From Taobao intern to the father of Pinduoduo

Chapter 177 Pinduoduo's monthly active users exceed 10 million!

On October 4th, which was National Day, most of Pinduoduo's staff were on holiday.

Interestingly, many people might assume that major websites would experience a surge in traffic during holidays like National Day, but that's not actually the case.

When major holidays like National Day and Spring Festival arrive, people are more likely to choose to go out and have fun rather than stay at home playing computer games.

Playing on my phone.

Therefore, traffic always drops first and then rises during holidays.

Most of Pinduoduo's employees have been given leave, leaving only some basic operations staff.

Of course, Lin Mu, as the boss, didn't take a holiday. He was working hard in the office, coordinating and maintaining the overall situation. He looked at the reports in his email on his computer. The reports showed that Pinduoduo's monthly active users increased by 3 million in August and by 3.4 million in September.

Million.

The reason for such a terrifying growth is twofold: first, WeChat has been growing rapidly, and Pinduoduo has taken advantage of this momentum; second, the pre-installation market on mobile phones is gaining momentum; and third, Pinduoduo's group-buying model is particularly suitable for viral marketing.

The combination of multiple factors has led to Pinduoduo's meteoric growth.

At this point, Pinduoduo's monthly active users have reached 15 million in October, and its monthly revenue has reached 3 billion yuan.

Even if it stops growing here, it would still have a staggering total revenue of 360 billion yuan a year, which is comparable to JD.com.

Although such a turnover is nothing compared to Taobao, Taotian Group's annual turnover is 6300 billion yuan, while Pinduoduo's is only a fraction of that.

However, Pinduoduo has only been online for less than a year and a half. Once this terrifying growth rate is announced, it will inevitably attract the attention of the entire capital market and arouse great vigilance from Taotian Group, which will then try every means to suppress it.

In other words, Pinduoduo can no longer hide its true colors.

Since he can't hide it anymore, let's officially start the war. Of course, before starting the war, he needs more leverage to continue to push up the company's valuation.

The 1 billion yuan in Series B funding was definitely not enough. Lin Mu's appetite had grown, and he was no longer satisfied with a valuation of 10 billion yuan. He wanted to double it again and get 2 billion yuan in funding.

To achieve a valuation of 200 billion, Lin Mu needs to rely on another growth curve to give Pinduoduo's monthly active users a boost and push it even higher. He is pinning his hopes on "Running Man".

It just so happens that today is October 4th, the premiere day of "Running Man". He picked up the remote and turned on the TV in the office.

In a high-end apartment in Hangzhou.

Millie, dressed in her professional business attire, returned home with a bitter and resentful expression. She took off her black high heels, revealing a black fabric shirt—

Her jade-like feet, clad in socks, landed on the soft carpet. Her face wore an expression as if the whole world owed her something. Without slippers, she walked step by step across the hall, sat on the sofa, and then rubbed her rosy, numb, and sore soles with her hands.

Her company is insane. They didn't give her a holiday for National Day, but postponed it until after the holiday. They even said that their overseas clients wouldn't wait for them to have a holiday. They would pay her 1.2 times her salary during the National Day holiday, and anyone who was dissatisfied could just quit.

Since the boss has said that, what else can the employees do?

Millie muttered to herself in dissatisfaction, "Only 1.2 times the normal rate, while it's double pay on statutory holidays—oh well." She took out her iPhone 4 and started browsing Weibo. The first post on her homepage was a daily update from Zheng Kai, a celebrity she followed.

"The show has been filming for two whole months, and it's finally going to meet everyone! Tonight is the premiere of 'Running Man' on Hunan TV, remember to watch me! PS: I had a lot of fun on this show, and I hope there will be a second season."

Below the post was a picture of Zheng Kai, who has a sunny and youthful appearance, lying on the floor of a shopping mall, covered in sweat, as if he had just run a marathon.

"Running Man? What kind of show is that?" Millie asked, looking puzzled.

She is a fan of Zheng Kai and has been following him since his time on "My Hero". In recent years, Zheng Kai's resources have not been good, and he has only played minor roles. She and other fans are very worried about him, so they will support him on any program he takes on.

Of course, at this time, the data-driven female worker industry chain had not yet taken shape, so they wouldn't spend money to inflate data, and Millie, as an office worker, didn't have the time or energy for that. As is customary, Millie would support any variety show Zheng Kai appeared on.

Millie's home has a set-top box, so she can find any program and watch reruns. So she didn't rush to watch it right away, but continued to browse Weibo to relieve her tired spirit after working like a dog.

Weibo was like her sustenance, but while scrolling through the trending topics, Millie was shocked to find that almost every trending topic on Weibo was related to "Running Man":

#邓超伐木累#热搜第3#李晨1V3撕名牌#热搜第5#郑恺照顾Angelababy#热搜第11#

The premiere of Running Man was trending at number 7 on Weibo.

"That's amazing?" Millie clicked her tongue and casually clicked on the entry for "Zheng Kai taking care of Angelababy".

