Zhan Ruofeng no longer knew what to say. He suddenly realized that despite his age, his thoughts were so impure!
He should have noticed earlier. After they met, Ye Zhi had only talked about business, with no mention of personal matters. He had been the one to jump to conclusions and misunderstand.
Zhan Ruofeng wished he had a stack of self-reflection vouchers to truly reflect on his thoughts. However, now was not the time.
"Parcel locker?" Zhan Ruofeng snapped back to reality and approached the parcel locker, asking with some confusion, "How does this work? Is it used the same way as supermarket lockers?"
"The principle is similar, but supermarket lockers require a password slip, while parcel lockers need a unique pickup code," Ye Zhi explained. She then proceeded to demonstrate the entire process of storing and retrieving packages.
"And," Ye Zhi continued, pointing to the screen of the parcel locker, "this screen can play advertisements. Collecting advertising fees regularly can be an additional source of revenue..."
Zhan Ruofeng was greatly impressed as he saw the business opportunities within.
Feitong had already proven how profitable express delivery drop-off points were. So, what if parcel lockers were rolled out nationwide?
Moreover, the advantage of parcel lockers was that they only required electricity, internet, and maintenance fees, with no labor costs. As for advertising fees, they were simply a bonus; who would complain about having too much money?
Furthermore, as Ye Zhi had said, with the acceleration of network speeds, the prospects for online shopping would be even broader. Therefore, the sooner parcel lockers were deployed, the sooner user habits could be cultivated, and the market could be captured in advance!
Suddenly, Zhan Ruofeng looked at Jin Mian beside him and instantly understood. He said with some surprise, "Custom parcel lockers, are you planning to cooperate with Jinshi?"
Ye Zhi nodded.
Zhan Ruofeng was even more surprised. He blurted out, "But didn't Chairman Jin raid Taoxun's warehouses not long ago..."
Ye Zhi: ...
You certainly have a way with words. Truly the elder brother of Zhan Ruoqing.
Jin Mian, on the other hand, appeared indifferent. He said with disdain, "When that old man drinks too much, he'll do anything! This old fossil who can't keep up with the times should have retired long ago and handed the company over to me!"
Ye Zhi and Zhan Ruofeng fell silent simultaneously. The Jin family was truly a picture of filial piety, father and son, father and son!
"Jin Mian and I are friends, and what happened before will not affect our friendship," Ye Zhi said with a smile, smoothing things over. "Moreover, Jinshi has more experience, and their product quality is more reliable, so choosing Jinshi is more reassuring. Mr. Zhan, you've already seen the finished parcel locker. What are your thoughts?"
Zhan Ruofeng said sincerely, "Miss Ye, the idea of using parcel lockers as the final link in express delivery is brilliant! Our Zhan family is very willing to cooperate with you."
"Mr. Zhan, don't rush, I have something else to show you." Ye Zhi smiled slightly. She was not surprised by Zhan Ruofeng's reaction.
She opened her phone and handed it to Zhan Ruofeng. "This is Taoxun's recently developed collection system. Its function is as follows..."
Then, Ye Zhi demonstrated the entire process of scanning to put packages into storage using a mobile phone, organizing parcels, notifying users, and then verifying information with a pickup code to retrieve items.
Zhan Ruofeng was even more shocked. Of course, he could see what this collection system was for.
With a dedicated room for parcels, a sorter as mentioned above, and this collection system, it would be a mature and complete express parcel collection point!
This was much more professional and safer than Feitong's current unconventional methods, and it offered greater security. Furthermore, the deployment speed would be much faster than parcel lockers!
"Mr. Zhan," Ye Zhi continued, "parcel lockers and collection points can be mutually complementary. Collection points require staff, and their operating hours are generally limited to around eight or nine in the evening. Many office workers find that the collection points are already closed after they finish work. Therefore, 24-hour parcel lockers are more suitable for them. With the two complementing each other, most last-mile delivery problems can be solved."
Zhan Ruofeng slowly recovered from his shock. Without Ye Zhi needing to say more, he clearly saw the profitable future of this industry.
He was silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Miss Ye, I have a question, and I hope you can enlighten me."
"Please do."
"Your ideas are brilliant and very well-developed," Zhan Ruofeng said, somewhat puzzled. "But Taoxun could do this themselves, right? Why do you need my cooperation?"
Ye Zhi truthfully replied, "Taoxun's Shunda Express is in an awkward position within the industry. If they were to step forward directly, it would be more challenging. The Zhan family is neutral, making it more convenient for them to act as an intermediary, and the Feitong faction would likely cooperate.
Of course, if Taoxun were to do it, they could. However, I prefer to cede some of the profits to establish rules for this emerging industry."
"Oh?" Zhan Ruofeng looked at her with some surprise. "What rules?"
"I want to leave the choice to the users," Ye Zhi sighed. "Before each delivery, the courier should call the user and ask if they prefer home delivery or delivery to a collection point or drop-off service, and deliver according to the user's wishes."
Zhan Ruofeng was stunned. He had originally thought that Ye Zhi's talk of establishing rules would be related to finances or controlling the entire industry. After all, the essence of capital is profit-seeking, and sacrificing interests is often done to obtain more.
But he truly hadn't expected that Ye Zhi would do all this simply to preserve the user's right to choose.
At this moment, he suddenly felt that Ye Zhi's soul was shining brightly.
"Feitong probably won't agree," Zhan Ruofeng said truthfully after some deliberation.
"That's why I said Feitong has no future!" Ye Zhi said with a confident smile. "If Feitong is unwilling, perhaps Sutong and Kuaitong might be willing, wouldn't you agree?"
Zhan Ruofeng suddenly understood. Feitong's intentions were not considered in Ye Zhi's plan from the beginning!
If Feitong were willing to abide by the rules, then parcel lockers and collection points would be earning money from Feitong, and they wouldn't lose out.
If Feitong refused to abide by the rules, then home delivery from other express companies would become a highly competitive advantage!
Although Sutong and other express companies also belonged to the Feitong faction, they were an alliance of interests. When there was an opportunity to surpass Feitong and become the leader, how could other express companies miss such a chance?!
Zhan Ruofeng couldn't help but gasp. He had known Ye Zhi was very capable before, after all, Qianbai had fought with Taoxun for so long, leaving Qianbai in disarray while Taoxun's path became steadier.
But he now realized that he had still greatly underestimated Ye Zhi's abilities. He even felt that Qianbai's survival to this day was solely due to Ye Zhi's leniency!
No, to be precise, it was that Ye Zhi didn't even consider Qianbai an enemy; she was simply focused on building her commercial empire!
"Ms. Ye, we'll cooperate!" Zhan Ruofeng said resolutely.
"A wise choice," Ye Zhi replied with a slight smile.