2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 471 "The Condor Heroes" (Third update, please vote)
The listing of Ali has boosted the popularity of e-commerce, and two very well-known vertical e-commerce companies have launched financing plans this year.

The first is Orange Products, which was the first to conduct internal testing, and the second is Vancl, which also deals in clothing and specialty products. Their website is not yet publicly listed.

Vancl was expected to launch its internal beta test in February 2008, during the Chinese New Year period.

Although both are vertical e-commerce websites that sell clothing at discounted prices, they belong to different tracks and are not competitors. Tan Jincheng had heard in his previous life that Lei Jun had invested in Vancl, but he didn't know when he did.

Come to think of it, Lei Jun also left Kingsoft this year, right?

So, 2007 was indeed an extraordinary year for the internet industry. Alibaba went public, Jack Ma became a legend, Lei Jun left his company, and a future giant who would shake up the mobile phone industry began a new chapter in his life.

Sun Tongyu's departure indirectly had a significant impact on the birth of Pinduoduo. The future changes of the three major internet companies can all be said to have occurred at the end of 2007.

However, Tan Jincheng didn't know what would happen in this life. In the internet industry, a new company called Orange Technology appeared, and Orange Products Club also appeared a few months earlier than in his previous life.

"The average price of online shopping is around 80 yuan. As long as our clothing sales reach close to that price, we won't have to worry about not being able to continue.

Seeing that Gu Qingqing was a little nervous, Tan Jincheng patted her hair and said.

Although both OrangePin and Vancl are vertical e-commerce companies with apparel as their core business, their operating models are completely different. Vancl creates its own brands, produces its own products, and incurs huge marketing costs.

Aside from agricultural products, Orange Products Club acts more like an intermediary platform for other categories. Brands need to clear their inventory, and consumers need affordable brand-name products. Orange Products Club acts as an intermediary, providing clothing from brands to consumers.

Aside from the costs of building the website and warehousing, the cost of clothing is almost negligible. In addition, Tan Jincheng, the express delivery partner, also holds shares.

In terms of cost alone, OrangePin is much cheaper than Vancl, even though they are both vertical websites. As for agricultural products, they are intended for Happy Farm, so they don't really need to be included in OrangePin's cost.

Therefore, as long as the price is close to the average price of online shopping, even if the brand-name items are slightly more expensive, Orange Goods Club's clothing will sell well.

Adidas and Nike sportswear sold really well during this period, attracting male consumers, while some well-known women's clothing brands were favored by most young women.

In terms of fan base, both Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing have a certain number of fans. Orange Technology and the investors who are responsible for assisting with marketing are obviously aware of this, and the marketing team is also capable of creating engaging content.

Besides emphasizing the special sales of brand-name shoes and clothing and the Double Eleven shopping festival, the rest of the content is used to promote the personal image of Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing, attempting to attract fans by leveraging the fame of the two actual controllers.

"Can the collaboration between brick-and-mortar entrepreneurs and internet elites to create a boutique apparel flash sale website replicate the miracle of Flash Motors?"

"The legendary couple of the internet world!"

Various titles appeared on the homepages of major internet companies and on various forums, clashing with Ali in terms of popularity.

Tan Jincheng arrived at the headquarters of the Orange Products Association project. This was a newly opened office area in the Flash Drive Building, located above the original Orange Technology office. The entire floor was used as the office area for the Orange Products Association project.

The office area was in a mess. The programmers, both men and women, looked tired and unkempt. When the two bosses arrived, they didn't bother to greet them and stared at their computer screens with tense expressions.

Various red banners were hung in the office.

"Work hard for thirty days and carve out your own niche in the internet world!"

"Taobao? JD.com? Watch Orange Products Club dominate the battlefield!"

"As we all know, orange is the most vibrant color; yes, that's what we believe!"

"Vancl is destined to be an ordinary customer!"

"A legendary duo combining physical stores and the internet, determined to conquer their own Xiangyang City on the internet!"

This wasn't Tan Jincheng's first time in this office area, but he had never seen such a red banner before today. The messy office area looked like a vegetable market.

Especially these eye-catching banners, which looked just like those "Congratulations to XXX for reaching level 16" signs in later live streams, made Tan Jincheng feel a bit embarrassed. However, it seems that this kind of thing is particularly popular these days.

The Orange Products project team is quite arrogant to dare to put up such a slogan.

Forget it, let's not make them take it down. If our competitors see it, so be it. It doesn't matter. Tan Jincheng doesn't need a bad reputation.

However, upon seeing the banner featuring the Condor Heroes, Tan Jincheng couldn't hold back any longer: "Wait, which idiot came up with this Condor Heroes idea? What am I? Am I the eagle?"

"No way, boss, you must be Yang Guo. You look a bit like the handsome Yang Guo, right?" A passing employee casually replied to Tan Jincheng.

"That's nonsense. Your boss, Mr. Gu, is younger than me. Besides, I don't want a Yin Zhiping. It's too unlucky."

