"One hundred cities in a year!"
Zhang Hao was startled:
"Chairman Wang, isn't this expansion speed a bit too aggressive?"
Wang Yi laughed lightly:
"Not aggressive at all. Without capital entering the game, the food delivery market is a stagnant pool, and Ele.me pushing into three cities in three years doesn't matter."
"But once capital enters the market, investing in other competitors, that's capital efficiency, capable of pushing into hundreds of cities in a year. If Ele.me continues to drag its feet, it will be a dead end! Look at the development of the group-buying market, and you'll understand!"
Zhang Hao suddenly realized and said solemnly:
"Chairman Wang, you are right! We must be more efficient than our competitors and capture the market before capital enters, only then will we have a future. If it truly develops into a 'thousand group-buying battle' like the group-buying market, that would be a disaster."
"Exactly. Tell me about Ele.me's current progress."
Zhang Hao began to elaborate:
"First, the target demographic. Young people are most receptive to new things. Now they are students; once they accept the food delivery model, they will become office workers after graduation and will continue to use food delivery. Therefore, Ele.me started with universities in Shanghai, then expanded to universities in Beijing, Hangzhou universities..."
"President Zhang, your strategy of choosing universities as a breakthrough point is very correct, but focusing only on universities is not enough. We should expand from specific points to broader areas, gradually promoting food delivery throughout the entire urban area. Of course, with limited resources in the early stage, we cannot achieve full urban coverage, but we can cover city centers and key areas."
Wang Yi continued:
"Besides universities, there are office buildings and apartments, places with many young people where cooking is inconvenient; these are all our key coverage areas."
"Especially office workers in office buildings; most companies do not have cafeterias, so they can only bring their own lunch."
"But many young people don't know how to cook. Those who can cook find it difficult to wake up early, so they can only prepare food the night before and eat leftovers, which is troublesome and not necessarily healthy."
"Or they settle for something downstairs, but with only a few small shops, they eventually get tired of eating there. If they go too far, there isn't enough time during lunch."
"But once our food delivery is launched, we can deliver within a five-kilometer radius, which will be their best option!"
"Moreover, these office workers can order in advance, and by 12 PM lunch break, the food delivery will already be downstairs, ready for them to pick up and eat!"
Zhang Hao beamed with delight:
"Chairman, you are wise! I initially only focused on universities and hadn't thought about this. Universities have cafeterias even if students don't order food delivery, but the vast majority of companies don't have cafeterias, making them more suitable for promoting food delivery!"
"Exactly, that's the point."
Wang Yi continued:
"Furthermore, we must formalize food delivery services to gain user trust! For example, hygiene permit inspections, collaborating with relevant departments, and if any substandard merchants appear, directly reporting them to the relevant departments for severe crackdown!"
"Understood!"
Zhang Hao quickly took out his phone and noted everything down.
"And this user data is also very important. Subsequently, we need to integrate big data, establish a tagging system for merchants, customers, and regions, and build data models to facilitate our subsequent data analysis and big data pushes."
One reason Wang Yi got into food delivery was for O2O big data.
This big data is extremely important; it will later unleash tremendous commercial value.
"Additionally, Ele.me needs to accelerate its hiring process. Riders can be employed in two ways: one is regular employees who sign labor contracts and contribute to the five social insurances as usual."
"The other is third-party crowdsourced riders, who only contribute to accident insurance."
"The former has complete five social insurances but more restrictions, and their take-home pay will be slightly less. The latter does not contribute to the five social insurances, gets more take-home pay, is more flexible, and can work part-time, allowing riders to choose for themselves."
"Later, I will have Meiyou Technology customize uniform windbreaker 'battle robes' for Ele.me riders, making them windproof and waterproof!"
Zhang Hao nodded while taking notes:
"This is good; it will highlight Ele.me's professionalism, and users and merchants will find it easier to trust us!"
Wang Yi continued:
"The Ele.me APP is also under development. Later, you arrange for people to liaise with Xingyi Technology's development team regarding systems and data."
"With one hundred cities to launch, training is most important. Next, in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and other places, we will launch station manager training camps to first train station managers and teams, and then send them to major cities to develop the market!"
