Chapter 590: The World’s Best Son-in-law

As March ends and just before the Tomb-sweeping Festival, the temperature starts to rise, and the food delivery market battle intensifies.

At this time, group-buy has established a separate food delivery department in its branches across fifteen second-tier and four top-tier cities.

This includes operations, technical, grassroots, business, and publicity teams.

Meanwhile, group-buy’s internal management system has undergone a significant upgrade.

The data backend of the group-buy website has been integrated; store-to-community group-buying now officially starts its fully online operational trials.

This means that the branches built for group-buying are rejuvenated, smoothing their transition into another domain.

And there’s virtually no barrier between these two domains.

Soon, the group-buy food delivery business group is officially formed, starting its operations in first-tier cities, led by Ye Ziqing, Guan Shen, Xing Xiangming, and Dai Zhitao, reporting directly to Jiang Qin.

The second-tier city branches are supervised by the original group-buy branch managers, also reporting directly to Jiang Qin.

Like their national group-buying operations, all feedback, approvals, and connections in the food delivery venture are managed through an efficient internal system, ensuring real-time departmental coordination.

Shortly after, group-buy food delivery officially goes live.

Yet, without advertisements or publicity, their approach is as stealthy as a night raid in brocade clothing.

But group-buy isn’t the same as it was two years ago. Such a behemoth, however unobtrusive, cannot remain hidden.

Especially since the BAT trio has been monitoring group-buy for a long time.

It’s a secret move, but even that can’t avoid the vigilant eyes assigned to follow every move.

“Group-buy has entered the arena.”

“Have you heard? Group-buy has entered the arena.”

“Oh no, the big dogs are here…”

Currently, Robin and Luo Ping manage Alibaba’s online food order operations. They had just seized a large portion of the Quick Order market. Hearing this news, they feel a chill.

Old Ma is in a meeting discussing the significance of food delivery in Alibaba’s O2O strategy when he too falls silent upon hearing the news.

It’s inevitable for group-buy to enter food delivery from their perspective.

The tyrant of group-buy won’t leave the huge food delivery market untouched; that’s unquestionable.

Despite being prepared, many still feel a suffocating pressure approaching.

Group-buy’s business tactics differ from all other internet companies; they strike blindly and ruthlessly, usually overwhelming with relentless attacks.

Its styles and methods are indecipherable.

Yet, once the fight is over and the dust settles, it becomes apparent that every seemingly random punch was aimed at critical vulnerabilities.

Such an opponent, how do you guard against them?

Thus, several major factories plan to increase investments, seizing the initiative from group-buy, rapidly expanding their scale.

Group-buying and food delivery aren’t the same game.

It’s like Tencent’s QQ and WeChat. QQ might have topped social networking, right?

But when WeChat entered the market, it was initially dominated by Feixin, nearly finished off by Miliao, isn’t it the same principle?

Consequently, the market boosts subsidy levels and expansion pace due to group-buy’s entry news, and promptly, the industry heats up, attracting over two hundred thousand new delivery riders.

Meanwhile, the top four websites also began their confrontations.

Alibaba’s online orders and Sticky Rice Delivery entered Shanghai with heavy advertising, but together they only achieved a third of Hungry Yet’s market share.

Hungry Yet quickly established itself in Kyoto and swiftly captured half of their market.

Trading a third for a half, Hungry Yet’s aggressive expansion gives it a market share of forty-five percent.

From group-buy to Hungry Yet, it seems the curse of large companies might break; their advantages in resources and funding seem irrelevant as grassroots enterprises shine even brighter.

“The big factories are nothing much after all.”

Zhang Xuhao drinks heavily at an end-of-March team building event.

Chen Jiaxin also downs two drinks, genuinely glad she decisively left the general populace to join Hungry Yet.

Her judgment was spot on.

Zhang Xuhao could well be the next Jiang Qin of the food delivery industry.

At this moment, group-buy is still idling, as if not fully awake yet. No advertising, no recruitment, it seems they’ve just placed an app out there.

“Group-buy is a major target for the big companies. You saw how the news of our launch the other day scared Uncle Ma into investing tens of millions. Do you know why?”

Lu Zhichuan answers instinctively after hearing this: “I know, because the boss is too tough.”

Jiang Qin: “?”

“No, I mean, the boss is too strong. When facing a strong opponent, of course, the alert level is higher.”

Jiang Qin, with hands in pockets, walks under the trees: “They’ll guard against me in every field. I advertise, they’ll burn money to compete. I pay big to recruit riders, and they’ll spend more to choke me.”

After hearing this, Lu Zhichuan looks up: “Will we be targeted?”

“Of course. Don’t forget, I poached you to snipe Gao, and now Uncle Ma hates me to death. And yes, we really are that strong.”

“That’s true.”

The strength group-buy demonstrated in the group-buying wars makes everyone vigilant.

To give an example, Hungry Yet now holds over forty percent market share, while group-buy has almost none.

But in their eyes, the threat from group-buy food delivery seems even greater than Hungry Yet.

If Jiang Qin makes big moves, a money-burning war could erupt instantly, and group-buy food delivery would get swept into it.

You offer five per delivery; I give six. You increase to six; I go to eight. In any case, letting a tyrant rise in the food delivery sector is out of the question. Thus, under this intense competition, the market’s response could be exploited by other platforms.