The trending Weibo post was a screenshot posted by a marketing account, with the caption: "Screenshot from the recording site: Zheng Kai protects Baby the whole time, his gentlemanly hands are commendable!" The comments section below was harmonious, with most people praising Zheng Kai as a warm-hearted man.

But looking at this trending topic, Millie felt inexplicably uncomfortable and muttered under her breath, "Taking care of Angelababy?"

"Tch, she's not without hands and feet." However, wanting to see Zheng Kai, she suppressed her jealousy.

Millie glanced at the time; it was 8:45 PM, and the show had already aired. But she had seen on Weibo that she could watch a rerun on Tencent Video. So, she turned on the TV, searched with her set-top box, and found "Running Man."

Millie originally just wanted to watch casually and support her idol, but she was captivated as soon as the show started.

The show opened in a huge studio, where the seven members appeared one by one: Deng Chao, Wang Baoqiang, Li Chen, Chen He, Zheng Kai, Wang Zulan, and Angelababy.

Millie initially didn't feel anything for the others, but as she watched, she found herself smiling without realizing it.

The first game was floating mats, where members had to run across floating mats, and whoever fell into the water lost.

Chen He was the first to go on stage, but after only two steps, he fell into the water with a "plop." He floated on the surface, looking dazed, and cried out in grievance, "Is this blanket fake?!" Deng Chao was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight. When it was Deng Chao's turn, he ran faster than anyone else, but just as he was about to reach the finish line, he slipped and fell even more badly than Chen He.

Millie couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Then it was Zheng Kai's turn. He was a sprinter with excellent balance and explosive power. He ran steadily all the way and finished beautifully, successfully passing the test. "So cool!" Millie's eyes lit up.

In the following game segment, the seven people interacted naturally, and there were many laughs.

Millie discovered that although this group of people had varying levels of fame, they unexpectedly created a chemistry when they got together, especially Deng Chao's slip of the tongue about "family," which became a famous scene.

Chen He, standing nearby, added cheekily, "Bro, it's family, not 'Fa Mu Lei'!" Deng Chao looked innocent, "I meant 'Fa Mu Lei'!" Millie covered her mouth slightly, her shoulders trembling.

Then came a short "GG" segment, interspersed with a segment highlighting the show's exclusive sponsorship by Pinduoduo. Millie didn't pay much attention, instead taking out her phone to recommend the show to her friends in their group chat.

"Peach, Anbao, I've discovered a really good and hilarious show! You guys should watch 'Running Man' on Hunan TV, it's so funny! Especially my husband Zheng Kai, keep an eye on him, he's so handsome!"

Millie hadn't expected to receive a reply from her friends, but to her surprise, they replied immediately.

Peach replied, "I'm already watching it, and I've watched it twice already! I really like Li Chen, he's so manly. The name tag ripping game is also very interesting. It's a pity I'm too old. If it were in junior high, high school, or college, I would really like to play it with you guys once."

Millie couldn't help but complain, "I didn't even get a holiday for National Day, I'm so resentful!" Anbao replied, "I like Deng Chao, he's very caring." Upon seeing this, Millie sighed and complained, "Anbao, you still like older men as always! By the way, how are things going with your older boyfriend?"

Next, the three girlfriends chatted enthusiastically in their group chat, talking about the details of their lives with their older boyfriends. Although their boyfriends were chauvinistic, they were really good at taking care of people and were rich, but their skills in bed seemed to be a bit lacking.

As the conversation went on, the atmosphere in the group chat got a little off, leaning towards something a little more suggestive. The girls are actually quite open about it in private. Just then, the "GG" ended, and the show started again.

Next up was the name tag ripping game.

Millie, who had been curled up on the sofa, unconsciously sat up straight.

The rules of this round are simple: seven people are scattered throughout a building, and they must find and tear off the name tags from other people's backs. Those whose name tags are torn off are eliminated, and the last person standing wins. But the simpler the rules, the more exciting it is.

The camera cuts to Zheng Kai, who is hiding alone in the stairwell, looking nervous.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded. Zheng Kai held his breath and peeked through the crack in the door. It was Li Chen! "Big Black Bull" Li Chen was burly and looked like someone not to be trifled with. Zheng Kai gritted his teeth and decided not to go out.

But Li Chen seemed to hear something and walked towards the stairwell. Millie was so nervous that her toes curled up, and she whispered, "Don't find him! Don't find him!" Then—"click," Zheng Kai's phone rang.

Li Chen suddenly pushed open the door, the two stared at each other for a second, and then Zheng Kai took off running! What followed was a five-minute chase scene, with Zheng Kai sprinting down the stairwell and Li Chen hot on his heels. The two nearly collided several times, narrowly missing each other each time. Millie's palms were sweating as she watched.

Finally, Zheng Kai was cornered in a dead end. Li Chen slowly approached, smiling, and said, "Kai Kai, do you want to tear it yourself or should I do it?" Zheng Kai, panting heavily, suddenly laughed, "Brother Chen, let's talk about something—" Before he could finish speaking, he lunged forward, trying to launch a sneak attack on Li Chen!