"At the same time, we will aggressively poach talent. Those group-buying platforms that are bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy, their capable executives and employees, are all our recruitment targets."
Wang Yi understood clearly: over 6,000 group-buying platforms would go bankrupt within the next year, 99% of them!
And the talents and elites from these major platforms, spread across various cities, all have experience in market development, are capable, and are familiar with local merchant resources.
Once a platform goes bankrupt or is on the verge of bankruptcy, these people face unemployment.
They can conveniently come to Ele.me and continue to expand its territory!
Seamless integration!
Furthermore, by looking at their performance in the 'thousand group-buying battle', it's easy to see who is truly capable and who is useless, allowing for targeted recruitment.
"Chairman Wang, you are truly a genius. Your foresight is a hundred times more thorough than mine; I am ashamed!"
Zhang Hao's expression was complex.
He hadn't expected Wang Yi to have planned so much, truly strategizing within a command tent!
He felt a pang of fear in his heart.
Had he refused the acquisition, with Wang Yi's thorough preparations, he could have turned around, invested in other food delivery companies, or created his own, and quickly taken down Ele.me!
By then, Ele.me would have been driven to bankruptcy by Chairman Wang!
Luckily, he chose to "sell himself."
If you can't beat them, join them; there's no shame in that.
Moreover, Wang Yi was providing money, giving dry shares and dividends, offering a CEO position, and a high salary...
Zhang Hao thought a lot in an instant, and couldn't help but smile:
"Selling out to Xingyi Technology, I was f***ing clever!"
Both parties discussed many more details and finalized Ele.me's future development.
Finally, Zhang Hao asked:
"Chairman, should we promote it heavily online?"
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"Not for now. Ele.me is expanding city by city. If we spread out online promotions, most cities won't have Ele.me available, rendering it meaningless. It's better to concentrate resources on offline promotions in the launched cities, using methods like ground teams!"
Another concern was that since they were just starting and gradually expanding, there was no need to be too high-profile online.
In case of being too high-profile, it might attract BAT, Meituan, and others to enter early, offering massive subsidies and turning the food delivery market into another 'thousand group-buying battle,' and Wang Yi would have nowhere to cry.
Even if Ele.me develops later, Wang Yi plans to report bad news over good news.
Hmm, talk more about how much was lost, how much money was burned, how many difficulties and obstacles were faced, how many complaints, and less about how much was earned.
There's no other way; in the early pioneering stage, one must bide their time.
Once capital enters the market in a big way, starting a food delivery war, they would have to burn money on subsidies again.
Wang Yi certainly didn't want that.
In fact, in the current 'thousand group-buying battle,' Meituan is a very inconspicuous player.
Conversely, the four major platforms like Wowotuan, which are burning money frantically, are the dominant players.
But the final outcome was: the four major platforms ran out of money, leaving a mess everywhere, owing wages all around, some went bankrupt, and others were acquired.
Meituan, which didn't burn much money, chose a strategy of "encircling the cities from the countryside," advancing step by step, and ended up being the last one standing.
After communicating with Wang Yi, Zhang Hao did not return to the Shanghai headquarters, but instead entrusted it to his subordinates.
He then went to Ele.me's Beijing station to establish the Beijing Station Manager Training Camp.
Only by training enough station managers and teams can they rapidly advance in the market and launch stations nationwide.
Of course, Wang Yi also had Jian Ziyan arrange for some Xingyi Technology employees to be stationed at Ele.me's headquarters to control key positions such as finance and human resources.
Afterwards, Wang Yi called Yu Wenle:
"President Yu, transfer a team from AutoNavi and have this team join Ele.me, specifically to assist Ele.me in market development."
Yu Wenle was overjoyed; he understood Wang Yi's intentions.
AutoNavi Ride-hailing is handled by people from Sogou Maps.
The food delivery business is handled by Ele.me.
Currently, AutoNavi only has location services and navigation-related businesses, overseen by Chairman Cheng Wu, with no other new businesses.
Yu Wenle continuing to stay at AutoNavi would offer little prospect for development.
It can be said that AutoNavi Maps has significant strategic importance, but limited profit development.
