Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 104 The Opportunity (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations to continue reading)
Nan Hua Trading Office, Singapore.

Lin Wenxiong leaned back on the sofa and rubbed his temples wearily.

After several days of market visits, he visited almost every supermarket, convenience store, and small shop in the core business district, and even personally observed consumer purchasing behavior, but still could not find the root cause of the slow sales of Jinba.

Sales staff reported that the Jinba drink tasted "a bit strange," "not sweet enough," and "it has an energizing effect, but it's not very refreshing."

The convenience store owner complained that "few people ask about the items on display" and "there aren't many repeat customers."

He tasted it repeatedly and compared it with the samples brought from Hong Kong Island. The taste, flavor, and refreshing sensation were exactly the same!
Where is the problem?

Overwhelmed by frustration and anxiety, Lin Wenxiong finally stopped hesitating and picked up the phone to dial the number of Wai Yip Building in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong Island.

"Mr. Chen, this is Lin Wenxiong." When the call connected, Lin Wenxiong's voice sounded somewhat anxious. "I'm sorry to bother you, but the sales of Jinba in Singapore are not very good."

I personally visited the market for several days, checking the taste, packaging, price, and display location. It's basically the same as in Hong Kong Island.

I also asked many customers and shop owners, and received a lot of feedback, but I felt like I couldn't grasp the key points.

I'm really worried because sales aren't picking up!

Could you please help us analyze this?

Top floor of Wai Yip Building, Hong Kong Island.

Chen Bingwen frowned slightly as he listened to Lin Wenxiong's anxious voice on the phone.

Jinba is Chen Ji's first flagship product to go global, and Singapore is an important bridgehead. The contrast between the initial booming sales and the current sluggish sales is no small matter.

The resources invested, the high hopes placed on it, and even the image of the Chenji brand as it first ventures abroad all depend on this.

However, considering that Jinba is a completely new category of functional beverage, there has never been a similar product in the Singapore market.

Consumers have no awareness of it and no consumption habits.

Promotional strategies such as "buy one get one free" or ultra-low prices greatly lower the barrier to entry for trying the product, masking potential issues with its acceptance.

Once the regular price is restored, consumers will naturally become "picky".

They need to genuinely recognize the value of the product before they are willing to spend money.

This transition from "free trial" to "paid recognition" is one of the most difficult stages in launching a new product.

Lin Wenxiong's statement that "few people ask questions" and "there are not many repeat customers" precisely confirms that market education is not yet complete.

"Mr. Lin, don't worry." Chen Bingwen's voice was very calm, conveying a reassuring strength through the telephone line. "When a new product is launched, especially a completely new category like functional beverages, consumers need a process of understanding and acceptance."

During promotional periods, when there's a buy-one-get-one-free offer, consumers tend to be more open-minded and less critical in their evaluations.

Now that it's officially on sale, they're voting with their own money, so it's normal for them to be picky.

Your feedback was timely and very important.

After a moment's thought, he quickly made arrangements: "Here's what I'm saying, Mr. Lin, please immediately compile a detailed market research report, consumer feedback records, distribution points, and sales data and fax it over."

"Okay, Mr. Chen! I'll take care of it right away!" Lin Wenxiong breathed a sigh of relief and immediately agreed.

“In addition,” Chen Bingwen continued, “I will have Director Ling immediately draw a capable team from the marketing department, led by her personally, to fly to Singapore tomorrow to assist you in conducting in-depth market diagnostics. You will be responsible for liaison and providing all necessary assistance.”

"Understood! Thank you for your support, Mr. Chen!" Lin Wenxiong's voice instantly filled with enthusiasm.

Not long after, Lin Wenxiong faxed over the investigation materials.

Upon receiving the faxed documents, Chen Bingwen immediately convened an emergency meeting with Ling Peiyi, Marketing Manager Li Ming, R&D Center Director Zhou Zhiyuan, and Production Manager Gao Zhenhai.

After Chen Bingwen briefly explained the difficulties encountered in selling Rimula products in Singapore,

A frozen silence instantly filled the conference room.

