Chapter 488: Deep Intrusion

Young Master Cao and the little rich girl had their school days flying by and suddenly, Labor Day was upon us.

In Linchuan, temperatures started to rise just like the bustling consumer market.

On the eve of the holiday, the group-buy feature underwent a major upgrade with map guidance now active in four major cities and several second-tier ones.

On normal workdays, people rarely rely on map navigation, being familiar with their own cities where they could find their way easily even without such features.

However, the importance of this feature was undeniable, especially on non-working days when the tourist population surged.

In unfamiliar cities and streets, and face to face with unknown business districts, the group-buy’s high-rating list integrated with GIS location guidance wove a unique web that other websites couldn’t replace.

Many needed more for Labor Day vacations, disliking the waste of time spent searching.

Moreover, the group-buy feature had always enjoyed a good reputation in all consumer markets which made it a top choice for many users after the service enhancement.

Xiao Zhang from Xijing traveled to Kyoto with his wife and parents, visiting must-see destinations, so they often checked group-buy for places and directions and even grouped coupons in advance.

“Going from the front door tomorrow to the square… then buying tickets and heading to a highly-rated place near Wangfujing to eat…”

“I don’t think mom and dad can walk that much. What do you think?”

“Let me check again.”

Xiao Zhang held his phone, busily browsing through group-buy’s maps.

Such scenes were common; smart folks used the group-buy not just as a coupon site but as a digital map too.

Even if the discounts weren’t the highest, some wealthier folks didn’t hesitate to purchase.

In cities like Shanghai, Kyoto and Guangzhou, established group-buy giants felt pressure as their operating territory steadily shrank.

Sites like Lashou and Nuomi had to resort to drastic discounts amid situations of damaging others severely while also hurting themselves, struggling to safeguard their core areas.

At noon on Labor Day under the scorching sun, Yang Xueyu stepped out of his office intending to grab lunch and encountered Chen Jiaxin in the hallway.

“President Chen, care to join me for a bite?”

“I’ll pass; I’m not really hungry right now.”

Chen Jiaxin waved him off then gazed out the window lost in thought.

Yang Xueyu hesitated, then approached and noticed the giant LED screen across the headquarters flashing, “Join group-buy, save money more conveniently.”

Then the screen showed a girl enthusiastically grabbing handfuls of coupons falling from the sky, again and again, bouncing joyfully.

“So tasteless…”

“Tacky, but effective. Watch below.”

“?”

Yang followed Chen’s pointing finger to the leisure area of SOHO’s office building below, where a group of men stared, transfixed by the group-buy ad, unable to look away.

One even felt hungry watching, turned around, and bought a pack of milk, sipping on it for quite a while.

“Indeed, alluring tactics are the best motivators,” Chen remarked dryly.

“And that girl isn’t a celebrity, which means lower costs.”

Looking at Chen’s furrowed brow, Yang Xueyu couldn’t help but cough, “Another thing. Lashou’s operations in Shanghai have been halved by our group-buys.”

Chen licked her dry lips, “He said he’d come for us. And now he really has come…”

“Even if he hadn’t said it, it was bound to happen.”

Chen’s gaze hardened suddenly remembering Jiang Qin with his bread talking about how glory is forgotten but comfort survives, a bitter smile crossing her face.

The building housed many elites and high-paid talents looking sharp in suits, shiny shoes, and sleek hair. Yet, facing this young man juggling school and group-buy, they were clueless.

“Don’t overthink it, President Chen. Remember what Jiang Qin said? Chaos, too, is an opportunity.”

“Group-buy might be aggressive, but our platform is expanding, isn’t it? The boss even praised you in yesterday’s meeting; you gave us a breath of life when we needed it.”

After returning from Shanghai, Chen immediately proposed her business district plan to the seniors, quickly drawing attention.

Although they couldn’t offer direct-to-store map guidance like group-buy, emphasizing hot stores in business districts indeed helped lessen dependence on maps.