It was precisely for the strategic security of underlying map data that in his previous life, Alibaba spent nearly 10 billion to acquire AutoNavi.
With AutoNavi, all enterprises under Alibaba, as well as Alibaba-affiliated companies, would not have to worry about map issues.
Similarly, Tencent aggressively acquired NavInfo, ensuring the strategic security of underlying map data for Tencent, as well as for Meituan, Pinduoduo, JD.com, and other Tencent-affiliated companies.
That's right, in his previous life, companies like Meituan, Pinduoduo, and JD.com were all invested by Tencent, with Tencent being a major shareholder!
These companies all used Tencent Maps, with NavInfo providing the underlying data!
Baidu, on the other hand, built its own underlying map data to expand Baidu Maps.
As for ByteDance-affiliated companies in his previous life, they used AutoNavi Maps, just like the Alibaba-affiliated companies!
In reality, ByteDance and Alibaba had a rather good relationship in his previous life.
Both sides had common rivals and a basis for cooperation, leading to deep collaboration.
For example, Douyin needed Alibaba's AutoNavi Maps and merchant services, as well as 1688 supply channels, to generate revenue and monetize traffic.
Alibaba also needed Douyin's young users and traffic to increase its own revenue.
Coupled with their common rivals Baidu and Tencent, it made cooperation even more convenient.
In his previous life, because BAT all had their own underlying map data, other platforms could only choose a side to align with.
Even Douyin had to strategically cooperate with Alibaba.
There was no other way; underlying maps were too important.
But in this life, AutoNavi was acquired by Wang Yi, NavInfo became part of the Tencent ecosystem, and others could only choose a side to cooperate with.
These things were unavoidable.
It's just that underlying maps are strategically important, but their monetization capabilities are generally limited.
Yu Wenle staying at AutoNavi would not be very meaningful either.
But Ele.me is different; this core business has unlimited prospects.
In the future, its revenue and profit being ten or even a hundred times that of AutoNavi would not be a problem.
Therefore, as soon as Yu Wenle heard Wang Yi asking him to come to Ele.me, he became completely excited:
"Chairman, I will actively cooperate with President Zhang to make Ele.me bigger and stronger!"
"Very good. You will first serve as Ele.me's Vice President, and take a team to develop the Shenzhen station."
Wang Yi said decisively:
"From now on, Ele.me's development will start with first-tier cities, then second-tier cities, advancing one by one."
"Yes!"
Beijing and Shanghai stations have been launched, so Guangzhou and Shenzhen cannot be left behind.
As for Guangzhou, Wang Yi asked Zhang Hao to arrange for a Vice President from Ele.me's founding team to develop it!
Through this pioneering work, one can best assess an executive's actual capabilities.
For these Vice Presidents and station managers in various cities, Wang Yi will arrange for people to discreetly conduct multi-faceted investigations, evaluations, and assessments.
If their abilities are outstanding and their character is sound, in the future, they can not only serve as Ele.me's Vice President, but even be transferred to the group headquarters to lead other businesses!
But if their abilities are mediocre, they will be transferred to the logistics department and marginalized.
If their abilities are mediocre and they have malicious intentions, they will be directly optimized out, or even sent to prison!
After seeing Yu Wenle off, Wang Yi held a video conference with the X chat development department in Jeju.
Wang Yi was very glad that he had been reborn in 2011, not 2013.
In 2011, Ele.me was still small in scale, having launched stations only in parts of three cities.
Meituan had just been established, and was still struggling for survival in the 'thousand group-buying battle.'
ByteDance had not yet been founded, and Douyin was even further from existing.
Kuaishou, which had just been founded, was still called "GIF Kuaishou," focusing on GIF image creation, and had not yet transitioned to short videos.
Even BAT had just broken through the "Seven Warring States" encirclement, and were not yet the terrifying, unshakable giants they would become years later.
Baidu, as the head of BAT, was merely the king of the PC era, and still somewhat looked down upon the mobile end.
Baidu Navigation was only third place, and had not grown large.
Alibaba started with e-commerce, O2O had not yet gained momentum, and the Feitian cloud computing system had just begun.