"No, that's impossible. That doesn't exist at Orange Products Club. We're adapting The Return of the Condor Heroes. It's already been removed, so please don't worry about these details, boss."

Taking it off is impossible; the die is cast, and at this point, the boss's words may not be very effective.

"I give up. Next time you give me a nickname, ask me first. I prefer Chu Liuxiang, Yang Guo is out of the question," Tan Jincheng said with a helpless smile.

Tan Jincheng's relaxed demeanor also affected Gu Qingqing. She, who had been a little nervous, was now able to calm herself down and joked along with Tan Jincheng, saying, "What's wrong? Are you trying to philander?" "Just kidding, just kidding."

"Hmm, Xiao Liu will promote you privately, but I'll settle the score with you tonight," Gu Qingqing said softly.

"You're really wronging me. Didn't Brother Chun and Jay Chou promote my work for free?"

"But you're the first one to look for Xiao Liu."

"That's because she owes me a favor."

"Yeah, why does she owe you a favor? Why are you helping her?"

"..."
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"I know everyone has been working very hard lately, but we still can't relax during this closed beta testing period. You don't need to worry about sales figures. The main thing is to do a good job of testing the servers, communicating with consumers, and fixing bugs in the logistics. We'll have to keep working hard for you all this month."

"However, Mr. Tan and I have seen everyone's hard work. You all know Mr. Tan's reputation for his employees, so please rest assured that your efforts will be rewarded beyond expectations."

A few minutes before the website went live, Gu Qingqing spoke to the office staff with a strong voice, gradually demonstrating the qualities of a senior executive, which Tan Jincheng, who was watching the drama unfold, found quite interesting.

He's here today to offer encouragement. He cares about the investment in the Orange Products project, but he hasn't really been involved in the specifics. He only gets involved in coordinating resources from all parties.

"Would you like to say a few words?"

Tan Jincheng, who was listening intently, was called upon by Gu Qingqing.

"what did I say?"

"Let me say a few words to encourage everyone."

Alright then, here are a couple of lines: "While everyone is working hard, please take care of yourselves, treat yourselves well, have a good meal; as for the rest, just follow your boss Gu's instructions."

That was all he said; after that, Tan Jincheng shut up.

"What do you mean, have a nice meal? The big boss's statement is really nonsensical."

Everyone in the office, including Gu Qingqing, was completely confused. In the minutes before going live, everyone suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere became awkward.

"Haha, just kidding. Everyone, just prepare as usual. Don't be too nervous. Also, I want to say that if the banners are dissing our competitors, don't use any overly aggressive language. And next time, if you're going to give me or your CEO Gu a nickname, ask him in advance so I can come up with something more catchy."

"No need for further explanation, everyone get back to work. Orange Products belongs to Orange Technology, and it also belongs to you all. Good luck!"

Mr. Tan's speech wasn't particularly inspiring, but the programmers, recovering from the brief silence, were quite excited. Yes, Orange Products belonged to Orange Technology, and it belonged to them too.

Countless days and nights of overtime work enabled Orange Products to launch ahead of schedule, directly competing with the popularity of Ali. Just thinking about it is exciting enough, not to mention that there is another layer of meaning behind the phrase "Orange Products belongs to them".

That means if this e-commerce website succeeds in the future, they will also have a share in the next round of financing, just like the original Orange Technology employees.

This is more effective than any morale-boosting words.

"Alright, get back to work. You've hung up so many banners to diss our competitors, don't make a fool of yourselves in front of them," Gu Qingqing concluded.

Some of the employees at Orange Products Club were transferred from Orange Technology, while others were poached from various factories. The role of the shopkeeper was even poached from Ali.

As for the service staff, some were poached from Beijing, while others were trained to help solve local employment problems in Beicang.

Service is also a key focus for Orange Products, but advertising it won't make a difference, and consumers may not believe it anyway. You have to build a reputation slowly.

At 11:11 AM, as the time arrived, the much-anticipated Orange Products appeared in the sight of investors and consumers.

The website features an orange logo and slogan, a pure white background, and at the top are entrances for login, registration, orders, members' club, etc., while on the far left is a city location.

Besides these, there's the search bar, which is very simple and refreshing compared to Taobao's flashy interface.

Below the search bar is a large, colorful promotional banner: "Double Eleven Shopping Spree! Big Brands at Discounts Up to 90% Off!"

Next to these large characters are the logos of various big brands such as Nike, Adidas, and L'Oréal. Below that are the product categories. This is the first impression that Orange Products gives people.

"The website is quite well done; it's simple, clear, and the shopping process is straightforward."

Sun Tongyu, who was in Beijing, immediately refreshed the Orange Products Club website. From a professional point of view, he felt that the website looked very fresh, natural, and comfortable.

As for the other functions, he wanted to try them out. Sun Tongyu quickly switched his IP address to Beijing, thinking of placing an order to test it out.

Third update.

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(End of this chapter)