Chapter 781 The Food Delivery Association? A New Era of Caravans! Anyone who doesn't join, I'll beat them up!
On a late winter afternoon, a few rays of warm sunshine vanished in an instant, and the north wind blew cold and fiercely, swirling the withered yellow leaves on both sides of the road into the air and drifting them into the distance.
A Taodian Dian delivery station in Qiantang District, Hangzhou.
Unlike usual, there were several people wearing Kuaipao delivery uniforms standing at the door, and an office desk set up inside where all of Taodian's full-time riders were signing new labor contracts.
There were also people nearby responsible for distributing the new uniforms.
In short, after Chen Yansen and Ma Liyun reached an agreement, not only will they hold shares in each other, but Taodiandian's 21,000 full-time riders will also be transferred to Kuaipao.
After that, Kuaipao's delivery system will be integrated with Taodian's takeout orders, which means that Taodian has outsourced its delivery business to Kuaipao.
On the surface, Kuaipao and Taodian are two independently operated food delivery platforms, but in reality, Pei Yi holds all the power. Moreover, Ali will soon relaunch the Kuaipao channel on the homepage of Taobao and Yaomao Apps.
From the outside perspective, it's ultimately a case of youth prevailing over strength; e-commerce giant Ma Yun was no match for the richest man, Chen Yun, and Ali suffered a complete defeat.
But for Taodian's full-time delivery riders, the new notice the company sent out today is absolutely fantastic.
Previously, if you wanted to become a full-time rider for Kuaipao, you had to work part-time for a year or two while waiting for a lottery. Now, you've transformed into a regular rider.
Although Taodian's full-time rider benefits are not bad, they are incomparable to Kuaipao. The total value of the severe weather allowance, meal allowance, transportation allowance, shopping credits in the internal mall, milk tea coupons, coffee coupons and quarterly bonuses alone is tens of thousands less in income per year.
A Taodian rider signed a contract, received a new set of equipment, and his face was full of joy.
The huge package contained two brand-new work clothes, two down jackets, four base shirts, two pairs of work pants, a pair of sneakers, a pair of non-slip boots, and ten pairs of pure cotton socks.
Not a penny needed, everything is free!
In the past, the owner of Taodiandian's website would have dared to charge them 2,000 yuan!
Moreover, although it's supposed to be work clothes, there are no eye-catching markings on the clothes, only two Chinese characters "筷跑" (kuàipǎo, meaning "chopsticks run") printed on the upper left chest, about the size of a fingernail.
In addition, these clothes are all the result of careful design by Orange Garment Design Department, which has taken into account warmth, fit and functionality.
"Brother Chun, what does the new uniform look like? Try it on and let us see."
Seeing this, the riders queuing on the left curiously asked what was going on.
"Have you never seen a delivery driver using Kuaipao (a type of fast food delivery service) on the street?"
Chun Ge was both amused and exasperated, and asked with a straight face.
"How can that be the same? I've only ever looked at it before, I was too embarrassed to look closely."
"Brother Chun, you need to change your tune. We're full-time riders for Kuaipao now."
The delivery guys said with a grin.
"Yes, yes, yes! It's mainly because my brain hasn't caught up yet."
Chun Ge chuckled, put a large bag of clothes against the wall, rummaged through it and pulled out a down jacket liner to put on, just about to put on his windbreaker.
A deliveryman grabbed his shirt hem, flipped open the tag, and began to read aloud: "95% goose down, 114 grams of fill power."
Upon hearing this, a nearby delivery driver immediately exclaimed, "No wonder the delivery drivers at Kuaipao aren't afraid of the cold outside. Wearing this inner lining will definitely keep them very warm!"
"Damn, that's so extravagant! When I buy clothes for my family, I can't even bear to buy clothes that are 95% goose down."
"The inner liner plus the windproof jacket, this set alone would cost several hundred yuan. In a shopping mall, you couldn't get it for less than a thousand yuan."
