping has entered Kyoto and plans to expand to four first-tier cities within two months. They’re rapidly moving downward, offering discounts up to 50% off, and even launching one-yuan flash sale lavish meals.”

“True to its reputation as a veteran lifestyle service site, it really is fierce.”

“Moreover, Nuomi announced that they had raised 150 million. However, things are still stable at the Shanghai branch. Nuomi’s primary target seems to be Lashou, according to feedback from Sun Zhi. It’s the same situation in Shanghai.”

“It seems that Lashou, lacking funds, is now the softest target.”

Jiang Qin listened to Ye Ziqing’s report and analyzed the current situation.

Besides second and third-tier cities, Nuomi’s most crucial business areas are in Shanghai and Shanghai, and its competitor has always been Lashou.

Lashou is a giant in the group-buying market, known for its aggressive spendthrift style, which has made many enemies. For nearly a year, they have been suppressing Nuomi.

This time, Nuomi got the funding before Lashou and will surely strike back hard.

And for PinTuan, though it holds a third of the Shanghai market, if it wants to fight a quick battle, Nuomi would target Lashou first.

Everyone knows that PinTuan doesn’t win by outspending; compared to cash-strapped Lashou, it’s the toughest competitor in the market. To achieve quick results, we need to keep good relations with PinTuan and focus on Lashou’s territory.

The second and third-tier city markets are already saturated. The biggest tree attracts the most wind.

For Lashou, they took advantage of Suixin Group being a big target to overtake them, and now they themselves have become that big target.

“Tell Sun Zhi to prepare. If Nuomi encircles Lashou in Shanghai, we’ll expand opportunistically and survive.”

“Did you plan to send Manager Sun to Shanghai right after New Year’s Day?” Ye Ziqing couldn’t help asking.

Jiang Qin pondered for a while: “Kind of. Nuomi and Lashou’s business areas overlap. No matter who gets funding first, they’ll surely hit hard. That’s inevitable because everyone in group-buying wants to dominate the market.”

Ye Ziqing thought for a long time: “So after entering Shanghai, the second target is not Kyoto but Shanghai?”

“Kyoto is too tough. Lashou’s headquarters are there, and we’re up against the well-established Dianping. Compared to Shanghai, this city’s waters are much deeper.”

“But Mr. Jiang, wars do end. Once Nuomi has the funding and takes down Lashou, we’ll become the sole target.”

“Do you think Nuomi will take us down easily after devouring Lashou?”

“I do have this concern…”

Jiang Qin took a sip of tea: “Lashou won’t just sit back and wait. The reason they haven’t secured funding is because they can’t accept Alibaba’s terms. But push anyone too hard, and even a cornered dog will jump the wall.”

After a pause, Ye Ziqing said, “Mr. Jiang, I don’t know if I’m right, but when I was with Suixin, I noticed a pattern.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“When the top two fight, the third often dies. If Lashou also gets an investment, we might be in even more trouble because then we’ll become the softest target.”

Jiang Qin thought for a moment: “That’s it. Once Lashou gets funding, we’ll leak rumors that we’ve also secured funds.”

Ye Ziqing showed a hint of surprise: “Really? Have we also raised money?”

“Not yet.”

“Then… how do we announce it?”

“We’re not a public company. What’s wrong with bluffing? If Lashou raises more money than Nuomi, we announce more than Nuomi, and if less, then more than Lashou. We won’t be the third. We aim to be the second!”

“A bluff? But we don’t have money. Won’t they find out with one probe?”

Jiang Qin put down his cup: “How do you know I don’t have it?”

Ye Ziqing: “…”

Jiang Qin didn’t explain further, hung up the phone, and thought about what chaos it would create when the financing news got out.

January 9th, heavy snow in Kyoto. Dianping’s advertisements filled the city, with breathtaking speed.

Discover beautiful life starting with Dianping.

A one-stop lifestyle service platform, making life better.

This site has always been about lifestyle services, with plenty of merchant resources. Its ranking feature is ready-made, making Dianping’s assault particularly fierce.

The pure white snow and orange-yellow posters formed a magnificent landscape, looking splendid.

Although not a holiday, Kyoto’s market was still booming. This is the strength of a veteran site.

Restaurants like River Hotpot, Qing Flower Pepper Grilled Fish, Xitian Milk Tea, Fresh Harvest Mr., Burger King, Yang’s, and snack convenience stores… these brands had accumulated a very good reputation and flourished in this trend.

