"The founder of the 'counterfeit investigation' is investigating us!" Wang Hai was unaware that his actions were being reported directly to Huang He, the chairman of Jiangnan Group.
"Are you sure about this, Wang Hai? The one they call the 'hero of anti-counterfeiting'?" Huang He asked.
"It's confirmed. Wang Hai's delivery address is his company's address, and he even included the company name. The delivery personnel noticed this and reported it to me. We've already checked his package, picked out all the items that might be counterfeit or shoddy, and replaced them with genuine products!" Leng Zhiruo said with a smile.
"This Wang Hai actually did something so foolish!" Huang He exclaimed, surprised.
"Yes, I was startled as well. But this might not be good news. Our development has attracted a lot of attention, and they're planning to attack us by claiming we sell counterfeit and shoddy goods!" Leng Zhiruo said with a serious expression.
"I expected this," Huang He nodded. "By the way, how many counterfeit or shoddy items did our people find in total?"
"Not many, only six items," Leng Zhiruo replied.
"These merchants who sell fake goods must be punished. Tell them that all their deposited security deposits will be forfeited," Huang He stated decisively. "Also, their stores will be closed for a week for self-reflection and inspection. We have evidence of them selling fake goods, so we'll handle it according to the agreement!"
"Yes, but I'm afraid this is like a drop in the bucket," Leng Zhiruo sighed. "Are our merchant review processes too lenient? We only require a business license and ID card, and a single interview. We don't investigate the merchants' qualifications, capital, or stores too thoroughly. This will inevitably attract more pests, and then there will be more than just one or two sellers or merchants."
"Zhiruo, let me ask you, do you know how many merchants registered on the Jiangnan Mall last week?" Huang He suddenly asked.
"I do, about 700," Leng Zhiruo nodded.
"Too few! This number is far too small!" Huang He sighed deeply. "The entire Jiangnan Mall only has three sellers for Coca-Cola and two for Pepsi. These are the best-selling fast-moving consumer goods in the country!"
"And in the entire furniture category, there are only three stores. The entire major appliance category doesn't even have a single store. If there are one million different products in China, then our Jiangnan Group currently only has less than 10,000 products for sale, and 990,000 products cannot be found in my mall. Do you think we don't need to develop?"
"In my plan, within the next three years, the Jiangnan Mall must have over 200,000 merchants, and cover at least 800,000 out of one million different products. In five years, we need to cover 990,000 different products, so that anything that exists in the world can be found in our Jiangnan Mall. How many merchants do you think we need to attract?"
"Therefore, we absolutely cannot discourage merchants from joining the Jiangnan Mall. On the contrary, you should immediately establish a merchant service department and expand it, recruiting at least three to four thousand people nationwide."
"The salaries for these people don't need to be high, a basic salary of 300 yuan is fine. Their job is to find people across the country who could become our merchants and invite them to join the Jiangnan Mall. By the end of this year, the total number of merchants in the Jiangnan Mall must exceed 50,000. This is a hard target, no discussion!" Huang He said decisively.
"To make the work of those below easier, I think the 3,000 yuan store opening deposit can be waived for now. However, this would make it too easy to use... So, let's introduce a policy where the business development representatives have the right to waive the deposit. In name, the deposit is still required, but the representatives can apply for an exemption. With this power and benefit in hand, it will be much easier for the representatives to attract merchants."
"Regarding business licenses, we can also introduce a grace period policy. After all, applying for a business license currently takes a considerable amount of time. Therefore, as long as merchants are in the process of applying for a business license, we can give them the opportunity to open a store, but they must obtain the business license within three months, otherwise their stores will be temporarily closed until they complete the business license application."
At this point, Huang He's face showed a hint of smugness. "Zhiruo, with this, won't our merchant recruitment speed at least double?"
Seeing Huang He's smug expression, Leng Zhiruo felt that her brother-in-law might have lost his composure, so she reminded him helplessly, "Brother-in-law, isn't this plan a bit too aggressive? Aren't you afraid that our Jiangnan Mall will become a counterfeit mall?"
"Ah, how can our Jiangnan Mall become a counterfeit mall? Haven't we made it clear from the beginning to all merchants that they absolutely cannot sell fake or shoddy products, otherwise we will punish them severely? We've made all of this clear!" Huang He chuckled.
"But they won't be afraid. Counterfeiting and selling counterfeit goods are now criminal offenses, and it means going to jail. But there are still plenty of people selling fake goods!" Leng Zhiruo said.
"Heh heh! I wish they would sell fake goods!" Huang He suddenly revealed a sinister smile. "Zhiruo, have you forgotten that according to our Jiangnan Mall's rules, all merchants who join and start selling products must have their transactions flow through our Jiangnan Wallet?"
"I know, of course. This is the biggest advantage of our Jiangnan Mall!" Leng Zhiruo nodded.
"Exactly. Those guys at Dangdang and Eachnet thought that by introducing so many individual merchants, our website's credit system might collapse. But they didn't know that all customers who shop on our website need to deduct the funds from their Jiangnan Wallet first before the buyer can ship the goods."
"And after the buyer ships the goods, only when the customer confirms receipt will the money be transferred to the merchant's Jiangnan Wallet. This forms a perfect logical cycle."
"Merchants don't have to worry about encountering fake buyers who don't pay, and buyers don't have to worry about merchants sending fake goods or not shipping at all. This is the huge advantage of our Jiangnan Wallet, and it also ensures the smooth operation of the entire Jiangnan Mall, with a very low probability of fake merchants or fake buyers appearing, because their money is held by us, the intermediary."
"But brother-in-law, this might prevent fake buyers and fake merchants, but it's still difficult to prevent merchants from selling fake goods. After all, not everyone can immediately confirm the authenticity of a product. Otherwise, we wouldn't have found six counterfeit items in Wang Hai's order," Leng Zhiruo said. "Even if a buyer accidentally discovers that they bought a fake product and requests a refund, this might only be one out of a hundred people. The merchant can still make money from the other 99 people and won't care about such a refund!"
"That's true. That's why I plan to set a new rule to completely fix this loophole!" Huang He said with a slight smile. "I've decided to introduce a new policy called the 'Quality Deposit Policy'. In the future, after the user confirms receipt, the money will not be immediately given to the merchant. Instead, it will remain in our Jiangnan Wallet for one month."
"This way, all merchants will have a large sum of money withheld by us. And if any user complains during this period that they have purchased a fake product, then their quality deposit withheld for that month will be completely deducted, and not a cent will be returned to them. It will all be ours!"
"Zhiruo, what do you think? With this policy, will these merchants still dare to sell fake goods?" Huang He's lips curled into a triumphant smile, while Leng Zhiruo looked at her brother-in-law as if he were a devil.
Her brother-in-law was simply too ruthless.