Chen Bingwen distributed the faxed materials: "Take a look, everyone. Here are the sales figures for Singapore Jinba."

Lin Wenxiong reported that bottled sugar water was selling like hotcakes, but sales of Jinba (a popular Chinese beverage brand) were slow.

The free samples were well received, but consumers just wouldn't buy them.

Let's all take a look and see where the problem lies.

Everyone took the documents and quickly began to read them.

Sales reports, channel feedback summaries, and preliminary market analysis provide detailed data, but the conclusions are vague.

The popularity of bottled sugar water is undeniable, but the reasons for Jinba's sluggish sales, on paper, seem to be simply "low consumer acceptance" and "the need for stronger promotion".

"Unsold stock? How is that possible?" Marketing Manager Li Ming spoke first after reading the materials. "Mr. Chen, our desserts sell so well in Singapore, grocery stores and supermarkets are scrambling to buy them!"

"Kingba is so popular in Hong Kong Island, with demand exceeding supply in industrial areas and retail outlets, so why is it so unpopular in Singapore?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

The previous success, especially the overwhelming success of bottled sugar water in Singapore, has created an almost instinctive mindset within the entire team.

Chen Kee's products, especially the best-selling items proven in the Hong Kong market, should replicate the same success in Singapore, or even reach a higher level.

After all, both places have large Chinese populations, similar tastes, and similar market environments.

“Yes,” Gao Zhenhai frowned, pointing to the data in the report, “Brother Wen, look, Boss Lin said that the taste, flavor, and refreshing sensation are exactly the same as the Hong Kong Island sample.”

Our Shatin factory's production line operates strictly according to standard procedures, and we maintain tight quality control, so there is no possibility of batch differences.

"The packaging is the same, and the price is reasonable. This doesn't make sense!" Zhou Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses, his face also full of confusion: "Mr. Chen, the formula has been repeatedly tested and optimized, and it scored very high in blind taste tests conducted by consumers in Hong Kong. I also tried the sample from Singapore, and it was completely consistent with the Hong Kong batch."

"The taste is weird," "It's not sweet enough." This feedback is a bit strange. Do Singaporeans have a different palate than us?

As the technical lead, he had absolute confidence in his team's achievements, and the sudden negative feedback made him feel very uneasy.

As the operations director, and having worked in the FMCG sales industry for many years, Ling Peiyi is relatively calm. "We were too presumptuous."

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. "The success of our dessert in Singapore subconsciously led us to believe that as long as we have a good product, coupled with established distribution channels and promotion, we can succeed smoothly in Singapore. We overlooked the fact that Jinba is a completely new product category, and consumers have absolutely no prior knowledge of it!"

She pointed to the original words of the sales promoter and shop owner recorded by Lin Wenxiong in the report: "'Buy one get one free' is a promotion where people try it because it's free or cheap, so the evaluation criteria are naturally lenient."

Now that consumers have to spend real money to buy it, they will scrutinize it with a magnifying glass to see if it is worth the price.

Is it good to drink?

Does it suit my taste?

Our previous market education and pre-launch efforts may not have been deep or thorough enough, and we haven't truly helped consumers understand and accept the value and taste characteristics of 'functional beverages.'

Upon hearing this, Li Ming and Gao Zhenhai also showed expressions of realization and reflection.

Their previous smooth sailing did indeed make them subconsciously lower their guard, believing that the Singapore market was a natural extension of the Hong Kong market, and ignoring the inevitable risk of "culture shock" when new products and categories are launched in unfamiliar markets.

Chen Bingwen took in everyone's reactions and understood what was going on.

This was one of the purposes of his convening the emergency meeting.

In his eyes, the sluggish sales of Singapore's Jinba (a brand of electric bicycles) were not a simple crisis, but rather a rare wake-up call and opportunity.

He knew that the smooth sailing of the dessert business in Singapore had fostered a dangerous path dependency in the team's subconscious.