Tencent dominated the PC era with QQ, and also made a push into gaming.
In recent years, DNF, CF, QQ Speed, and QQ Dancer were all very popular.
The recently released League of Legends had an even more promising future.
But WeChat, which would allow Tencent to rise on mobile, had just been released, with limited features and few users.
Everyone felt that the current WeChat was not as good as QQ, and there was no need to switch platforms at all.
And these were all Wang Yi's opportunities!
Especially the current WeChat, hadn't even released the Moments feature, nor a web version, and video chat wouldn't come until the second half of next year.
WeChat's user base was also only seventy million.
It can be said that the current WeChat was just starting, and could be completely defeated!
It was also the only chance to defeat it.
Once WeChat releases all these features next year, and its user base quickly exceeds 200 million, it would truly be unshakeable.
Therefore, Wang Yi decided that X chat could not be delayed any longer; even if it meant going to war with Tencent, it had to be released as soon as possible!
They absolutely could not wait for WeChat to grow.
"Lao Cai, what's the development progress of X chat?"
Cai Zisong explained in detail:
"Chairman, X chat version 1.0 is ready. We have all the features WeChat has, and we've also launched the Moments feature, which WeChat doesn't have, as well as a voice-to-text feature! It has been tested for a while, all bugs have been fixed, and it can be released anytime."
In his previous life, WeChat only launched the Moments feature in March next year, so X chat launching it three months in advance is significant.
But just this lead was not enough.
So Wang Yi asked the development team to add the voice-to-text feature.
The current WeChat only supports sending voice messages, not voice calls or video calls.
Wang Yi remembered that WeChat's video calls were released in the second half of 2012, and voice calls were released in 2013!
As for why video calls came out before voice calls, Wang Yi was not sure.
But he estimated it had something to do with WeChat's negotiations with the three major telecom operators.
After all, with the advent of WeChat's free voice calls, the three major telecom operators' call revenue plummeted.
And current voice messages had a very awkward problem.
That is, when receiving a voice message, if the situation wasn't suitable for playing it aloud, one couldn't hear the message content.
But with X chat's voice-to-text feature, it would be much easier.
In situations where it's inconvenient to play aloud, one can directly convert voice to text.
The voice-to-text feature has a certain technical difficulty; the more accurate it is, the higher the difficulty.
Wang Yi really liked this feature, and remembered it clearly, as WeChat only launched it in 2019 in his previous life.
But now, X chat had already developed it!
As for the technology, it was naturally provided by Xiao-i Robot.
Xiao-i Robot originally started with natural language processing, possessing ample technical reserves in this area, so it was certainly not difficult.
But for BAT, it would be a different story.
After all, highly accurate voice-to-text still involves significant technical sophistication.
"Excellent. Moments + voice-to-text will be X chat 1.0's killer features. Release it on New Year's Day!"
New Year's Day was in two days.
After observing Baidu's moves, Wang Yi would have to prepare for the New Year's Day strategic launch event!
A series of strategic software products would be grandly launched on New Year's Day!
Cai Zisong continued:
"Chairman, there are no issues with version 1.0 at the moment. Version 2.0 is also progressing rapidly. Our version 2.0 includes a video call feature; it has just been developed and is currently undergoing testing. If all goes well, it can be released in half a month. Additionally, we have also developed a PC web client!"
"Very good. The PC web client + video call feature can put us half a year ahead of WeChat again, perfectly timed for release before the Spring Festival."
Wang Yi had thought everything through clearly.
Once X chat launches the Moments feature and voice-to-text, WeChat will also follow up as quickly as possible.
But while they haven't yet developed Moments and voice-to-text, X chat will have already launched its PC client and video calls.
One step ahead, always ahead!
As long as they can maintain a lead of half a year to a year over WeChat, they can completely defeat WeChat.
After all, the current WeChat only has seventy million users, despite having traffic drawn from QQ.
But Wang Yi also has traffic drawn from Meiyou, and Xingyi phones will have X chat pre-installed, so they can definitely catch up.
Coupled with continuous leadership in terms of features, they can certainly surpass WeChat!
After 2011, Tencent grew big by leveraging WeChat.
