I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 289 Accident Car Refurbishment

Su Cheng's optimization plan is to directly and drastically cut the online 'price trend' function.

He is targeting the offline restaurant business and plans to develop "I Tell You" into an information platform.

How to describe the product's positioning... it's similar to Dianping.com, but not quite a Dianping.com.

Its core function is to solve one of the biggest problems in life for users: what to eat tonight?
This function has the same core purpose as price trend analysis.

The essence of people reading comments is that they want to take shortcuts, don't want to use their brains to filter information, don't want to take risks, and especially don't want to make mistakes.

After the product was updated, Su Cheng made the dining page the primary user entry point.

Step 1: Users enter their budget: how much they plan to spend on dining out tonight.

100? 200? 500?

There's no set standard; a 15 yuan meal for one person or a 500 yuan meal for a group is fine.

However, Su Cheng had seen the latest version of the database, which showed that the cost for four people dining out was around two hundred yuan.

Then, the user is prompted to enter the number of diners: 1 person? 2 people? 4 people? 6 people?
Once the budget and number of diners are set, the program will automatically start recommending nearby restaurants to the user.

If no suitable option is available, the budget can be increased.

This is simple; you can just use an existing program to crawl the data from any map.

Now comes the important part.

The new business transformation of the product relies heavily on users' dining reviews. But what if the dining business has just been launched and there are no reviews, or even information about the restaurant's dishes?
The latter problem isn't a big one; it can be solved with a little manpower or money.

In the early stages, we conducted trial operations in one or two cities, actively inviting merchants to upload their menu information.

If you want high efficiency, spend some money on on-the-ground promotion.

Because restaurants will proactively upload their relevant information to this information platform later on.

Getting customer reviews is a bit more difficult; it requires spending some money on that.

This is what Su Cheng had planned beforehand: no matter what assets were stolen from the old man, there would definitely be a necessary operating cost afterwards.

Whether it's a wrecked car or a used car, refurbishing it costs money.

It's possible that it cost quite a bit.

Initially, Su Cheng's idea was to subsidize users by having them post their dining experience and reviews on their product after each meal, with the company offering a 10% to 20% subsidy.

Spend 100 yuan and get a 20 yuan subsidy; spend 200 yuan and get a 40 yuan subsidy.

If Su Cheng had the power to directly control the finances of the Emperor Group, he would definitely do it.

This is the most audacious way to start, and also the optimal solution to the equation for business in this field.

But Su Cheng doesn't have that much money.

With most of the money deducted by the old man, Su Cheng had to be more careful with her spending.

Because "I Tell You" has not yet been commercialized, Su Cheng is now going to carry out a major business transformation for the product. All previous investments are costs and there is no way to make a profit for the time being.

After careful consideration, Su Cheng finally set the subsidy rate at 5% of the meal expenses.

Simply provide screenshots or proof of your purchase and write a review to receive a subsidy, which will be directly deposited into your designated account.

According to Su Cheng's calculations, the money in the account could only be used to select one city, and the compensation would have to be given out within a limited time, such as writing a review on a designated date like Saturday or Monday.

Have no idea!

Su Cheng didn't have that much ammunition, so she had to use it sparingly.

The result is certainly not the optimal solution of the equation, but given Su Cheng's current conditions, it is the best solution he can offer.

This is what they mean by "even a clever housewife can't cook without rice."

Su Cheng thought it would be better to add a clause: excellent and genuine reviews would have a chance to win a free order, as the ultimate reward for attracting attention and building appeal.

"Although the speed and effect may be slightly inferior, it is still sufficient."

Su Cheng did this to achieve the most basic mutual benefit with the users.

Once the snowball starts rolling, things will be easier; it's just a little difficult at the beginning.

Users saw a restaurant on "I Tell You" and had a great experience after dining there.

So when this user tries a new restaurant, they will write down their experience and post it on "I Tell You," thus achieving a win-win situation for both the product and the user.

As long as reciprocity is achieved, it doesn't matter whether the meal subsidy is 5%, 10%, or even free.

The meal compensation and free meals are just costs that Su Cheng should pay during the early stages of the product transformation.

As for the issue of commercialization.

A typical entrepreneur might subsequently engage in group buying, promotion, or paid direct marketing services.

