Enterprise micro does not need human touch

In 2024, companies and brands will face multiple challenges and opportunities in their marketing and operational strategies. From water wars to the coffee market, from private domain traffic to B-side business, the industry is constantly changing. Companies need to keep up with market changes and flexibly adjust their strategies to adapt to competition.

01

This is the year of the water wars.

First, Mr. Zong passed away, which triggered a preference for Wahaha; then Nongfu and Zhong Shanshan were implicated, and they encountered an unprecedented crisis; then they were misunderstood by the Hong Kong Consumers Association, and it was reversed again and again that Nongfu was the mineral water; and then Zong Fuli's open letter of resignation was another open letter to stay in office.

During this period, price wars and channel wars broke out again, and the price of a bottle of water finally fell below 1 yuan (the consumer psychological support level).

In the middle, there is a new product from Farmer that always feels a bit wrong, especially the slogan "Green bottle is a little sweet, red bottle is healthier." It is particularly counterintuitive. The red bottle is obviously sweet, and green symbolizes health. If you don't understand the mystery, you may want to supplement what you lack, which is a bit counterproductive.

Let’s talk about some metaphysics:

• Water is wealth, and now there is not enough wealth to share, so there is no creation without destruction;
• Everyone knows that water is a huge profit, and there are many people who want to get a piece of the pie. In recent years, challengers have emerged one after another, and Evergrande Ice Spring has not yet cooled down;
• Wahaha and Nongfu are both Hangzhou companies, while Yibibao and Jingtian are Shenzhen companies. Their destiny is either further south or further north.
• There is Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, and Wu You, who was involved in the donation scandal at the China University of Mining and Technology, is shouting about it every day. Whether this kind of business will have any success really depends on luck.

02

The Shijiazhuang Municipal Government officially changed the name of Anhui Banmian to Shijiazhuang Beef Banmian.

It's a small thing that people all over the country like to hear and see. The brand elements conveyed in it are quite interesting: First, information asymmetry is a basic element of business; second, foreign monks are not only good at chanting, but they are even better at opening restaurants. Trust from a distance is a kind of human nature; third, a wrong thing can be called a brand after ten years, and it can be called a time-honored brand after a hundred years; fourth, Shijiazhuang's grabbing of the name is a neutral decision, which is most likely driven by chain brands. Let's wait and see how the business progresses.

Let me tell you something that most people may not know. In July of the same period, the real "Anhui Taihe Banmian" was also using banmian to promote the idea of ​​"one family across the Taiwan Straits", and the dimension was obviously at a higher level.

One city, one product. What is more profound is the battle for the city’s mind. Siphoning the surrounding population is a real necessity.

03.

At some point last week, I suddenly realized:

I may have misunderstood Qiwei. Qiwei does not need human touch;

I may have underestimated Qiwei, and I took advantage of the traffic between my fingers.

To explain it is: As a private domain operator, I have always complained about WeChat. Many of its functions are very neutral and lack human warmth. As a C-end user, from the hundreds of WeChat accounts I have added, I feel that there is almost no friend-like interactive care.

I have privately dissed Qiwei for three whole years. It missed the historical opportunity of the huge B-side IM, and its small private domain tool functions lack soul. I feel like I am disappointed in its products.

What triggered the change in perception was that an Adidas and Nike agent released a pair of shoes that he thought was okay. Although he didn't place an order, he felt that it was useful information.

• Perhaps, tools should be neutral;
• Perhaps, forcing grassroots operations to have warmth is a fantasy;
• Perhaps the safety of the structure is the boss’s primary concern;
• Perhaps, relatively low prices are the basis for private consumption decisions;
• Perhaps, the transactions in the gaps are also meat;
• Perhaps the incremental profits of the retail industry are hidden in the private domain;

Or perhaps, not every product is as kingly as WeChat. Even if it is called Qiwei, the philosophy of moderate products is not only an excuse for not being radical, but also conforms to the objective and real B-side demand reality.

04

Merchants are reaching the limit of "only refunding".

Women's clothing is not a category that normal merchants can play with. The extremely high return rate can scare straight men. The model of only refunding, which completely complies with the human nature of one party and goes against the human nature of the other party, is really a double-edged sword. While pleasing one end, it will kill the other end in the collapse of the profit model.

It can be said that Bingxixi has set a bad precedent. A group of professional managers who are "both actuarial and good at following trends" have been pushed by the times to tie one leg up.