And through WeChat, it funneled traffic to Tencent-affiliated internet companies it invested in, such as Pinduoduo, Didi, Meituan, and JD.com.
Also through WeChat, it defeated Alipay, and suppressed competitors like Taobao and Douyin.
It can be said that the core of everything was WeChat!
If Wang Yi wanted to avoid being suppressed, and wanted to use 'WeChat' to drive traffic to AutoNavi Ride-hailing and Ele.me food delivery, he had to create his own 'WeChat'!
He had to make X chat replace WeChat!
Currently, Xingyi Technology's operations are expanding more and more, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
In the future, internet competition will be competition between ecosystems!
Missing even one link will lead to being relentlessly attacked by competitors!
Like BAT and ByteDance in his previous life, they all engaged in social media, e-commerce, search, live streaming, short videos, gaming, and so on, and invested in all of them.
Some businesses failed and went bankrupt, but they had all invested, tried, and participated.
Only in this way could a complete ecosystem be established to become one of the four major internet factions.
Anyone who only focused on one business was their younger brother!
Such is the development of the internet.
If Wang Yi wanted to become one of the four major internet giants, he had to dabble in everything, do everything, and build his own ecosystem.
If there wasn't a complete ecosystem, lacking certain platforms, BAT and ByteDance would not provide assistance to Xingyi Technology; instead, they would seize the opportunity to move in, block, and suppress Xingyi Technology!
These things were unavoidable.
To put it bluntly, if you're just doing small-scale stuff, being a regional warlord, anything goes.
But if you want to dominate a region and become a monarch, you must have a complete system!
"Oh, Chairman, what's the Chinese name for X chat? We haven't decided yet."
Cai Zisong suddenly asked.
Wang Yi thought for a moment:
"Let's call it Changliao!"
Originally, Wang Yi wanted to call it Changlian, but out of respect for Huawei, he decided to leave that name for them.
Wang Yi had already thought of the marketing slogan: "Borderless Communication, Unlimited Chat!"
"Changliao is good; it's simple, clear, and catchy. It's not flashy, and even the older generation will understand it immediately, making it easier to accept."
Cai Zisong said with a smile.
Wang Yi nodded:
"It's called X chat abroad, and Changliao domestically, aiming to cater to all demographics!"
"Get ready! On January 1st, at the Water Cube launch event, we will release Changliao!"
"Yes!"
At the same time.
Tencent Vice President Ye Yu knocked on Pony Ma's office door.
"Come in!"
"Chairman, Baidu's Vice President is here. He says there's an important collaboration and wants to discuss it with you personally!"
Chairman Ma pondered for a moment and said:
"He's just a Vice President; you can entertain him."
"Okay, then the most likely reason for their visit is to seek further licensing cooperation for NavInfo, and they might even offer a high price. How should we decide?"
"No matter how high the price, we cannot grant authorization. Once Baidu is authorized, allowing them a few years of respite, they will be able to create their own underlying map data. By then, Tencent SOSO Maps will have another enemy."
Pony Ma's thoughts were clear:
"Refuse directly! I think Chairman Wang's side will have the same strategy. First, we'll team up to kill Baidu Maps. Without underlying map data authorization, Baidu Maps won't last beyond next year!"
Ye Yu couldn't help but ask:
"Chairman, what if Baidu acquires other underlying map providers, integrates their resources, and builds Baidu's own underlying map data?"
Pony Ma smiled:
"Heh heh, that would be his doom. Other underlying map data providers have limited capabilities, and severe homogenization. They typically have detailed data for large cities but rudimentary data for small cities. City centers are detailed, but suburbs are blank.
No matter how much Baidu integrates, it can only achieve detailed data for large cities and urban areas, while small cities and suburbs will still have rudimentary data.
That doesn't mean much, because navigation isn't just for urban areas; it also needs to cover suburbs. It's not just about big cities; there are small cities too."
"Furthermore, the entire country is currently undergoing infrastructure development. Roads are being built every day, and map data and routes are constantly changing. Only AutoNavi and NavInfo have the ability to update map data quickly. The map data from other providers is already outdated.
