Chapter 280: Global Sales Hit 2.09 Million Units

On the first day of midsummer August, fine rain fell like silk threads.

Chen Yansen slowly opened his eyes, walked from the bedroom to the living room, glanced at the scene outside the window, then turned and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Five minutes later, holding a copy of "A Short History of Energy," he leaned casually against the sofa, flipping through it idly, while his mind calculated other matters.

The Series B financing for Kuaidi Dache was basically finalized; once the formal agreement was signed, the industrial and commercial changes completed, and the funds arrived, the pace of expansion could accelerate again.

Cheng Weixing, building on the "Thousand People, Hundred Cities" plan of Kuai Pao, made slight optimizations to formulate a city-entry strategy suitable for Kuaidi Dache.

If one wants to fight for the market and seize territory, one must have strong troops and powerful horses.

In an instant, Kuaidi Dache recruitment advertisements covered the sky and filled the earth.

The homepages of Qiancheng, Zhilian, and Yingcaiwang all displayed Kuaidi Dache recruitment posters, covering positions in technology, operations, marketing, data, and risk control.

At the same time, autumn campus recruitment in the East China region was launched, ranging from top universities like Fudan, Jiaotong, Zhejiang University, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology down to second-tier colleges such as Luzhou College and Jin Ling Finance, sweeping up almost everyone.

Although Kuaidi Dache was not considered an internet giant, on one hand it backed Senlian Capital, and on the other its compensation and welfare mechanisms were perfect, making it extremely attractive to college students.

Once the news broke, many fresh graduates began preparing their resumes.

After Kuai Pao established a foothold in Luzhou, Jin Ling, Hangcheng, and Hucheng, it gradually expanded its operating scope to the entire Huian Province; from Xiangcheng in the north to Huizhou in the south, including Xucheng, all were brought within its sphere of influence.

Although it had not yet entered the township market, relying on 16 prefecture-level cities and a population capacity of over 60 million, Kuai Pao's daily order volume still broke through 3 million.

Once the market potential of Huian Province was fully tapped, Kuai Pao's national daily order volume would reach at least 5 million, 6 million, or even 8 million orders.

And the number of Kuai Pao riders would need to increase to at least the 100,000 level to provide sufficient transportation resources.

With no competitors, Kuai Pao raced wildly through the food delivery industry.

Pei Yi planned to take Luzhou, Jin Ling, Hangcheng, and Hucheng as centers, and within half a year, cover the service area across Huian, Sujiang, and Jiangzhe, breaking through the 10 million daily order mark.

Additionally, Meituan and Dianping successively announced their entry into the food delivery market; although their products were not yet online, they already constituted a potential threat, so Kuai Pao had to be on guard.

Chen Yansen had communicated with Pei Yi, and they both agreed that Liu Qiangdong's strategy was quite good; after all, the group-buying business was to Kuai Pao what the book category was to JD.

Just as Pretty Boy Dong fought Dangdang and Li Guoqing, Pei Yi would take on Wang Xin and Meituan.

This approach seemed "ruffian-like," but Liu Qiangdong had tried it repeatedly with unerring success, proving its strong effect.

Moreover, the soul figure of Meituan's ground promotion iron army, Shan Jiawei, had long been tricked into joining Lashouwang.

The second-level traffic entrances of WeChat and QQ would also be opened for Kuai Pao and Kuaidi Dache.

Wang Xin's strongest killer moves had two of them nullified in one breath by him.

Did Meituan still want to counterattack in the food delivery field?

First, hold off the impact from Lashouwang!

By the time Chen Yansen came to his senses, he had flipped "A Short History of Energy" to the last page; outside the window, slanting wind and fine rain had washed away the summer heat completely.

He waved his hand, the refrigerator opened in response, and a bottle of milk and a croissant flew into his palm.

While eating breakfast, Chen Yansen pondered the commercialization and monetization direction of Gao De Maps.

When Senlian Capital took over Gao De, the total user count was 40 million; but after Xiao Jun announced the free policy, user growth surged rapidly. By the end of July, Gao De Maps users had exceeded 95 million, just one step away from the 100 million user mark.

The business models of Kuaidi Dache and Gao De Maps were naturally compatible, capable of forming a perfect ecological closed loop.

Simply adding a 【Ride-Hailing】 option to Gao De Maps' shopping guide function could bring massive order resources to Kuaidi Dache.

Gao De could also collect a certain commission, enhancing its profitability level.

Between Kuai Pao, Kuaidi Dache, and Gao De Maps, there existed natural advantages of resource complementarity; combining home-delivery, store-delivery, and destination-delivery businesses could form a positive cycle.

Time passed second by second, and in the blink of an eye, it was eight o'clock.

"Humanity's Torch +109839!"

"Humanity's Torch +16817!"

"Humanity's Torch +8249!"

A string of semi-transparent text prompts flashed rapidly before Chen Yansen's eyes; soon, 121,081 threads of Humanity's Torch appeared on the system panel, enough to synthesize 1,210 Divine Path Torches.

"Synthesize! Add points!"

Chen Yansen was already an old hand at this; within a few short breaths, his mental value rose from 73.34 to 85.44.

The coverage range of his divine sense continued to expand, extending from a diameter of over seventeen meters to over eighteen meters; everything around him was under his control.

The stick-figure drawings in his mind became increasingly detailed; even the veins and textures of the wutong leaves downstairs were clearly visible.

Regrettably, the world seen by his divine sense remained a black-and-white space.

"Try the weight limit for telekinesis again."

Chen Yansen looked at a stack of dumbbell plates on the corner of the table and muttered to himself.

Suddenly, a 10-kilogram dumbbell plate floated up, followed by a second one, then a third; a full 30 kilograms, yet he still felt there was remaining strength.

The fourth 10-kilogram dumbbell plate wobbled as it broke free from gravity, finally hovering steadily in mid-air.

Only then did Chen Yansen feel the "heavy" weight, as if a huge stone was pressing on his head.

When he tried to "lift" the fifth dumbbell plate, it was clearly much more strenuous; he barely raised it a few centimeters before it fell to the floor with a "Bang!"

Obviously, 50 kilograms exceeded his capability range.

Chen Yansen could only turn his gaze to the 5-kilogram dumbbell plates, but to his surprise, this attempt failed as well.

He then switched to 2.5 kilograms; failure. After that, 1.25 kilograms, and only then could he barely "lift" it.

"So, the limit weight for telekinesis is roughly around 41.25 kilograms."

Chen Yansen smiled faintly and muttered softly.

With just one more enhancement, even Meng Jie could be "lifted."

Chen Yansen raised his hand to check the time; only ten minutes had passed. He grabbed his car keys and walked straight out.

Arriving on the first floor, before stepping into the rain, he used his spiritual power to raise a protective shield over two meters in diameter; rainwater flowed around him from all sides, not a single splash landing on his body.

Mosquitoes and flies could not approach; rain did not touch his body!

This bizarre scene, hidden within the hazy mist and rain, was extremely difficult for ordinary people to notice.

Chen Yansen got into the driver's seat of the Bentley and drove toward the Technology Park.

On the other side. Near the South Second Ring Road in Baohe District, Luzhou, inside a construction site covering 470,000 square meters, excavators, loaders, and bulldozers were constantly busy; workers demolished existing buildings and vegetation, leveled the land, and set up barriers and warning signs.

A sign reading "Sister Chengzi Technology Luzhou Headquarters Construction Project" hung in front of the gate!

"Good heavens, what a massive setup! My dragon scales and horse hooves, with such a huge plot of land, how many buildings must be erected? Sister Chengzi Technology is truly rich."

A local passerby looked up, glanced over, and exclaimed with a face full of surprise.

"I wonder when it will be finished; my son studies at Luzhou Engineering College, majoring in computer science. If he could work at Sister Chengzi Technology in the future, that would be wonderful." Another passerby on the other side stopped, his eyes full of longing.

They say the coming-of-age ceremony for people from Hui'an is a work ticket to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai; if one can make a living in their hometown, who would wish to wander elsewhere?

Not to mention Hui'an, the situation is largely the same in major labor-exporting provinces like Zhong Yuan, Chuanshu, Juzhou, Xiyue, Hunan, and Xiao Xijiang.

"Sister Chengzi phones sold over 10 million units last year, so they must have made a lot of money; my nephew screws bolts at the Sister Chengzi phone factory, earning seven or eight thousand a month after tax, the treatment is really good."

"Seven or eight thousand a month? I don't believe it!"

"Believe it or not, you Egyptian!"

"Damn! How are you speaking?"

"My dragon scales and horse hooves, are you a reincarnated contrarian? If you're so good at arguing, why not go lift steel bars?"

"Oh, young man, let's talk things out calmly!"

An old man, seeing the two start arguing at the slightest disagreement, hurried forward to mediate.

News that Sister Chengzi Technology was building its headquarters in Luzhou gradually spread out, instantly delighting the young people studying in Luzhou, all thinking of joining Sister Chengzi Technology after graduation.

After all, a job offering five social insurances and one housing fund, rental subsidies, meal allowances, transportation subsidies, overtime pay, quarterly bonuses, free medical checkups, supplementary medical insurance, and a travel fund is something no one would not covet.

Meanwhile.

Chen Yansen drove into Zhuxianzhuang Technology Park, parked the car, and immediately entered Building No. 9 where Sister Chengzi Technology was located.

"Good morning, Boss!" the receptionist girl called out sweetly.

This young lady named Tian Tian was recruited by Wang Xueting; she was a graduate of the 2008 class of the Virtual Academy's Hotel Management major, tall and sweet-looking as her name suggested, often wearing black stockings below the knee.

Chen Yansen glanced with his peripheral vision; today she was wearing white stockings.