River Hotpot focused on warm service, Qing Flower Pepper on taste and side dish buffet, Xitian on hunger marketing, Burger King on Crazy Thursdays and unabashed competitor-bashing, and Yang’s on affordable fast food and snacks.

With methods, distinct features, and being in the limelight, you couldn’t imagine their capability.

Additionally, brands from the fourth and fifth rounds also started to follow suit.

They first targeted second and third-tier cities according to the market penetration of group-buying websites. Developing rapidly, they also hurried to set up in Kyoto, feeling like running slow means missing out on money.

Foot massage parlors, coffee shops, beauty salons, clothing brands, beverage brands… were everywhere.

Meanwhile, at PinTuan headquarters, the meeting for Business Circle 3.0 officially commenced.

Their previous layout mainly focused on location, like which stores were next to each other and which could complement each other.

This time, they upgraded and interconnected the existing business districts.

You could order Xitian while dining at River Hotpot because they were close, with someone specifically assigned for delivery.

Dining at neighboring stores also lets you enjoy River Hotpot’s nail services, massages, and more.

Hotel brands collaborated with convenience and supermarket brands for direct, no-upcharge deliveries. Even opening a box of Smurfs not just provided a well-known brand but also a chance to enter a raffle.

You could also ask the waiter to use the intercom to order from nearby Yang’s, with someone delivering it upstairs.

And choosing in-hotel nail and massage services was also possible.

Moreover, mature brands in non-competitive fields were required to assist brands from the third to fifth rounds grow quickly, like site selection, supply channels, and surrounding information, all shared. This time, they aimed to genuinely lift others as they rose.

“Today is January 15, 2011, and the 3.0 joint marketing will officially start at the end of this month in Kyoto.”

“Any issues, adjust immediately. Any suggestions, report directly.”

“After this upgrade, the VIP value of Xihan Heqing will skyrocket. Since there are always people who don’t like or are unwilling to shop online, our offline membership plans will continue to push forward.”

“From here on out, we have a long way to go, be it three years, seven years, or even ten years. I hope everyone can collaborate sincerely and forge ahead.”

Under the winter sun, Jiang Qin, dressed in a suit, sat in the meeting room. After his final words, he slowly looked up, to prolonged applause.

After the meeting, matters about layout and training officially began.

Jiang Qin transferred a group from the field promotion team to continue familiarizing with the market and help the strategic marketing cooperative brands establish interconnected relationships.

This was like when Jiang Qin handled deliveries at Linchuan University for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, leveraging proximity to channel customers who came from Dianping into secondary sales, further excavating the market’s purchasing power.

At this moment, Jiang Qin maximized all the benefits brought by group-buying.

Not to mention other brands, just Xitian alone, a milk tea shop born on campus, now had branches nationwide.

Apart from increased brand valuation, several billion was definitely there.

And after this 3.0 upgrade, Xitian’s brand value would continue to climb, seemingly without end.

Jiang Qin once borrowed three million from the ‘little rich girl’ and three years later, he returned a milk tea brand worth several billion to her. This story, if out, would likely cause a sensation.

She was still naïve, knowing nothing at all, and totally unaware of how much her close friend cherished her.

Jiang Qin stretched lazily, looking at the bright sunshine outside, his mood exceptionally pleasant.

Meanwhile, Nuomi’s activities unfolded across Shanghai and Shanghai.

This time, they didn’t offer a 50% discount but instead a new gimmick called “spend a hundred, get a hundred back.”

These two promotions essentially meant the same, but the biggest difference was that the 50% discount wasn’t immediate: you could buy at the start of the month and use it at the end with no issue.

But with “spend a hundred, get a hundred back,” you had to make your first purchase.

Consequently, Lashou’s order volume plummeted, casting gloom across the entire branch.

Anxious as they were, they really had no means to withstand it, since they lacked funds.

In the Shanghai branch, Yang Xueyu recently showed no interest in maintaining current businesses but was very interested in taking the money and running.

Cui Yiting felt immense pressure as she once again experienced the situation Suixin Group faced.

“Manager Cui, we’ve got data for the new check-in for points campaign.”

“How many?”

“Thirteen…”

“Just double digits!?”

The assistant pursed their lips, not daring to admit it was actually nine—they felt too embarrassed not having even double digits, so they secretly clicked a few times using their account.

Cui Yiting fell silent. She joined Lashou because it was the largest group-buying site at the time, brimming with imperial vigor. But how could she have predicted that Lashou would also end up being a soft target?