"Bullshit! A thousand yuan order can only buy one white duck down jacket, this is goose down!"
Upon hearing this, several staff members from the Kuaipao Transportation Department couldn't help but show smug smiles on their faces.
A few pieces of clothing are nothing.
Brother Sen releases several sets of clothes every year, all year round.
"Brother Chun, you look really smart in this outfit. Stand up straight, I'll film you for Douyin."
Someone in the crowd suggested it.
Before long, a large number of costume change videos appeared on Douyin.
After all, most of the delivery drivers are young people who enjoy playing Douyin (TikTok).
In the video, a food delivery worker riding a generic electric scooter and wearing a Taodian uniform suddenly appears on the screen. The background music starts, the scene changes, and he is sitting on a high-range electric scooter produced by Orange Vehicle Industry, and his clothes have changed to a Kuaipao food delivery uniform.
Opening the comments section, you'll find nothing but blessings from the delivery riders.
That afternoon, some users discovered that even though they ordered Taodian Dian delivery, the deliverymen who came to deliver it were Kuaipao deliverymen.
I asked around and found out that there would be no more Taodiandian delivery drivers in the future, and they would all be Kuaipao delivery drivers.
However, the change that followed was that fewer and fewer stores on the KuaiPao and TaoDianDian platforms offered free delivery, with most now charging between 1 and 3 yuan.
Pei Yi is testing how much the delivery fee needs to be increased to maintain a balance between order volume and revenue.
The core reason why Chen Yansen was willing to accept Lao Ma's surrender was that he wanted to end the infighting as soon as possible and put the food delivery industry on a healthier development track.
Otherwise, the more booming the food delivery industry becomes, the more depressed the catering industry will be.
Take the 15 yuan takeout orders that currently account for 60% of all orders as an example. Without considering the merchant's rent, labor and operating costs, the ingredients and packaging boxes alone cost 6 to 10 yuan. It's not unreasonable for the rider to charge 4 to 5 yuan per order for delivery, right?
The platform's commission and marketing fees of 15% to 30%, which amount to 2.25 yuan to 4.5 yuan, are also reasonable.
This shows that when merchants are working out of passion and the platform doesn't pay taxes, the revenue from a single order can't even cover the costs.
Therefore, in Chen Yansen's view, raising delivery fees, increasing commission rates, and improving profitability are the only ways to ensure that everyone in the industry chain can make money, thereby promoting a more rational ecosystem for the food delivery industry.
Following this, Pei Yi announced that he would establish a food delivery industry development association on February 4.
The owners of companies such as Qiandu Waimai, Daojia Meishi Hui, Linghaoxian, Shipaishi, Dianwoba, and Louxia 100 all received invitations.
For a moment, they were all wondering what Kuai Pao was up to.
Some believe that Pei Yi intended to use the association's name to carry out a monopoly.
But they dared not not go!
Given Kuai Pao's size and industry dominance, if a price war were to break out or targeted suppression were to be carried out, none of them would survive.
The founders of a group of food delivery platforms spent a day and a night in anxiety before heading to the headquarters of Kuaipao on Longcao Road in Shanghai.
Even Gong Zhenbing, the CEO of Baidu Takeout, didn't dare to cause trouble and obediently took a plane from Beijing to Shanghai early in the morning.
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...
On the third floor of Building A in Yiyuan Office Building, you can see the purple bamboo and fish pond outside through the window, which still exude a vibrant bluish-purple hue in this winter.
With a "creak"!
Zhang Xuhao pushed open the door and walked in, accompanied by Tang Yongbo, the person in charge of Tao Diandian.
Pei Yi did not show up!
The reason is simple: given his current status, he can leave this kind of thing to Zhang Xuhao.
Otherwise, why should he be given the position of president of the food delivery business unit?
Zhang Xuhao walked straight to the head seat and sat down, silently glancing at the group of people.
In his opinion, why not set up a food delivery association and kill all these garbage food delivery websites? The association would be Kuai Pao, and Kuai Pao would represent the association. Wouldn't that be great?