"Boss, I've sent the July overseas sales data for the Alexa smart speaker to your email."

At this moment, Wang Teng walked up from behind; upon seeing the boss, he took the initiative to greet him.

"Good. Has the issue of overseas users' protests been resolved?" Chen Yansen withdrew his gaze from the girl's white stockings, turned his head, and asked Wang Teng.

The Mo Si smart speaker sells for 799 Hua Yuan in the domestic market, while the Alexa smart speaker sells for 199 US Dollars in the European and American markets; initially no one noticed, but a week ago, a YouTube blogger posted a video angrily scolding: Sister Chengzi Technology is engaging in price discrimination.

The Mo Si and Alexa smart speakers are essentially the same product.

Regarding this point, Chen Yansen had Wang Teng register official accounts on YouTube and Facebook and post an explanation for the cause of this situation.

First, tax issues such as tariffs and value-added tax;

Second, the internal voice interaction systems of the Mo Si and Alexa smart speakers differ, and the training costs for the algorithm models are different;

Third, the software ecosystems of the two products are not the same, and the licensing fees for music, search, maps, and Q&A apps also vary.

"Only a few small influencers are making a fuss; it has absolutely no impact on Alexa smart speaker sales; the daily sales volume in the past week has been between 35,000 and 40,000 units."

Wang Teng shrugged, saying he didn't care.

To put it plainly, if users in overseas markets feel the Alexa smart speaker is too expensive, no one is forcing them to buy the Mo Si smart speaker.

"Better safe than sorry; we must also pay attention to public opinion trends. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft all have ideas about entering the smart speaker market; who knows, they might stab us in the back one day."

Chen Yansen nodded slightly, then instructed.

"Yes, Boss, I understand." Wang Teng nodded and replied.

Having finished speaking, the two walked together toward the elevator lobby.

As they walked, Wang Teng said that the engineering prototypes of the Orange C3 and Orange D1s had completed hardware, system, and scenario simulation tests; he asked Chen Yansen for his opinion on when to hold the new product launch.

It had already been half a year since the launch and sale dates of the Orange C2 and Orange D1; calculating based on an 8 to 12-month sales lifecycle for a phone, it was time for a new product launch.

"August 18th," Chen Yansen casually ordered.

Similar to the spring new product launch, this time it would still be a high-end plus low-end combination strategy, leaving the mid-range market to the price-reduced Orange C1.

Just one year after launch, smartphones with 1GB+8GB internal configurations had their prices driven down to 1,299 Yuan by Xiaomi, 360, NetEase, Shanda, and Mama Ali.

The price of the Orange C1 also dropped from 1,999 Yuan to 1,399 Yuan; as the king of phones in 2011, it was still competitive in 2012, with a total shipment volume of 4.1 million units in the first half of the year, plus July's sales, reaching a cumulative total of 4.9 million units.

Wang Teng replied, "Then I'll book the venue first, followed by sending invitations to suppliers, competitors, news media, and fans."

Chen Yansen made a sound of agreement and stated plainly: "You handle it as you see fit."

Wang Teng had experience hosting a new product launch once, and furthermore, the Brand Department where Ye Qiuping worked would also assist the Marketing Department.

Back in the office, Chen Yansen turned on his computer, launched his email, and began processing work; soon he saw the sales summary table sent by Wang Teng.

Alexa smart speaker sales were 294,000 units in June and 1.273 million units in July, totaling 1.567 million units, with sales revenue of 312 million US Dollars.

But looking at the sales growth trend, the market capacity is limited; currently, daily sales have dropped to just over 30,000 units; it is estimated that the annual consumption volume will be around 6 million units, with an estimated annual sales revenue of 1.2 billion US Dollars.

For a smart speaker, the sales performance has already met Chen Yansen's expectations.

Although the Mo Si smart speaker launched a week earlier, the total sales volume for June and July was only 529,000 units, not even a fraction of the overseas market.

"It seems the market is not mature enough yet."

Chen Yansen leaned back, pondering silently in his heart.

The second email was from Xiao Jun; the latest version of Gao De Maps was released on July 31st; besides UI styles, it added Kuaidi Dache and Kuai Pao services in the functional modules.

On the day of launch, it created 83,000 orders for Kuaidi Dache and 19,000 orders for Kuai Pao, unleashing astonishing traffic monetization capabilities.

From the results, the Kuaidi Dache business fits Gao De Maps even better.

Users navigate first, then use the ride-hailing service; the business chain is very complete.

With the assistance of Gao De Maps, Didi Dache's market share shrank again, and Cheng Wei was so anxious he couldn't sleep all night.

Early the next morning, he ran to the headquarters of Qiandu Network and met Liang Zhixiang.

"You want to embed a ride-hailing service into the Qian Du Map?" Liang Zhixiang's eyes lit up—this plan was brilliant, instantly linking navigation services with destination delivery.

(End of chapter)