A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Batur Abujiang spent almost all of his savings from two years to buy that brand-new handheld gimbal and entry-level SLR camera.

"Batur Abujiang, are you really going to do this with your own money?"

Some people stared at the pile of equipment in disbelief, "Even the group doesn't support this, what are you trying to achieve?"

"Just for the sake of it."

Batur Abujiang adjusted the camera settings without looking up, saying, "I just want to prove that this path is not a wrong path."

Every day after get off work, while others rest, he starts working, carrying his equipment to the crab ponds.

The water under the setting sun, the Tianshan Mountains in the morning mist, the workers' focus when feeding the animals, Ding Minfeng's meticulousness when checking specifications... all of these were recorded by him frame by frame.

Editing is even more grueling.

Having no prior experience, he learned step by step from the tutorials, often working on them until two or three in the morning.

The office computers were too old to handle rendering, so he used his own laptop, whose fan hummed as if it were about to take off.

His palms were sweaty when he released the first video.

The title is: "What's it like to raise crabs at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains?"

There were no exaggerated shouts or eye-catching special effects; it was just a simple recording, with the background music being the melodious tune of the dombra.

He never expected that the video would go viral overnight.

"Crab farming in Xinjiang? I've learned something new!"

"This scenery is absolutely stunning! Do the crabs grow up drinking snow water?"

"Looking for a purchase link, I want to try the Tianshan snow crab!"

The comment section exploded, and the number of followers skyrocketed.

Five thousand, eight thousand, ten thousand... The number of targeted followers quickly exceeded five thousand, and the private messages in the background were flooded with food bloggers asking about prices and seeking collaborations.

Batur Abujiang excitedly approached Ding Xuemin, "Section Chief Ding, look, we've got traffic! There are actually people who want to buy it."

Ding Xuemin carefully reviewed the data and comments, a rare smile appearing on his face: "Well done, Batur Abujiang. But..."

He then changed the subject, "Wanting to buy and actually buying are two different things. How will you sell it? How will you ship it? What about after-sales service? Have you considered these questions?"

Batur Abujiang was stumped by the question.

The problem quickly became apparent.

After the number of followers reached 10,000, the growth rate slowed down significantly.

New voices are starting to emerge in the comments section:

"Why do you always film the pond? I'm tired of it."

"Could you give me some practical advice? Like, how to choose crabs?"

"Hey streamer, show your face! Just filming scenery isn't interesting!"

Batur Abujiang was so anxious that blisters appeared on the corners of his mouth.

He tried live streaming for the first time, and his tongue seemed to be tied in knots when he faced the camera.

"Uh... hello everyone, these are our crabs... um... they live at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains..."

He stammered, holding a crab in his hand, unable to articulate the core selling point for a long time.

Comments floated by:

"The anchor is so nervous."

"So what's so special about this crab?"

"What's the price? How do I buy it?"

He was so busy that he forgot to add the shopping cart link, and by the time he remembered, most of the viewers had already left the live stream.

The more pressing issue is the order problem.

After finally getting thirty orders from fans, Batur was so happy he almost jumped for joy.

He worked through the night to get his roommates to help him pack the items. They used ordinary styrofoam boxes, put in a few bottles of ice water, hastily tied them with tape, and sent them out.

The nightmare began on the third day.

The customer service account has been compromised.

"Three crabs died! What kind of packaging is this?"

"You promised three ounces or more, but the most you received was two and a half ounces!"

"Refund! Or leave a bad review!"

The five return complaints were like five blows to the head, leaving Batur dizzy and disoriented.

With trembling hands, he clicked on a picture posted by a buyer who had returned a product: the ice water bottle in the corner of the styrofoam box had long since melted, the box was soaking wet, and the two crabs were lying limply, clearly beyond saving.

There were even more jarring comparison photos: the huge, plump sample crab he held during the live stream was placed side by side with the obviously smaller actual crab received by the buyer, captioned: "Seller's show vs. buyer's show, haha."

Negative reviews followed one after another. Not only was the comment section of his first thirty orders flooded with negative comments, but even his earliest scenery videos were now being commented on: "Beware! This crab is of poor quality and the packaging is terrible!"

"No...that's not how it is..."

Batur Abujiang wanted to explain, but didn't know how to type it out.

The packaging was just something he did to cut costs; for the sake of the live stream, he did choose the biggest and best crabs to showcase…

He slumped into his chair, watching the number of followers in the backend begin to drop, and the once enthusiastic comments were drowned out by doubts and accusations.

The phone rang; it was Ding Xuemin.

"Batur Abujiang, come to my office."

When I pushed open the office door, Ding Xuemin was looking at the computer screen, which displayed the glaring comparison image of the negative review.

"Sit down, not bad. Thirty orders is a good start."

"However, this one thing can ruin all your previous efforts."

Consumers don't care how beautiful the scenery you photographed; they only care whether what they receive is the same as what you described.

Packaging, specifications, and freshness—these are the real factors.

Batur Abujiang's voice was hoarse: "I...I want to save some costs. Professional cold chain packaging is too expensive, I..."

"So you used a styrofoam box and an ice water bottle?"

Ding Xuemin sighed: "Crabs are living creatures, not clothes or shoes."

How many days does it take to ship from Xinjiang to the rest of China? How big is the temperature difference? With your packaging, it would be a miracle if the crabs even survived.

Batur Abujiang was speechless.

"There's also the size; during the live stream, they show the largest size, but consumers receive a medium or even smaller one."

Why? Because our crabs naturally vary in size, and achieving a high pass rate in the selection process incurs costs.

To enhance the livestream's appeal, you've obscured this crucial point; that constitutes false advertising.

"I didn't intend to make false claims... I just wanted everyone to see the best..."

"If you see the best, you should give it the best."

Ding Xuemin's tone became serious, "Otherwise it's deception. In business, especially in food, reputation is a thousand times more valuable than traffic."

By doing this, you've not only ruined your own account's reputation, but also tarnished the image of the nascent Xinjiang River Crab brand.

Batur Abujiang then realized how serious the consequences of his experiment could be.

"Section Chief Ding, I was wrong. I... I'll cancel the account and won't do it again."

"Cancel account?"

Ding Xuemin looked at him and said, "You run away from problems, is that your way of showing resentment?"

Batur Abujiang suddenly looked up.

"Was the money spent on equipment wasted? Were all those sleepless nights for nothing? Was all the fan base we built up for nothing?"

Ding Xuemin stood up, walked to the window, and said, "Now that a problem has arisen, let's solve it."

If the packaging isn't good enough, find a professional cold chain solution; if the specifications aren't transparent, clearly state the selection criteria and tiered pricing; if your livestreaming skills are lacking, practice in front of a mirror a hundred times.

He turned around: "The group isn't providing funding, but they haven't said we can't solve the problems. The first batch of goods is about to leave the pond, and you know the pressure Boss Wang is under regarding specifications."

If you can figure out a reliable online sales support path, even if you can only sell those crabs that don't meet the standards but are still of good quality, it will be a great achievement.

Batur Abujiang was stunned. "You...you still want me to continue?"

"Don't keep going blindly. This is a friend of mine who runs a fresh food e-commerce business. Go find him and learn how to do professional packaging, warehousing, and logistics."

cost……"

He paused for a moment, then said, "We'll take an advance from the project's reserve fund, consider it a loan, and pay it back once we make a profit."

Batur Abujiang took the note, his hand trembling slightly.

"Remember this lesson: flow is like water; it can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

Products and services are the ballast stone at the bottom of the ship.

"If you rush to set sail before the ship is fully built, it will undoubtedly capsize when a storm comes."