But he also knew that a substantial monopoly was too hated, and Kuaipao needed some competitors to divert attention.
"Thank you all for your support of the food delivery association. For the sustainable development of the industry, Kuaipao and Taodiandian took the lead in establishing the food delivery association. I hope everyone can join us."
Zhang Xuhao got straight to the point.
When you have the ability, you naturally speak with confidence.
Even though there are more than a dozen people sitting in the room, their combined market share is only one-tenth.
"Mr. Zhang, what are the costs and responsibilities of joining the food delivery association?"
Gong Zhenbing asked directly.
"First, the most crucial task of the food delivery association is to formulate a unified commission rate for merchants, ranging from 15% to 35% depending on the brand type; second, the order delivery process for each company should be handed over to Kuaipao's delivery department, and Kuaipao will be responsible for training and accepting platforms with full-time riders."
Zhang Xuhao answered calmly.
He paused and then said, "As for the benefits, firstly, the association prohibits malicious competition, so everyone can focus on making products; secondly, you can all enjoy the abundant transportation resources of Kuaipao Transportation Department; and thirdly, it reduces internal competition and increases revenue."
To put it bluntly, KuaiRun aims to become the next generation of "caravans," and the "escort" task for food delivery must be handed over to KuaiRun.
And the delivery fee is entirely up to KuaiPao.
"This isn't an association; it's clearly a monopoly!"
Gong Zhenbing muttered to himself.
Putting everything else aside, Kuai Pao's requirement for each company to open up its order system is something they simply cannot do.
This isn't just being someone's underling; it's practically being someone's son.
Did Ma Liyun accept it?
Thinking of this, Gong Zhenbing glanced at Tang Yongbo with a puzzled look on his face.
Tang Yongbo awkwardly touched his nose. Even the big boss had backed down; what could he say?
He could feel the gazes around him, but he didn't pay much attention to them.
Since Senlian Group acquired a 30% stake in Taodiandian, the pressure on him has dropped dramatically. What's wrong with being someone's "son"?
The owners of the other food delivery platforms looked at each other with extremely complicated expressions.
If they accept this, the advantage is that they will no longer have to worry about insufficient delivery capacity for their own platform's food delivery orders, and they won't have to spend money to employ riders; the disadvantage is that the order data will be controlled by Kuaipao, so can they still be considered an independent food delivery company?
“Mr. Zhang, I have no objection.” The founder of 100 downstairs readily agreed.
Downstairs 100 is a niche product in the food delivery industry, offering only coffee, milk tea, and cakes, making its product range extremely limited.
Routine deliveries are handled by SF Express, which is quite costly. Switching to KuaiPao might reduce delivery costs.
“Mr. Zhang, I am also willing to join the food delivery association.” The chairman of Foodie followed suit and immediately expressed his opinion.
Gong Zhenbing frowned slightly. He panicked when he saw the people inside responding one after another.
Should Qiandu Waimai join?
Who knows if Kuai is up to any bad intentions behind the scenes?
Before he could even think about it, all the dozen or so food delivery platforms in the room backed down.
Whether it was genuine or not, at this moment, everyone wore an expression of "welcoming the king's army with food and drink."
"Mr. Gong, where is Qiandu Takeout?"
Zhang Xuhao stared at Gong Zhenbing and asked, word by word.
"Excuse me, Mr. Zhang, I have to report to the boss."
Gong Zhenbing quickly came up with an excuse.
"You have half an hour."
Zhang Xuhao raised his eyelids slightly and announced it casually.
His orders were that anyone who disagreed, or whose agreement wasn't loud enough, would be put on the list of targets to be eliminated.
Since 2015, the food delivery industry has only been allowed one voice.
Gong Zhenbing was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Xuhao to be so assertive. He felt embarrassed but dared not get angry. He could only walk out of the meeting room and call Li Yanhong from the corridor.
Ten minutes later, Gong Zhenbing returned to the conference room. Facing Zhang Xuhao's questioning gaze, he forced himself to say, "Qiandu will not join."