People are used to the mindset of "success in Hong Kong - replication in Singapore - inevitable success", ignoring the complexity of the market and the unique challenges of launching a new product category.

This setback for Jinba was like a resounding slap in the face, a wake-up call to this ingrained way of thinking.

It reminds everyone that globalization is not about copying and pasting, but about meticulous cultivation.

Every market has its unique cultural background, consumption habits, and taste preferences.

Past successes should only be used as a reference and should never become shackles that restrict thinking.

This setback is the perfect opportunity to force the team to step out of their comfort zone and develop a proactive mindset.

This incident also provided Chen Bingwen with an opportunity to optimize internal processes.

In the future, when launching new products, especially when expanding into new markets, it is imperative to include more stringent "localized taste testing" and "in-depth consumer insights" processes, rather than relying solely on Hong Kong experience or subjective judgment.

The collaborative mechanisms among R&D, production, marketing, and sales also need to be tested and improved in this response.

As for the unsold stock of Singapore's Jinba, Chen Bingwen can almost certainly conclude that the core of the problem lies in the taste compatibility, especially the sweetness!

Singaporean consumers are likely to need a sweeter and more "satisfying" version of Jinba than the Hong Kong version.

This subtle but crucial difference was completely overlooked due to previous assumptions.

Looking at the team members before him, some confused, some reflecting, and some anxious, Chen Bingwen knew it was time to clarify the core issues and guide the team towards initiative.

“Director Ling is right.” Chen Bingwen said in a deep voice. He first affirmed Ling Peiyi’s point of view, “The success of sweet soup is based on the deep cultural identity of Hong Kong-style desserts and the demand for convenience.”

But Jinba is different; it's a completely new species and the first time the concept of 'functional beverage' has been implemented.

Singaporean consumers do not have a habit of consuming 'functional drinks', and their knowledge of them is completely blank.

Our previous promotion may have focused too much on the 'energizing' feature, while neglecting the most crucial aspect.

How can we ensure that consumers have a pleasant and satisfactory taste experience from their first purchase, thus encouraging repeat purchases?

He picked up Lin Wenxiong's faxed documents, "'Strange taste,' 'not sweet enough,' 'not refreshing'—these seemingly vague complaints are precisely the most authentic experiences of consumers!"
They point to a core issue: the flavor balance we set based on Hong Kong Island tastes may not perfectly align with the preferences of Singaporean consumers!

Zhou Zhiyuan immediately realized: "Mr. Chen, do you mean the sweetness? Or the proportions of other flavor elements need to be adjusted?"

“Very likely!” Chen Bingwen said with certainty. “Singapore is located in the tropics, with a hotter and more humid climate, and the local food culture prefers sweeter and richer flavors.”

The sweet-sour ratio, minty concentration, and even the slightly bitter base flavor from the caffeine in our Jinba drink are considered 'refreshing and invigorating' by consumers on Hong Kong Island, but might seem 'bland' or 'not strong enough' to consumers in Singapore, or even misunderstood as 'strange'!

He looked around at everyone and solemnly said, "This is not a product failure, but a mistake of relying on experience and failing to adequately adapt to the market!"

Mr. Lin's anxious phone call served as a wake-up call for us!

Globalization is not simply copying and pasting!

True globalization must begin with a deep understanding and precise adaptation to the local market!

These words were like a wake-up call, bringing everyone in the conference room to their senses.

“Mr. Chen, I understand!” Ling Peiyi was the first to stand up. “I will immediately redeploy the Singapore market strategy!”
The research team will depart first thing tomorrow morning.

I personally led the team, and this time the goal was clear: to quantify Singaporean consumers' real preferences for taste!
In particular, the acceptable threshold for sweetness, sourness, and the refreshing minty sensation!
At the same time, in coordination with Professor Zhou, we will organize blind tests of different formulas!

The next morning, Kai Tak Airport.

Ling Peiyi, accompanied by Marketing Manager Li Ming, R&D Center technical backbone A Qiang, and two consumer research specialists, boarded a flight to Singapore.

(End of this chapter)