• This obviously provides opportunities for the wool party to nurture the virus production and penetrate everywhere;
• Why can't we focus on providing better services (delivery, appearance, customer service, etc.)? It's really hard to understand.
• A game of pirates dividing gold. With the support of the algorithm, as long as there is a copper coin, the game will not collapse, regardless of the life logic of the ecological players.
• Big stores not only bully the supply chain, they also don’t want a strong supply chain. This is the underlying human nature.

Having written this far, I would like to silently curse JD's new strategy again. Lao Liu has been away from the front line for too long. He is throwing away peaches for the sake of picking up sesame seeds. This is obviously the platform with the best chance to support tens of millions of merchants. Alas.

05

Xiaohongshu is the platform brand that takes the most proactive actions in 2024.

Yesterday, Xiaohongshu COO Conan had an in-depth conversation with economist Xue Zhaofeng. I took five notes:

1. On Xiaohongshu, what you buy is not just the product itself, but the lifestyle you aspire to;
2. Buying and selling must be placed in life, so that the goods can be given a scene;
3. Small demand, (medium profit), big business, is the best;
4. The double-column waterfall flow makes users feel like they are shopping offline. The cover is the window and the account is the store.
5. Help users find truly segmented needs and inspire the life they want.

06

It’s still great to be with Hui!!!

Since its launch on January 9, 2024, it has broadcast 314 live shows, bringing in more than 4 billion yuan in sales. In the past 6 months, it has been the top of the list for 3 months and the top two for the rest of the time.

Even if Dong Yuhui does not appear on the air, daily sales still exceed 10 million yuan.

Damn, it feels so good for an intellectual to make money.

Damn, it’s great that intellectuals can continue to make money.

Old Yu deserves his good fortune.

07

There is a sense of uncertainty when going overseas.

During this period, overseas stocks have been volatile. Since May, Pinduoduo, Transsion Holdings, and Stone Technology have all been on a downward trend, with the proportion being about 20%. Capital warehouses are still keen on smelling them.

If Trump comes to power again, additional tariffs are inevitable, and more extreme events may also occur.

If we don’t go out, manufacturing will be difficult; if we don’t go out, manufacturing will be even more difficult.

Especially for the leading brands in the category, it is time to test their strategic determination. But for many small self-employed businesses, especially those in the Pearl River Delta region who entered the market early, there is still room for profit in the niche opportunities.

08

I wrote a few comments about the operational adjustments of the video account e-commerce and was severely scolded by the former leader of Tencent.

• Always believe in Brother Xiaolong, don’t ask why;
• WeChat has been adhering to the principle of "minimizing interference from operational factors as much as possible" for more than a decade. From a long-term perspective, code is more trustworthy than people, and at least more fair-oriented.
• Egalitarianism is distributed in every corner of the WeChat ecosystem;
• Remember the most important sentence: make profits from video account e-commerce and private domain ecology.

09

Grid coffee has become popular in small circles.

Let me make a bold prediction: at least in the capital’s coffee market, there will definitely be a place for Gem.

Emphasizing "single-origin coffee", coffee beans are only paired with milk and water, without adding any other seasonings, in order to retain the unique flavor of the coffee beans' origin as much as possible.

The average customer spending is around 30 yuan, which not only meets the requirements of advanced consumers for coffee flavor, but also serves as a decent "social topic."

At present, 38 stores have been opened in Beijing, 5 in Chengdu, 3 in Chongqing, and 1 in Suzhou. The next focus will be to enter South China and East China, with the goal of opening 80 to 100 stores by the end of 2024.

Starbucks, Luckin Coffee, and Grid all have their reasons for existence, and this simple truth still applies in a downward cycle.

Also, you can check its parent company, you will be surprised.

10

B-side businesses should keep in mind: the biggest cost of customer relations is the customer emotional cost, and customers are the ones who pay with time, energy and emotions.

B-side businesses should keep in mind: from hearing the sound of artillery fire from your own position, to hearing the sound of artillery fire from your customer's position, to hearing the sound of artillery fire from your customer's father's position.

B-side businesses should keep in mind: the biggest consensus in recent conversations is not the certainty of market recovery, but the certainty of KA customers. We should serve KA conscientiously and solidly, and let go of the desire for the number of small and medium-sized customers.

Author: Party A Finance

Official account: Party A Finance