But Li Chen reacted too quickly, grabbing his hand and the two wrestling. Millie stared intently at the screen, shouting, "Go! Go! Tear him off!" However, Li Chen was too strong. After a stalemate of more than ten seconds, he suddenly exerted his strength and tore off Zheng Kai's name tag.

"Zheng Kai, OUT!" Millie leaned back dejectedly: "Ah, so close!" But the show wasn't over yet. After eliminating Zheng Kai, Li Chen continued to pursue, and in the end, he eliminated everyone except Angelababy.

Baby was hiding in a corner, trembling. Li Chen found her, and the two looked at each other. Everyone thought Li Chen would just go up and tear off his name tag, but he hesitated for a moment and said, "Forget it, why would I, a grown man, bully a girl?" Then, he made a decision that shocked everyone: he tore off his name tag and stuck it on Baby's body.

"I forfeit, you win." Baby was stunned, then her eyes reddened. In the end, Angelababy won, and the whole audience cheered.

As the show ended, Millie leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh: "It was great, really great." She never imagined that a variety show could get her so involved. The game segments, the interactions between the members, and the tense and exciting name tag ripping at the end were all captivating from beginning to end.

Furthermore, the program repeatedly interspersed a segment with the phrase "GG [This program is exclusively sponsored by Pinduoduo!]".

"Pinduoduo? Pinduoduo again?" Millie remembered that she seemed to have seen the app's name on the screen a while ago, but she hadn't downloaded it.

At the end of the program, the host read a prepared announcement: "Go to Pinduoduo and search for 'Running Man' to buy official merchandise such as phone cases, keychains, and autographed photos of celebrities! Limited quantities available, first come, first served!"

"Any merchandise?" Millie's eyes lit up. She immediately took out her phone, searched for Pinduoduo on Baidu, and quickly found the download link.

Pinduoduo's icon design is rather ugly. Right now, its product icons even have a banner that says "Claim Free Products." Millie thought to herself, "Is this really a shopping app? It's so ugly, like something out of a small workshop."

After downloading, Millie found logging in conveniently; she could link her WeChat account without needing to register separately, so she logged in directly with WeChat. Opening the app, she glanced at the homepage and then froze:

这里面有5块8的纯棉T恤，9块9的充电宝，1元钱两包的抽纸，12块8的插座。

Is this price for real? It sounds like a counterfeit product.

Millie could hardly believe her eyes. But surely, someone who sponsors a show like "Running Man" wouldn't be trying to rip you off, right?

She temporarily suppressed her doubts and searched for "Running Man" in the search bar.

After the page redirects, merchandise appears, including co-branded phone cases with the cast of "Running Man." Individual phone cases for each character are available, as well as cases featuring all the characters together.

Each one is priced at 19.9 yuan, so everyone gets a share.

The family portrait is more expensive, costing 29.9 yuan.

Keychains, even the cute versions, are 9.9 yuan each.

In addition, there are T-shirts, which are priced more normally at 49.9 yuan each.

Although it's still cheaper than offline, it's not as ridiculously cheap as before.

Furthermore, this T-shirt has a special spot on the back for attaching a name tag, which is also available for purchase at a very low price of 9.9 yuan for 5.

Millie looked at the T-shirts, quite tempted. Then she shook her head and sighed. She was too old for that; playing the name-tag ripping game at her age felt a bit childish. So she chose Kai Kai's phone case and keychain instead.

When making payment, a pop-up message appeared on the page: "You have received a 5 yuan no-minimum-spend coupon, would you like to use it?" "There's another discount?" Millie decisively clicked to use it.

In the end, the two items cost only 24.8 yuan, including shipping. After successful payment, the page redirected to her personal center, where Millie noticed several features on the homepage that she didn't understand: "Bargain to Get Free".

"1 Yuan Flash Sale"

"Get free fruit"

"Claim free items"

"————What are all these?" The messy, chewy bits of food made her frown.

She is a very traditional person who has always believed that there is no such thing as a free lunch. She always felt that there must be a trap in these things that are like viruses, such as extremely poor product quality or a scam to make money.

However, she had just spent money to buy merchandise, and Pinduoduo is the exclusive sponsor of "Running Man," so they shouldn't do something so unethical. There is still some basis for trust between them.

Millie thought about it. She usually loves eating fruit, so she decided to give the "free fruit" feature a try. If it was too much trouble, she wouldn't bother.

So she clicked on "Get Free Fruit," and a pop-up window appeared on the page. Above was a fruit tree, and below was a row of fruit options: apple, orange, pear, mango — the pop-up window said: "Choose the fruit you want to receive for free, water it for 7 days, and it will be delivered to your home free of charge."

Millie raised an eyebrow: "Really? Such a good thing?" She selected the mango, and the system prompted her to water the fruit tree. The operation was ridiculously simple—just click the water button, and the watering can automatically watered the tree. After watering five times, it showed that today's task was completed.

"That's it? Just tap it once a day?" Millie glanced at the progress bar: Day 1 of 7. "Fine, I'll just consider it a freebie." She exited the app and put her phone aside, but she had already silently memorized the app.

Buy two official merchandise items for 24.8 yuan and get free fruit too — Pinduoduo, sounds interesting.