If Baidu buys it back, it's just outdated junk, with little meaning. Relying on outdated and incomplete underlying map data for navigation can lead consumers to their doom!"
"I see!"
Ye Yu suddenly understood:
"If things continue like this, Baidu Maps really won't last beyond next year!"
"Let's put in more effort, finish off Baidu Maps next year, and then acquire it!"
Pony Ma smiled slightly:
"Although we have acquired NavInfo, we no longer lack underlying map data. However, Tencent SOSO Maps has too few users, while Baidu Maps has many users. Once we acquire Baidu Maps, and integrate it with SOSO Maps, along with NavInfo's underlying map data, we can create an entirely new Tencent Maps, and then we can compete with AutoNavi!"
"I understand. What about the price..."
Although Ye Yu was a Vice President, such major decisions still needed Pony Ma's final approval.
"Too little, and Baidu won't sell. Too much, and it's not cost-effective. How about this: 1 billion is the cap, the lower, the better!"
Pony Ma said with a smile:
"Baidu Maps' user base is only 17 million now. Buying it for 1 billion is still a good deal. Most importantly, Baidu Maps, integrated with NavInfo data, is better than SOSO Maps. Acquiring it for 1 billion is still appropriate."
"Okay!"
Ye Yu had made his calculations, and headed straight to the reception room:
"President Qu, sorry to keep you waiting."
"President Ye, you flatter me. Chairman Ma..."
"Chairman Ma is currently in a meeting. He's truly unable to spare the time, so he entrusted me with full responsibility."
"Oh, okay. Thank you, President Ye."
Qu Xin instantly understood: Chairman Ma thought he wasn't qualified enough and couldn't be bothered to see him!
He could only say:
"President Ye, we are both very clear about the current situation. Without underlying data, Baidu's future is grim. Tencent has underlying data, but SOSO Maps has limited scale. If this continues, neither of us will be able to compete, and AutoNavi Maps and Xingyi Technology will benefit for free. Once AutoNavi Maps monopolizes the market, it will be a disaster for Baidu Maps and SOSO Maps, and even NavInfo!"
Ye Yu nodded:
"President Qu makes a good point. How do you propose to solve it?"
"Cooperation!"
Qu Xin said decisively:
"Baidu Maps and Tencent should cooperate. Tencent grants Baidu authorization for NavInfo's underlying map data, and Baidu Maps pays a licensing fee plus an additional 30% of navigation profits!"
Ye Yu chuckled inwardly.
This guy still wants to "borrow a chicken to lay eggs"?
Borrow Tencent's NavInfo to lay Baidu Maps' eggs!
Where would such a good deal come from!
He immediately waved his hand:
"Tencent has its own maps; we are not considering this type of cooperation."
Qu Xin's heart sank.
It really wouldn't work.
"Then 50% of the profits! 50% of Baidu Maps' profits, all to Tencent!"
In this way, Baidu would essentially make no profit.
But there was no other way.
To survive, it was still worth it.
It was like exchanging money for time.
As long as they could hold on for a few years, until Baidu's underlying map data was established, then they would be stable!
But unfortunately, Ye Yu still waved his hand:
"It's not about profit."
"Then how does President Ye propose to cooperate?"
Qu Xin asked directly.
Ye Yu looked at Qu Xin, dipped his finger in tea, and wrote a character on the table:
"Sell!"
"Sell?"
Qu Xin's face turned very ugly:
"President Ye, do you mean that you won't authorize Baidu Maps, and want us to sell Baidu Maps?"
"Yes!"
Ye Yu said directly:
"Baidu Maps is still valuable now. If your company is willing to sell, our company will offer a satisfactory price, for example, 700 million!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Qu Xin decisively retorted:
"Baidu Maps is one of Baidu's strategic cores and will not be sold!"
Ye Yu smiled coldly:
"If your company is unwilling to sell, then it can only be increasingly swallowed by AutoNavi. Baidu Maps' user base will drop to 16 million, 15 million, 10 million, 5 million... ultimately becoming worthless!"
Qu Xin's face turned pale: "..."
Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that this was very likely to happen.
And it wouldn't be too late, it would happen next year!
(End of chapter)