Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 524 Visiting Pinduoduo, Douyin Prepares for Double Eleven
The 5th anniversary celebration of Datang Pictures is scheduled for September 9th, which is the day after tomorrow.

As a contracted artist with the company, Chen Duling needs to go back in advance to choose her dress.

Chen Xiu did have something to do. After sending Chen Duling to the airport, she went directly to Pinduoduo's headquarters and talked with Huang Zheng about Pinduoduo's preparations for this year's Double Eleven shopping festival.

Compared to the last time I visited, Pinduoduo's office location has changed significantly since its listing.

However, a large whiteboard still hangs on the wall of Huang Zheng's office, covered with scribbles and corrections in both English and Chinese, looking rather sloppy.

This style has a Silicon Valley office feel to it; Chen Xiu also saw a similar layout at Open AI.

The purpose of a whiteboard is to allow everyone to write down their ideas when brainstorming together, and then continue to discuss and refine them.

Throughout the process, there weren't many workplace rules; everyone said whatever came to mind, and no one knew what their next sentence would be.

This can indeed prevent the CEO from being misled by his subordinates and can also increase team cohesion.

Li Yanhong might be able to learn from this...

Chen Xiu mentally complained, then took a closer look at the contents of the whiteboard.

As a result, he found that many things were illogical, seemingly only having initials without detailed plans. It was probably a case of ideas within ideas, and no one except the parties involved could fully understand it.

Seeing that Chen Xiu's attention was on the whiteboard, Huang Zheng's already enthusiastic face became even more excited.

"That was the Double Eleven promotional plan we discussed at the beginning of the month."

"Oh, thank you."

Chen Xiu took the coffee Huang Zheng handed her, took a sip, and then pointed to the contents of the whiteboard and asked a question.

"May I ask about the details of the plan?"

"Sure! This is great..."

"Don't rush to speak."

Chen Xiu raised her hand to interrupt, placed the coffee on the small table next to the sofa, and her expression became serious.

"Let me explain. The main reason I'm here today is to confirm the traffic generation plan between Pinduoduo and Douyin during the Double Eleven period. Douyin has already confirmed its participation in this year's Double Eleven shopping festival, and we are discussing the event plan internally."

"To be honest, I came here today partly to learn from your experience. If there are any trade secrets in what you're about to say, you can filter them out beforehand."

After making the disclaimer, Chen Xiu looked at Huang Zheng again.

"OK..."

Huang Zheng nodded meaningfully, remained silent for a moment, and stared at Chen Xiu, saying:
"Then we can't say anything."

"..."

Chen Xiu was stunned for a moment, and before she could recover, Huang Zheng chuckled.

"Just kidding! Hehe."

Huang Zheng waved his hand: "Actually, there's nothing that can't be said. Every company's event plan is designed according to its own characteristics. Their moat is high, and they can't be copied."

Do I need to copy it?

Chen Xiu leisurely picked up her cup and took a sip of coffee, seemingly unconcerned.

This made Huang Zheng feel a little embarrassed for underestimating him.

"Ahem, well, Pinduoduo's solution is actually quite simple."

"Continue with the 10 billion yuan subsidy program?"

"Pretty much. Besides that, we also provide users with a guarantee of genuine products."

"You know that too..."

Chen Xiu muttered a complaint, which drew a sidelong glance from Huang Zheng.

Pinduoduo's rapid growth is due to several factors, including its community-based user acquisition through WeChat, its "cut a price" referral program, and most importantly, its low prices.
Being cheap is the key to quickly capturing the lower-tier market.

However, cheap prices mean that quality cannot be guaranteed. Many inferior products were sold as high-quality goods, which made Pinduoduo a target of much criticism in its early stages of development.

After its overseas listing, Pinduoduo was frequently targeted by short sellers on Wall Street due to counterfeit goods issues.

Having learned a profound lesson and having a certain base of customers, Huang Zheng wanted to pursue the genuine product route.

After exchanging a silent glance with Huang Zheng, Chen Xiu continued, "How do you plan to go the route of selling genuine products?"

"After launching the 10 billion yuan subsidy campaign last year, Pinduoduo's user base has seen a significant increase. This year, we've added 200 new brands, including PICC, Dyson, and Apple..."

"Have you obtained authorization from Apple?"

"This one……"

Huang Zheng hesitated, his eyes darting around erratically.

Chen Xiu instantly understood: "You're not planning to sell fake apples, are you?"

No! How could that be?

Huang Zheng shook his head repeatedly, not even bothering to guard against anything for the moment.

Chen Xiu asked in confusion, "You don't have Apple authorization, so how are you going to sell new phones on Singles' Day? You can't just buy them from another platform and then sell them on Pinduoduo, can you?"

"It doesn't have to be this shabby."

"So where do you actually get your goods from?"

Huang Zheng smacked his lips, glanced at Chen Xiu with a slightly guilty look on his face, and then moved closer to him.

"This matter is truly a trade secret. You are a shareholder of Pinduoduo, so it's fine for me to tell you. We share the same fate, but please don't tell anyone else."

Chen Xiu stared at the finger extended in front of her, frowned, and slapped it away. "Stop being so mysterious. If you're not sourcing from an authorized platform, then you're sourcing from Huaqiangbei. I don't believe you can find any other channels in China!"