Working overtime, various departments outlined these districts, stabilizing their current market foothold.

Iron Lady Chen had brainstormed this plan overnight for Shanghai but it effectively countered the group-buy onslaught.

A section of consumers indeed utilized group-buy’s map, but once they identified the district, they turned back to purchase our more appealing discounts.

Why? Because our offers were more generous.

Yet, both Yang Xueyu and Chen Jiaxin knew this wasn’t sustainable.

Because you’re burning cash while your rival isn’t, ensuring a dire outcome for you.

Much like Suixin Group before, the funding you raised might seem substantial, but compared to pre-funding, your business has shrunk, making further financing challenging.

The group-buy market isn’t what it used to be; investors now seek returns rather than just heating up the sector.

“Do you think group-buy has started profiting?”

After contemplating, Yang replied, “I’m not sure, but I believe group-buy is the least exhausted in this war.”

Chen contemplated this, recalling when Jiang snatched their coupons, “Could it be, once we’ve burnt through our funds, group-buy calculates and finds they’ve turned 180 million into 190?”

“Maybe, it’s possible.”

“You’re right, he’s a formidable man, and we all know GIS service is just the first step…”

“Next, there’s community group-buying.”

“Those field promoters, we really shouldn’t have cut them.”

Yang shook his head, “At this stage, everyone thinks the landscape is set. All sites want to cut costs for a long war, naturally letting go of a big staff base.”

After a long silence, Chen asked, “What about the newly hired promoters?”

“Most are from out of town, less familiar with local routes and many haven’t done field promotions before. They’re less efficient.”

Feeling a sense of impending doom, Chen murmured, “I feel like we’re finished…”

“Boss, those are words you can’t just say around the office.”

Chen nodded, falling silent, but her expression grew increasingly worried.

Their service couldn’t keep up. They had to resort to emphasizing hot merchants within designated districts—a strategy already a step behind.

Moreover, their promoters stood no chance against group-buy’s, losing yet another step.

Crucially, group-buy retained customers with upgraded services, while others had to burn cash to deter desertion. Three steps behind, how could they compete?

Chen watched the lively LED scene across with a weary expression.

“Group-buy has taken over Lashou’s market in Shanghai. Didn’t Lashou react?”

“They responded by sending Kang Jingtao ahead.”

Mulling over it, Chen recalled, “Kang Jingtao? The ‘Golden Shovel’ who secured Suixin Group for Lashou and cut the roots of 24Coupon in Jiangcheng?”

“That’s him.”

Yang, having connections from his time at Lashou, was more informed than most.

With a nod, Chen grasped Lashou’s strategy.

Lashou had two aces: Luo Ping for market expansion, Robin’s brother, and Kang Jingtao, constantly poaching talents, notorious within the circle.

Kang, a skilled negotiator, was praised for undermining competitor teams, prompting many companies to watch his moves closely.

Although after displacing 24Coupon’s marketing in Jiangcheng, Kang hadn’t acted for six months, his track record in talent acquisition remained unmatched.

“Are they planning to restrain group-buy by poaching their team?”

“If successful, it could at least deliver a painful blow to group-buy and delay their plans for Shanghai.”

As Yang mentioned, Lashou’s Kang Jingtao had indeed arrived in Shanghai first, secretly investigating group-buy’s local team down to every individual.

Group-buy’s team was a patchwork, some from the initial market development and some established after market construction.

Kang’s first target was Xu Kaixuan as he led operations in Shanghai. Removing him would hasten group-buy’s collapse there, but after hesitation, he abandoned the idea.

According to his data, Xu had been transferred from the Shanghai team and was personally promoted by Jiang Qin, making him a difficult target.

Attempting and failing to poach could leak plans and with group-buy on guard, making a move would become tougher.

Therefore, after much consideration, Kang set his sights on the local team leader, hoping to create an opening there.