Hence, Jiang Qin is trying a different strategy, with Lu Zhichuan at its heart.

Establishing the food delivery branches took a month. During this period, besides honing his kissing skills with the little rich girl, Jiang Qin also arranged for Lu Zhichuan to discuss a stake in Shengshi Advertising.

This advertising firm has been a steadfast partner since the start of his ventures.

But in the last two years, as the internet sector boomed, the offline advertising sector spiraled down, leading to plummeting prices and decreasing factory benefits.

Watching earnings dwindle, Jiang Qin plays the merciful savior again, grabbing a share of the business.

Over the following month, Shengshi Advertising canceled some small orders, freeing up three production lines to work full throttle for group-buy.

Hengtong Freight’s trucks roll in, delivering the freshly printed materials to group-buy’s food delivery branches, handing them to the grassroots team.

When Lu Zhichuan sees what Shengshi Advertising has printed, he’s dumbfounded, having never seen such audacious tactics.

“Boss Qiu.”

“Yo, Manager Jiang, long time no see.”

“Long time indeed. How’s business lately? I hear your little shop is doing quite well in food delivery.”

“True, our small store, being less spacious and serving fewer customers, didn’t make much from group-buying before. Now it’s better; I’ve cancelled dine-in services and doubled my staff, focusing on delivery!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhihua from group-buy’s championship grassroots team nods repeatedly: “Your delivery packaging must use a lot, right?”

“Yeah, these delivery guys are like hyped-up, their movements fierce and strong. Even a slightly poor-quality plastic bag breaks with a jerk, immediately earning a bad review from the customer.”

Stir-fry vendor Boss Qiu sighs: “This month alone, I bought thousands on plastic bags. What’s tricky are these plastic bag sellers getting crafty, jacking up prices every few days seeing the high demand.”

“These business folks, damn shameless.”

“Tell me about it. Oh, by the way, Manager Jiang, what brings you here?”

Jiang Zhihua waves, and a couple of his bronze-tier grassroots team members bring in two boxes: “I’ve got some factory-direct plastic bags and boxes here, no middleman, high quality, and less than half the price of yours.”

Boss Qiu’s eyes light up instantly: “Sounds great!”

“But there’s a small issue…”

“Heh, I knew it. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Jiang Zhihua waves dismissively: “It’s really a minor issue. These plastic bags have some prints; they were customized by another company who then suddenly didn’t want them, so they’re being sold cheaply. Maybe check the quality first.”

Boss Qiu opens a box, pulls out a plastic bag, and gives it a tug, immediately intrigued: “Holy smokes, such good quality? Got plenty?”

“Plenty. Just give me the cost price.”

“Deal, I’ll order from you from now on.”

Jiang Zhihua opens another box: “There are also boxes, also with some prints, but that’s why they’re so affordable. I’ll send you a batch to try, see how they are. If they’re good, just call me.”

Watching Jiang Zhihua walk away, Boss Qiu smirks: “What a saint…”

No sooner had he spoken when a bunch of food delivery riders arrived.

From Hungry Yet, Sticky Rice Delivery, Alibaba…

The riders from three companies stand outside smoking, waiting for their orders. Once they get them, they hop on their bikes, heading off to their destinations.

In the bustling area of Wangjing, filled with thousands of companies, delivery riders take elevators up and down, handing the food directly to customers.

Xiao Bai, a copywriter at an internet company, looks at the words on the plastic bag after receiving his delivery, a bewildered expression crossing his face as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Group-buy delivery, fast delivery for anything?”

“That’s not right, didn’t I order from Hungry Yet? Why did I get a group-buy delivery?”

“Am I seeing things?”

Eating his stir-fry, Xiao Bai stares at those eight words, utterly puzzled, feeling as if he’d been bait-and-switched.

Just then, a colleague from the next table comes over, tapping him: “You, ordering takeout again?”

“The discounts are huge now. Look at this stir-fry, six yuan in-store, only three yuan for delivery.”

“Really?”

“Would I lie to you?”

The colleague purses his lips, turns to look at the package bearing the words 【Group-buy Delivery, Fast Delivery for Anything】, and pulls out his phone.

Packaging costs are actually low, but for some small merchants, frequent use can add up to a significant expense.

Now that there’s a way to cut costs, who wouldn’t take advantage?

So, within just a week, group-buy floods the market with a million plastic bags and a hundred thousand boxes; no matter which platform customers order from, they receive a group-buy delivery!

And this expense, compared to the cost of TV ads, is just a drop in the bucket.

Many people, seeing the words on their delivery packages, are puzzled, thinking, What’s going on?

“I clearly ordered from xxx, why did I end up with a group-buy delivery?”

Some clever folks, after some thought, suddenly realize they might be getting skimmed by other platforms; they panic and quickly download the group-buy delivery app to check.

So, without any advertising, group-buy’s user base starts growing gradually.

And some people simply don’t care whose delivery they’ve ordered—they’re just focused on eating.

But even a casual glance at the branding leaves an impression; especially when their own order, and most of their colleagues’ orders, come with group-buy delivery branding, leading to group communication effects.

Everyone knows now, group-buy also does deliveries.

And as the delivery wars escalate, group-buy’s sudden entry significantly boosts the capital invested in this sector.

Plastic bags can be blown away by the wind. Jiang Qin realized this while chasing after one at a rural fair, a simple fact some rich heirs and tycoons can’t seem to grasp.