Austin was displeased, but he had no choice but to agree.
Subsequently, the headquarters of X Shopping assembled a small team to create a questionnaire. This survey was to be conducted over three days, distributed not only to X Shopping users but also across major websites.
Three days later, the small team compiled the survey results. Miles presented the findings to Austin and personally called him.
"Andre, the situation this time is very serious," Miles stated gravely. "Nearly ninety percent of the respondents claimed they had no idea about X Shopping!"
"Ah... well," Austin said, bracing himself, "we haven't been here for very long, and we don't have much name recognition yet..."
"Austin, that's no excuse!" Miles became even more serious. "Also, have you read the reasons provided by those lost users for no longer using X Shopping?"
"I have..." Austin felt a prickling sensation on his scalp.
Miles continued in a deep voice, "Their reasons primarily fall into three categories: First, the interface is unfamiliar. Second, the lack of Taoxun Pay makes payment troublesome. Third, the website service is poor..."
As Austin listened, he felt increasingly uncomfortable. Weren't these the very points Tang Jiatong had argued with him about earlier?
He had fired Tang Jiatong, but now it seemed she was right?
"Miles, I don't accept this!" Austin said unhappily. "The first two points aside, I've operated entirely according to the head office's model here. Our advantage at X Shopping lies in our service; how can you say our service is poor? I seriously doubt the authenticity of this questionnaire!"
"Andre! The results of this questionnaire are indeed authentic," Miles said, also getting angry. "Since users are saying the website service is poor, there must be areas where you've fallen short. Or perhaps... it's just not as good as Taoxun's service."
This last statement made Austin feel particularly uncomfortable. How could X Shopping be inferior to Taoxun?
"Alright, think about it carefully and make improvements," Miles said displeasedly. "If there's no improvement within six months, even if I want to let you off the hook, Burton won't agree."
The call ended, leaving Austin even more agitated.
He truly couldn't accept that the survey results had proven him wrong.
No, he had to show headquarters that he wasn't wrong, that the root of the problem was definitely not what the questionnaire indicated.
Change the website interface? Fine, let's incorporate some national styles. No Taoxun Pay? We'll add it. As for service, we'll just strengthen the performance reviews.
*
Ye Zhi soon learned about the changes at X Shopping. After all, when X Shopping reapplied for Taoxun Pay's interface, Taoxun would know.
Ye Zhi was also surprised that X Shopping had backed down so quickly, though she didn't pay it much mind.
That evening, after returning to the hotel, she and Zhan Ruoqing met again to review their progress.
"Ye Zhi, do you know? X Shopping has gone viral," Zhan Ruoqing suddenly said.
"Huh?" Ye Zhi was genuinely surprised. "What's going on?"
Zhan Ruoqing said, somewhat speechless, "It's because X Shopping recently revamped their website again, incorporating many national style elements. They also launched a national style shopping season, recommending many so-called national style products. You know, foreigners' understanding of national style is quite different from ours, and it's often filled with stereotypes..."
"So," Ye Zhi guessed, "X Shopping became a trending topic and went viral because their revamped interface was ugly?"
"Yes," Zhan Ruoqing nodded. "They became famous for being ugly. Now, the entire internet is attacking them for discriminating against us!"
Ye Zhi: ...
X Shopping is truly something else; they dare to touch anything. If it were just ugliness, they'd at most be criticized. But once it touches on discrimination, even the gods can't save them!
While she didn't consider X Shopping a rival, the other company was practically playing themselves to death.
"Let's not talk about them," Ye Zhi said faintly. "What did you gain today?"
"Quite a bit, but let me tell you something first, and I need your opinion." Zhan Ruoqing frowned.
"Okay," Ye Zhi nodded slightly.
"Someone approached me today, wanting me to invest in a project," Zhan Ruoqing said. "He said that many people nowadays are increasingly unwilling to go out, and due to busy work schedules, they don't have time to visit wet markets. So, he plans to establish a grocery delivery company, allowing young people to buy groceries online and have them delivered. He intends to start in major cities, using this method to become everyone's primary source for groceries, which he believes will be very profitable. His proposal is beautifully done and very attractive, but I felt something wasn't quite right, so I didn't agree on the spot and plan to consider it..."
Ye Zhi's expression was calm. With the rapid development of Taoxun, many online businesses had also boomed, so she wasn't surprised to see online grocery delivery emerge. However...
"Does his business plan only involve fruits and vegetables?" Ye Zhi asked.
"Yes," Zhan Ruoqing nodded.
"You were right not to agree," Ye Zhi said calmly.
"How so?" Zhan Ruoqing asked curiously.
"The spoilage rate for fruits and vegetables is actually quite high," Ye Zhi explained. "You can't guarantee their freshness. If the fruits and vegetables are very fresh, the spoilage is high, and the costs will inevitably increase, making the prices uncompetitive. But if you sell them too expensively, why wouldn't customers just buy them from supermarkets themselves? They can also choose them personally.
If, to reduce costs, you sell some less-than-fresh fruits and vegetables to customers, it's a one-time transaction. Who would buy groceries from you again?"
Zhan Ruoqing nodded in realization and couldn't help but ask, "The prices of vegetables at supermarkets don't seem very high either?"
"Although the prices of vegetables in supermarkets aren't high, it's not a particularly profitable business in itself. Supermarkets actually make their profits from daily necessities. Many supermarkets rely on customers buying other items while they're there to generate revenue. And also..." Ye Zhi smiled slightly, "The reason I don't recommend you invest is because Taoxun plans to cooperate with major supermarkets, allowing customers to purchase goods directly from nearby supermarkets via Taoxun, with delivery drivers bringing them home. This will squeeze the market for this grocery delivery app."
"Alright," Zhan Ruoqing nodded. "Then I won't throw my money away. You do a good job with this business, and as a major shareholder, I'll be waiting for my dividends!"
"Okay," Ye Zhi smiled faintly. "I definitely won't let you down!"
"Oh, Ye Zhi, I heard your T-Live is experiencing a significant surge in overseas users recently!" Zhan Ruoqing said.
"Yes, someone helped us out before," Ye Zhi smiled faintly.