But Su Cheng's idea was different; he was determined not to create a product like Meituan or Dianping.

Being the same as them means homogenization, which means competing in the same field.

If you sell traffic or online paid packages, you can take a cut from the merchants' earnings.

If Su Cheng charges merchants commissions and promotion fees, then the merchants will face certain commission and promotion pressures. These costs will ultimately be passed on to consumers, and in the end, Su Cheng still makes money from consumers.

"I'll Tell You" is essentially a product created from the consumer's perspective. If we were to take that path, we would lose the product's credibility and the objectivity of the information to some extent.

Advertising and promotional information can overwhelm users with information, and the dazzling array of restaurant information can make it difficult for users to make a choice.

Users already don't know what to eat, and after using "I'll Tell You," they're even less sure.

Even if a choice is made, the actual experience may not match the "high score" and the popularity bought with money.

"I'll Tell You" is a large-scale production, but it's still insignificant compared to Meituan and Dianping, which have already established substantial capital.

Su Cheng will focus the product's emphasis on "user reviews".

The product's character has now been determined.

"I'm Telling You" must be something differentiated; it must be a product made from the customer's perspective.

Since we're focusing on evaluations, we should definitely promote the most authentic and timely high-value evaluations.

What is the logic behind consumers' reviews?
Normally.

Good food and a good dining experience will earn a positive review.

If the food is not tasty or the experience is not good, I will give a bad review.

I won't write a review for a restaurant with mediocre taste and experience, because there's not much to review.

If it's like Meituan, then they'll definitely use fake positive reviews, just like how e-commerce platforms use fake orders.

For every person who writes positive reviews, there's someone who writes negative ones: competitors, 'monster consumers'.

Take, for example, the restaurant that Su Cheng, Qin Fen, and Zhang Yangwen went to that night.

My colleagues all said it was delicious, and they found it to be really good when they went there, and they also had a great dining experience.

However, the online rating is only in the 3s.

Besides competitors engaging in fraudulent order practices, a significant reason why restaurant owners didn't pay protection fees to the platform was the presence of demanding and difficult customers.

They give bad reviews for the slightest imperfection, or vent their negative emotions on the waiters and shop owners, acting superior as consumers and giving bad reviews.

These things are not allowed in "I'm Telling You".

The foundation of the success of "I Tell You" is ensuring the authenticity and timeliness of all reviews.

He will impose various restrictions in this regard.

As for timeliness, that's a topic worth discussing.

The quality of a restaurant is not static; there are many subtle changes that cannot be reflected in reality.

These may change over time due to management changes or changes in chefs. Evaluations generally reflect historical averages and serve as a reference value; timeliness is also important to ensure that the restaurant's evaluation reflects its current state.

As for what to do about controversial evaluations.

Su Cheng will establish a dedicated department to handle these controversial evaluations, with a focus on fairness and impartiality.

In this respect, food delivery services do a good job by allowing other consumers to intervene as rational and objective parties in resolving disputes.

Su Cheng felt that it was worth learning from and introducing this approach.

"Eh?"

"its not right!"

"It's 2016 now, and Meituan doesn't have that user participation mechanism yet."

"Then isn't this my original work?"

Su Cheng chuckled shamelessly, "Yes, that's right, it's my original work!"

The final structure can be summarized as follows: other consumers mainly participate in the process, merchants provide evidence for appeals, and a specialist supervises and reviews the process as a safety net.

If we don't follow Meituan's path, how should we implement commercialization?

Su Cheng already had a basic idea, but it was still being refined.

The next morning.

Wu Xiaotong, sporting dark circles under her eyes, knocked on Su Cheng's office door.

She came to report the optimization plan for "I'll Tell You" to Su Cheng.

When Su Cheng saw the proposal that Wu Xiaotong presented, she couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

Because Wu Xiaotong's plan also shifts towards offline.

Her approach is the same as Su Cheng's: to leverage the existing scale and quickly transform into a similar business, retaining existing customers while ensuring continued operation.

but.

Wu Xiaotong's plan is still vague. The field and category are not determined. It only tentatively proposes a catering business, which is not specific enough.

But this is already very good; Wu Xiaotong's performance has exceeded Su Cheng's expectations.