"how do you know!!"

"Besides Huaqiangbei, are there any other places in China where one can obtain a sufficient supply of goods without authorization?"

Huang Zheng's eyes widened, and he hurriedly moved closer to Chen Xiu, glancing nervously at the office door.

"Don't tell anyone about this."

"I know, I know."

Chen Xiu reluctantly made the promise, propping herself up on the corner of the sofa and tilting her head over Huang Zheng to look at his empty sofa.

Do we really have to sit like this?

"Excuse me."

Huang Zheng got up and sat back down, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Chen Xiu took a leisurely sip of coffee, pointed to a word on the whiteboard, and said, "Does 'price comparison' mean you plan to compare prices with all online platforms to get the best deal?"

"Yes, that's quite easy to understand."

"The best deal would be a large subsidy from the platform... This year's financial report will probably still show a loss."

"There's no other way. Taobao's advantage is too obvious. Alibaba alone accounts for 6% of the market share in the e-commerce sector. We can only find a new way to compete."

Chen Xiu nodded slightly, her fingers tracing a circle on the coffee cup.

"With the domestic market so competitive, haven't you considered entering the cross-border e-commerce arena?"

"It's only a matter of time! However, the market here is the foundation; the situation overseas is far more complex than in China."

Huang Zheng pointed downwards, a meaningful look on his face. Although he didn't say it, he believed Chen Xiu could empathize.

Thinking about what Pony Ma said at the AI ​​conference, Chen Xiu was speechless.

The two sat on opposite sides of the sofa in silence.

Chen Xiu placed the coffee cup on the small table with a clang, and her voice became relaxed and confident again.

"The mobile phone sales plan is good. The market and brands for electronic products are guaranteed, and the unit price is high, which can make the GMV look better. Can I take a look at it?"

Huang Zheng was stunned and stared blankly at Chen Xiu.

"Didn't you just say you wouldn't plagiarize?"

"How can you call it copying when it's just between platforms? Double Eleven was created by Taobao, and you used it too! Besides, Douyin can't get Apple's authorization, so I don't know where you got your supplies from. You couldn't copy it even if you wanted to, could you?"

Chen Xiu said confidently.

Huang Zheng's so-called solution is not afraid of being exposed, and the claim that there are barriers between platforms refers to the issue of supply.

"If you can't get your hands on a supply of Apple phones, how can you learn from them?"

Seeing Huang Zheng's puzzled look, Chen Xiu smiled and said, "I can try to get some new stock from Dahua. Aren't they going to hold a launch event for the Mate 30 this month?"

This statement made Huang Zheng's eyes light up, but they quickly dimmed again.

“The authorization from Dahua is not a problem, but they will offer Taobao a lower price, which is not an advantage for a new platform like ours.”

"Where there's a will, there's a way; we should always give it a try."

Chen Xiu didn't take it seriously; she had already decided in her heart that she was going to deal with Yu Dazui.

Huang Zheng still had concerns: "Even if you get Dahua's authorization, and the entire platform is selling the same phone, why would Douyin attract users to buy it?"

"You wouldn't tell me about topics that involve specific marketing plans, would you?"

Chen Xiu gave Huang Zheng a teasing look, and after he was speechless, she changed the subject as if nothing had happened.

"Let's talk about our traffic generation strategy for Singles' Day! Although Douyin will also participate in the Singles' Day shopping festival, that doesn't stop us from advertising for Pinduoduo."

When the topic of making money came up, Chen Xiu narrowed her eyes.

Huang Zheng curled his lip: "Isn't it inappropriate for you guys to be both referees and players?"

"Don't talk nonsense. All of Douyin's advertising plans can be seen on ByteDance's advertising platform in terms of traffic exposure and conversion rate. We don't monopolize. If you really think it's not worth it, you can cooperate with Kuaishou."

Chen Xiu said confidently.

Douyin's advertising revenue in the short video sector accounts for 7% of the total market.

This is all thanks to the real money that advertisers have spent. These people are all shrewd and calculating. If Kuaishou were truly effective, they would have gone there long ago.

Huang Zheng clearly didn't consider Kuaishou as an option: "I was just saying, and you took it seriously... Hmm~, shouldn't the marketing department handle the specific traffic allocation plan? It's a bit inappropriate for us to discuss it together, isn't it?"

"I came here today, so I thought I'd chat with you! I have some news to tell you in advance: Taobao and Jingdong have finalized their advertising plans, and they'll start advertising a month in advance. You can decide what to do."

As Chen Xiu said this, she suddenly felt a greater sense of understanding towards Li Yanhong.

Internet advertising revenue is really lucrative, no wonder Baidu loves to advertise so much.

Upon hearing that his main competitors had finalized their plans, Huang Zheng immediately abandoned his reserve and pulled Chen Xiu aside to discuss the scale and timing of the advertising campaign.

After reaching an agreement, Chen Xiu glanced at the green plants whose shadows were gradually lengthening, and then realized that the sun had already reached the afternoon.

"OK! I have something to do. Someone will come to you to sign the contract. Let's leave it at that for today."

"Okay, I'll give it to you."

(End of this chapter)