Securities Times reporter Tong Lu
"Since the establishment of the company in 2012, the sales of the three squirrels have doubled every year. But last year's' Double 11 'data has awakened us, and we know that the times have changed." Zhang Liaoyuan, the founder of the three squirrels Co., Ltd. - "Squirrel Daddy", said frankly that the company defined 2018 as the "first year of the new era" after realizing that the sales growth of the "Double 11" in 2017 slowed down, Jumped out of the comfort zone and made a series of changes and adjustments.
Four days before the "Double 11" this year, three squirrels held the first new product launch event in Nanjing since its establishment six years ago, launching 11 leisure snacks. Zhang Liaoyuan, in an interview with Securities Times reporter E Company after the press conference, said that he regarded this year's "Double 11" as an exam: the company is switching to a new era. As the first "Double 11" in the new era, if he can give a satisfactory answer this time, it will prove that the direction of the company's transformation and adjustment is correct. From 2019, the operating income of the three squirrels is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan, which will start the "second curve" of enterprise growth.
This is also the first time that Zhang Liaoyuan has detailed the company's strategic development to the media since the IPO of three squirrels was suddenly "stopped" in December last year. When referring to the progress of IPO, Zhang Liaoyuan exclusively responded to the Securities Times reporter, E Company: at present, the company is still in line for listing. "It may not be a bad thing for squirrels to practice their internal skills more solidly." He said, "In the past, squirrels have never been short of money. I think if the development of enterprises has been too smooth, it will not be a good thing."
The most important thing is "return to nature"
"If you asked me last year, was the slowdown in industry growth the biggest external crisis for the company? From the e-commerce sector, it was at that time." Zhang Liaoyuan said, "Now it is more gratifying that the industry growth is indeed slowing down, but after the adjustment in the past six months, three squirrels have achieved counter trend growth."
In 2012, when Zhang Liaoyuan just started his business, he once wrote a post: "A new era has come, and e-commerce has five years of opportunity." In five years, you can build an Internet e-commerce brand, and five years later, it will be the beginning of extinction ".
The three squirrels that started with "Tao Brand" are inseparable from "Double 11". In 2012, the company's daily sales of "Double 11" reached 7.66 million yuan, making the company a hit. In 2013, the daily sales of "Double 11" reached 35.62 million yuan; in 2014, the daily sales exceeded 100 million yuan; in 2015, the daily sales reached 266 million yuan; and in 2016, the sales of "Double 11" reached 508 million yuan.
"The bottleneck of online traffic has reached. In the past, e-commerce, relying on demographic dividend, natural convenience and digital user experience improvement of e-commerce, has changed the appearance of offline goods to sell online." Zhang Liaoyuan believes that with the "Double 11" last year as the node, leisure food under the consumption upgrade is beginning to return to the essence of business.
In the new era, three squirrels try to "make goods online and sell goods stereoscopically", and become a company completely oriented by innovation around the word "make".
The word "Zao" has two meanings. First, based on platform based research and development, we will work with partners to create innovative products. "In the past six months, we have launched many new products, which have tasted the benefits of innovation and creation. Next year, we will continue to create some unique products, and we will also highlight the squirrel's' flavor, fresh taste, and interesting 'style products." Zhang Liaoyuan said, on the other hand, it is "creating experience". The three squirrels should also achieve perfection in the supply chain. As long as they are fresh enough, users will have a sense of it.
In the past, it took about 50 days for the nut products of three squirrels to reach the "owner" from the factory, which is already the leading level in the industry. Later, the company launched "90 day nuts", focusing on higher quality and 90 day warranty period.
This time, Zhang Liaoyuan said that in 2019, the three squirrels will buy their own nut products within 20 days.
Different from the past understanding, the meaning of "online" is to let consumers understand the product faster and more efficiently. Once the product is mature, it will be quickly introduced to the whole country. The three squirrels should "digitize everything from product research and development to the final return of consumer data". From this, we have completed the major transformation from brand to platform, and become a real supply chain enterprise.
2017 is the fifth year for Zhang Liaoyuan to make a prediction. The omni channel sales of the three squirrels in the year of "Double 11" were 522 million yuan, and the growth rate has slowed down. Although this data is still the first in the industry to set a new record, squirrels smell "organic danger".
150 "food stores"
Zhang Liaoyuan said that another reason why he was not afraid of the slowdown of the industry was that when he looked offline, he felt that the market for leisure snacks was still large, and the problem was "what kind of methods should be found to do a good job".
The current offline layout of the three squirrels started by e-commerce includes: the three squirrel food stores directly chain, the 2B distribution channel represented by Retail Connect, and the squirrels stores being tried.
It is understood that at present, three squirrels have opened 45 physical "food stores". In less than two years, there have been four iterations, and the largest iteration store will be launched in the past half year. According to the plan, by 2019, the number of three squirrel stores across the country is planned to increase to 150 and another 100.
The three squirrels are also doing well in the B2B "retail connection" field. On May 29 this year, three squirrels settled in Retail Connect. Millions of small stores can purchase three squirrels' products through Retail Connect, and consumers can buy the Taobao brand that was originally sold online in the small store at the door of their home. At present, there are 700000 dynamic sales stores for three squirrels, and more than 65% of the stores are re purchased.
The reporter learned that one reason why the three squirrels chose to hold the press conference in Nanjing was that the company was building a new research and innovation center in Nanjing. In addition to cooperating with relevant colleges and universities to develop and research new products, here is also trying to promote new businesses such as the new retail distribution model of the self operated "squirrel shop", the intelligent commercial retail sector, and the social e-commerce field.
In the online and offline layout, the squirrel shop is positioned to explore "market-based ecosystem" and empower young entrepreneurs. At present, there are 4 squirrel stores, and they will reach 15 by the end of this year.
The three squirrels precipitate a huge brand potential, with 80 million online purchase members, and the number of visitors to the online flagship store reaches more than 600 million every year, which is a huge advantage as a leisure snack enterprise. Zhang Liaoyuan concluded, "From the perspective of scale, we have expanded our business; from the perspective of efficiency, our new products are new and faster. The most important thing is that when we do things, our starting point is different from that of other people's sales, and we emphasize better experience."
"We dare not say that the squirrel model must be right, but as long as the direction is around 'making goods' and' making experience ', there is no problem." Speaking of this, Zhang Liaoyuan is quite confident, "if our online and offline three-dimensional sales model can come out, organizational management can solve, and can be copied in batches, we will soon reach a larger size."
In his view, "enterprises must maintain growth and solve problems in the process of growth. If the" Double 11 "this year has a substantial increase compared with last year's situation, it proves that we have chosen the right direction for what we have done this year."
Zhang Liaoyuan also disclosed a small amount of financial data that the outside world is extremely concerned about. In 2017, three squirrels achieved an operating income of about 6.85 billion yuan. "This year it will definitely exceed 8 billion yuan, and the exact amount is still unknown." He said that in 2019, the company's operating revenue "will certainly exceed 10 billion yuan".
Editor in charge: Chen Youran SF104