No wonder Mr. Lin recommended him; he really has something special about him.

Su Cheng praised Wu Xiaotong's idea to her face: "Not bad, very good, feasible."

After praising her, Su Cheng silently closed the proposal.

Wu Xiaotong was still caught up in excitement and joy, unaware of Su Cheng's hand gesture.

"Team Leader Su, shall we report this to General Manager Long first?"

"Uh, no need for that."

"Hmm? So, should we report directly to headquarters?"

"You've misunderstood. What I mean is, there's no need to bother. 'I Tell You' has already been sold."

The joy on Wu Xiaotong's face vanished instantly, replaced by confusion and surprise.

"Sold...sold?"

"Yes, you're late."

"So fast?"

"Ah."

"Team Leader Su, I know this might be outside my authority, but I'd still like to ask, how much did your group sell for?"

Su Cheng thought for a moment and said, "It's no big deal to tell you, it's 850 million."

"850?"

"Well, that's what Mr. Long told me. Do you think it's too much or too little?"

Wu Xiaotong felt that they definitely sold too few!
If her plan is implemented, there will be at least several companies with a value of 8.5 million.

But according to their collective discussion and the opinions of their seniors, the group has already made a lot of money.

“Team Leader Su, do you know who the buyer is?” Wu Xiaotong paused. “I mean, I want to keep an eye on what they will do next.”

"This is a matter of customer privacy. Mr. Long didn't tell me, and I don't know either."

The actual buyer was sitting right across from Wu Xiaotong; it was Su Cheng herself who bought it.

"Oh... all right then."

Before Wu Xiaotong could even feel disappointed, Su Cheng continued, "Your direction is correct, but your ideas are still vague because you haven't come up with anything concrete and actionable."

"How can we retain existing customers and attract new ones when transitioning to an offline restaurant business? What business model should we adopt?"

"Your work doesn't even qualify as a draft; it can't be called a complete plan."

“Even if ‘I Tell You’ doesn’t sell, I would never give something like that to Mr. Long to see.”

Wu Xiaotong: ? ? ?

To kill someone, you also need to... destroy their spirit?
Wu Xiaotong had to explain: "Team Leader Su, the reason I didn't write it in great detail is because I think 'I'll Tell You' can be made into a model like Meituan or Dianping."

Su Cheng:?
It would have been better if Wu Xiaotong hadn't brought this up, because once she did, Su Cheng would continue to criticize her.

Su Cheng knew that some people would want to follow Meituan's business model.

"That's even worse..."

Would Meituan and Dianping let you do it?

What are your strengths compared to the other two companies?

"You can't possibly kill both of them."

"The best-case scenario is that all three companies coexist, with users downloading three apps simultaneously to compare prices. What's the point of that?"

Wu Xiaotong was shocked when she heard Su Cheng's words.

Is Su Cheng also thinking about optimization solutions for "I'll Tell You" lately?
His words and logic were so sharp that they pointed out the shortcomings of the plan and the problems it faced.

"But it doesn't matter, we were just discussing it privately."

"You can keep this question to yourself and think about it more when you have time when you get back."

"Let's learn from each other and make progress together."

Su Cheng ultimately encouraged Wu Xiaotong, telling her to treat the problem as homework, to think about it whenever she had free time, or to come and talk to Su Cheng when he was free.

Only after Wu Xiaotong left the office and returned to her own workstation did she have time to feel regret.

She rested her chin on her hands, staring blankly into space.

She's been working herself to exhaustion these past few days researching "I Tell You".

Su Cheng's suggestion was not wrong. Wu Xiaotong also knew that her plan was mediocre. She just wanted to take it to Su Cheng to take a look first, but she did not expect that it would be almost completely rejected.

During a group meeting two days ago, Wu Xiaotong had a strong feeling that "I Tell You" could continue.

But after careful consideration, I realized that it seemed like I couldn't find the right approach no matter where I started.

She had an idea in her mind, but as Su Cheng said, it was very vague, and she still couldn't describe it accurately.

Even now, Wu Xiaotong still hasn't figured out the inspiration she had at the meeting.

It's like having a fishbone stuck in your throat, and you just can't get it out.

How can we revive "I Tell You"?

(End of this chapter)