"So, Qiandu wants to be our rival?"
Zhang Xuhao asked with a smile.
In an instant, representatives from more than a dozen food delivery platforms in the room all turned to look at Gong Zhenbing, clearly indicating that they had now become Kuai Pao's lackeys.
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Inside Villa No. 8 of Yujing Villa.
Chen Yansen had just finished a bowl of sweet soup when he received a call from Pei Yi.
“Brother Sen, apart from Baidu, all the other food delivery platforms have joined the association. I’ve selected two vertical websites to invest in.”
Pei Yi said slowly.
"Then I'll give Qiandu a ride."
Chen Yansen said calmly.
Under the pressure from Senlian Group, Baidu's market value has dropped to only 10 billion US dollars, putting it on the same level as Vipshop. Since Li Yanhong cannot see the situation clearly, he cannot be blamed for being ruthless and determined to wipe it out.
The next morning, various food delivery platforms began to adjust, opening up their technical interfaces and introducing Kuai Pao Waimai's intelligent delivery system.
In addition, merchants have also received verbal notices that, starting from February 5th, once they join Qiandu Waimai, they will be blacklisted by the entire association.
This is no longer a choice between two options; it's about using market dominance to eliminate competitors.
Upon learning of this, Li Yanhong immediately sought out people to file a complaint against Senlian with the Market Supervision Association and the Business Association on the grounds of malicious competition and illegal monopoly.
However, he overestimated Baidu's current status and value. After hearing this, the other party gave a few perfunctory replies and hung up the phone.
These people are very shrewd; they wouldn't risk offending the Senlian Group for the sake of Baidu.
Although Chen Yansen's actions were excessive and illegal, who can blame him when Senlian Group is of higher value?
Military research institutes in various regions have placed orders for the purchase of Zhulong G1051 and Zhulong 3000 machine tools until the third quarter of 2015.
Who dares to fine Senlian Group?
Isn't this just making things difficult for yourself?
Take the last time for example, Ali was fined more than 4 billion yuan, while Pinduoduo and JD.com were only fined a few hundred thousand yuan. The person in charge of this matter was transferred to a new position and put on the sidelines.
No one would joke about their future.
Senlian Group might be punishable, but only if there is a clear order from above; they would dare to take action then.
Meanwhile, the merchants on Qiandu Waimai waited all day, but when Qiandu made no move, they immediately realized that Mr. Li's background was no match for Chen Yansen, so they simply closed their shops and moved to Kuai Pao and Tao Diandian.
Merchant attrition means user attrition, and user attrition means order attrition. This creates a vicious cycle.
Qiandu Waimai used to have more than 3 million orders a day, but in just one week, it dropped to only 600,000.
Many people privately criticize Kuai Pao for being domineering and disregarding rules, but no one dares to do it openly.
Merchants quickly felt the benefits of the establishment of the food delivery association. First, the commission rate was standardized; second, the proportion of delivery fees they had to bear decreased.
Compared to before, operating costs have actually decreased.
When all participants in a supply chain can make money, the food delivery industry enters a period of rapid development.
The only reason users aren't used to it is because delivery fees have increased and order amounts have gone up, meaning they have to spend more money.
However, the platform's service quality is also constantly improving.
Despite some netizens criticizing Kuaipao for raising prices, Pei Yi didn't care at all.
Because battle reports can be deceiving, but battle lines can not!
Although the number of orders in the entire food delivery industry has declined slightly, revenue and net profit margins have increased.
After a year and a half, Kuaipao's food delivery business has finally brought its net profit margin back to 1%.
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...
On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the pedestrian street.
The wide road was bustling with people, noisy and lively.
The neon lights were dazzling, illuminating the streets as if it were daytime.
Chen Yansen frowned and handed Wang Ziyan a roasted pig's trotter. Although he wasn't afraid of the cold, who would want to stand outside in the cold wind for no reason?
(End of this chapter)
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