Chapter 718: Complete Victory

"Fair competition? Chen Yang's assets have already exceeded a hundred billion; how could we possibly win a price war against him?" Luo Bin heard that Deputy Mayor Tang demanded East Prosperity International compete fairly with the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company, and his spirits plummeted instantly.

"There's always a solution. Chen Yang's assets exceed a hundred billion—what does that have to do with the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company? He's spending shareholders' money!" Tang Qingfeng's face darkened; he glared at Luo Bin angrily. He suddenly realized this guy, aside from being obedient, is really mediocre. No wonder his brainless brother got dragged into solitary confinement.

Luo Bin, seeing Tang Qingfeng dissatisfied with him, quickly thought it over and immediately said: "General Manager Tang, since he's using shareholders' money, we'll find some stock commentators to post essays online, stirring up shareholders' negative emotions as much as possible. Consequently, the stock price of the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company will surely fluctuate wildly. Their board will definitely reject this plan."

Tang Qingfeng thought the idea was not bad, and with a stern face told Luo Bin: "Since you think this method is good, go make it happen. If you still can't manage it, find another way out. I don't need useless people here!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Bin's face instantly turned grim. He had painstakingly tried to curry favor with the Tang brothers, but unexpectedly found himself in a situation where his future was in jeopardy.

Of course, Chen Yang repeatedly sabotaging his efforts was also hateful. So he decided to stop at nothing to thwart Chen Yang's plan.

That night, Modu's stock commentators began to expound at length on the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company's plan to enter Modu. Some were positive, but most were still negative,

In short, it can be summed up in one sentence: the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company is merely using shareholders' money to curry favor with Modu's consumers.

Moreover, most experts are not optimistic that the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company can win Modu's market.

After all, although e-commerce platforms have been popular domestically for a few years, to most people they remain a half-understood phenomenon.

Especially, the consumers of agricultural products are mostly elderly men and women and housewives; this group largely lacks the time to go online, let alone buy groceries on the internet.

Affected by the spreading public opinion, the next day when the stock market opened, the Old Hundreds Agricultural Products Trading Company's stock price fell by as much as five percentage points.

Under these circumstances, Shen Anna could only urgently contact Chen Yang to discuss countermeasures together.

"Anna sis, just let the PR department handle these negative online messages. Although these experts' remarks are somewhat extreme, they do have a point. We have indeed overlooked a very important consumer group these past two years."

"Boss, are you referring to those elderly men and women and housewives who don't go online?"

"Yes, we need to find a way to let them know the benefits of online shopping."

"With Children's Day just a few days away, our goods are already en route. Changing the plan at the last minute—won't we run out of time?"

"No problem. First, transfer all the market department colleagues from the Jiangzhediqu region back to Modu, and have them arrange people to distribute flyers in each residential area. As long as we're willing to spend money, maybe we can get it done in a day."

"Alright, I'll take care of it right away. Hopefully we can get everything settled before Children's Day."

Shen Anna quickly hung up the phone.

Chen Yang walked to the window, gazed down at the Huangpu River for a moment, then called Human Resources Manager Ceng Caiyun of Three Stone Technology Company.

"Manager Zeng, do you have contacts at the Labor Bureau and the talent market? I want to temporarily hire some people to hand out flyers and do community promotion."

"How many people do you need?"

"First, hire a thousand temporarily. Those just handing out flyers get a daily wage of one hundred, and those with promotional abilities get an extra fifty."

"That many? Then please wait a moment while I get in touch."

Half an hour later, Ceng Caiyun finally called Chen Yang back, saying that as long as the money is disbursed on time, the manpower issue can be resolved.

With her assurance, Chen Yang again communicated the specific promotion plan with Shen Anna.

Two days later, a group of young people wearing vests printed with the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform logo began shuttling back and forth between Modu's various communities.

While handing out flyers, they explained to onlookers the benefits of buying groceries online. For those interested in registering for the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform, they also gave away an insulated cup printed with the platform's logo.

These cups were originally prepared as three-year anniversary gifts for the platform's senior members. Fortunately, the cooperating manufacturer is located in Su Cheng, so Chen Yang temporarily requisitioned them.

After three days of effort by the promotion team, negative online news about the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform basically disappeared.

At the same time, the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform gained another hundred thousand new users in the Modu area.

Chen Yang clearly understood that most of these people registered just for the gifts. But he also believed that if even one-tenth of the new users became active consumers, it would have a significant promotional effect on the platform's subsequent development in Modu.

And the facts bore out his expectation. The Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform's promotional campaign in Modu didn't yield great results at first, but sales over the following days improved day by day.

In just one week, the five-hundred-million-yuan worth of consumption coupons were used up.

To strike while the iron was hot, Chen Yang had Corporate Secretary Luo Xue issue another announcement on the official website, saying that to reward the enthusiasm of Modu's consumers, they would issue an additional ten-hundred-million-yuan worth of consumption coupons.

In no time, the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform became a household name in Modu.

By comparison, although the Green Countryside Chain Store had launched an 80% discount promotion half a month earlier, once the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform's campaign went live, their sales figures instantly dropped.

At first, their products could still barely sell out over the first two days. Starting from the third day, sales figures for some of the less popular agricultural products began to plummet sharply.

Thereafter, aside from some local vegetables and aquatic products, none of the other agricultural products could be sold.

Left with no choice, Tang Qingfeng could only adjust his strategy, also launching a 50% discount during the afternoon sales period.

But even with the same 50% discount, the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform's agricultural products are fresh goods shipped directly from cold storage to consumers, whereas Green Countryside's are the leftovers that previous customers picked over. Once compared, anyone with sense knows which to choose.

Half a month later, Tang Qingfeng discovered that the Green Countryside Chain Store only had customers in the morning; after that period, foot traffic plunged dramatically. Even if they had launched a 50% discount promotion in advance, the effect remained very poor.

Previously, daily losses were 100,000; now they've risen to 200,000 per day. If you also factor in labor and rent, the figure would be even higher.

Of course, compared to the Old Hundreds E-commerce Platform, their losses are actually just a drop in the bucket. But East Prosperity International's board could not accept such a result.

One month later, Tang Qingfeng was again reprimanded at East Prosperity International's board meeting.

The next day, the ordinary people of Modu suddenly discovered that the Green Countryside Chain Store had all shut down overnight.

Thus, the agricultural products sales competition between Chen Yang and Tang Qingfeng ultimately ended in a complete victory!