With the micro
blog becoming a frequently used everyday tool for many people, smart business
minds in East China's Zhejiang province have started to take advantage of the
busy platform.
An ordinary stall selling Chinese omelette (dan bing) in Wenzhou city
became popular overnight after a delivery service called "Zhaijibang
Fetch-and-carry" was offered through a micro blog.
The delivery agency soon received more than 40 orders and bought all
the omelettes the stall had. And there was instant feedback. Some customers
even commented in the micro blog that the omelettes were still hot when they
received them.
The micro blog account is the agency's only mode of business. Their
followers can place their orders by private messages in a micro blog,
indicating what product they want, their address, phone number and the time
they would like the products delivered.
"We mainly deliver fruit, night snacks and any takeaway food. We
are also the authorized express delivery agency for Pizza Hut in Wenzhou,"
said Tao Jincheng, 23, owner of the agency.
The micro blog account, which was opened in 2011, now has more than
23,000 followers and receives around 200 orders daily.
The delivery fee is about 15 yuan and varies according to distance and
weather conditions.
"It's more expensive than an ordinary express delivery company,
but express companies can't carry warm food to customers 24 hours a day,"
Tao said.
In the provincial capital, Hangzhou, where it is often hard to get a
taxi, a team of 21 taxi drivers rely on micro blog and Weixin, a mobile phone
application similar to Whatsapp, for their bookings.
Customers can send messages to the team's account and tell them when
they need a taxi, their starting point and destination. The drivers reply with
their phone number and taxi plate numbers.
"We don't have an extra charge for the reservation, but we usually
only accept orders where the taxi fare is above 50 yuan (US$8). Now I get six
to eight bookings a day, many of which are from the city centre to the airport,
and my income is higher than before," said Jiang Ye, 39, leader of the
team.
"Our customers welcome the new type of reservation platform, as
they can reach the drivers directly and it makes it easier for them to get a
taxi. And we sometimes offer a 10 per cent discount for a long-distance
trip," he said.
Tong Keyi, a 22-year-old university student in Hangzhou, started her
second-hand handbag business on micro blog a year ago. Now her turnover has
grown from 10,000 yuan to 1 million.
"I think it's better to sell second-hand bags through micro blog
than on an e-commerce website like Taobao," she said.
"Taobao is full of large-scale stores now, so it's very difficult
to develop an online store from nothing. Whereas doing business on micro blog
sites is not that common and I believe there is space for development."
She added: "I got my account verified, so the customers will trust
that the handbags I sell are authentic."
Liu Zheng, the consulting director of Analysys International's Shanghai
branch, specializing in Internet market research, said that compared to
traditional ways of selling products, using micro blog is more direct and
cheaper.
"Micro blog helps the businessman reach target clients and
interact with them directly. The interaction also helps to establish customer
loyalty. In addition, if a customer posts a micro blog about the product, it
may attract some of his or her friends as customers," he said.
Yang Yijun
China Daily
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment