In fact, although it was successfully listed on NASDAQ three years after its establishment, Pinduoduo's success at the capital level did not make the public pay more attention to its rapid development, but further raised the problems existing in its own genes to the table. The following article is taken from the 34th issue of Sanlian Life Weekly 20 18.
Author: Wang Zihui
But Pinduo himself seems to feel a little wronged. On July 3 1 day of that year, Huang Zheng, the founder of Pinduoduo, told the media: "We have always been particularly serious about counterfeiting." In early April, he claimed in an interview with the media: "China has no platform to work harder than us."
On the one hand, it is the "fake goods gathering" in the eyes of the outside world, and on the other hand, it is the "serious counterfeiting" in your mouth. From a different standpoint, your understanding of Pinduoduo will be completely different.
42-year-old Mao Ge's evaluation of Pinduoduo's counterfeiting is "too harsh". As a small and medium-sized seller engaged in clothing business on the platform of Pinduoduo, Mao Ge received an in-station letter from Pinduoduo in June 5438+February last year, saying that there was a "fake situation" in a leather coat he sold. In addition to removing the fake goods from the shelves, the withdrawal of funds from the store account was restricted, and the amount was also fined, which was 10 times of the historical sales of the fake goods. On that day, Mao Ge's shop, including payment, deposit and cash withdrawal, was about 380,000 yuan, which meant that he was fined as much as 3.8 million yuan.
Dissatisfied with Pinduoduo's punishment, some merchants have taken Pinduoduo to court since 20 16. Since the beginning of this year, with the increasing number and amount of fines imposed on businesses, the action of safeguarding rights has become increasingly fierce. On social media, "Mao Ge" is called "spiritual leader" by some activists. Mao Ge lives in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, but in the last eight months, he spent most of his time in Shanghai, in order to organize businessmen to go to Pinduoduo headquarters to defend their rights.
In a few months, he joined dozens of rights protection merchants and gathered at the headquarters in Pinduoduo and the downstairs of Jinhongqiao International Center in Changning District to protest. The latest action is scheduled for the morning of August 13. Although the publicity was carried out in QQ and WeChat groups with a total number of more than 1000 people many days in advance, only a dozen people went downstairs in this collective action. Previously, from the beginning of March to the end of June, in several rights protection activities, there were often as many as forty or fifty rights protection businesses. Everyone will wear a T-shirt with the words "Pinduoduo pays me back my hard-earned money", trying to break through the security line and rush into the elevator to go upstairs. But few people really want to get their money back in this way.
Therefore, the activity on August 13 is more like a spiritual oath and enlightenment to the newcomers. Among the dozen people who came this day, four young people came from Tongxiang, Zhejiang, and all of them had opened clothing stores in Pinduoduo. Since the second half of last year, they have been punished one after another, not only the shops have been blocked, but also the funds have been frozen, ranging from tens of thousands to 200 thousand.
Jun Chen, one of the most experienced defenders, has taken Pinduoduo to court. The other three are all coming to Pinduoduo headquarters for the first time. They went to the front desk of the office building and asked to go to the 29th floor. After the receptionist called them, two young Pinduoduo "reception team" staff received them and escorted them with security guards. After the staff recorded their store information and contact information, they were asked to go back and wait for news.
"We have tried. It's no use. In a few days, they will call you and say that your store has violated the provisions of the Pinduoduo Platform Cooperation Agreement. Go back and have a good look at this agreement. We talked about it in this article. " After seeing the other three people's attempts, Jun Chen showed a sympathetic wry smile.
Without exception, all the merchants punished by Pinduoduo were told that they violated some provisions in the Pinduoduo Platform Cooperation Agreement, mainly including selling fakes, false propaganda and false delivery. The punishment for violating the agreement is extremely severe, even unreasonable: "The merchants are required to pay 10 times of the historical total sales of' seriously problematic goods' sold through Pinduoduo as the amount of compensation for consumers. If the merchant refuses to pay the compensation amount, Party A has the right to deduct the consumer compensation amount from the merchant's store funds and pay it to the consumer. "
As soon as he was punished, he was fined all his fortune, and his wife divorced him for this reason. Mao Ge's attitude towards Pinduoduo may represent many punished businesses: "I just want to have a good fight."
However, because of the previously exposed "fake brand-name products" such as cottage TV sets and cottage laundry detergent, the merchants have not received the support of outside public opinion. A Le, who was also defending rights at the scene that day, didn't think he was selling fake goods. "For example, like my home Skyworth Jia, if the buyer asks you if you are Skyworth and you tell him that it is Skyworth, then you belong to selling fakes. I have already told the buyer that I am not Skyworth. "
At this point, Ale and Pinduoduo founder Huang Zheng are on the same side. At the media communication meeting on July 3 1 day, Huang Zheng said that they were serious about counterfeiting, but the outside world confused shanzhai with shanzhai. Huang Zheng divided these controversial products into two categories. He defines products that completely pretend to be other brands as deceiving consumers and are fakes; However, some people want to use well-known brands, such as "Qingfeng" paper towels. "This problem is more complicated. Fundamentally speaking, I think these manufacturers should be guided to make good and cost-effective products. "
Huang Zheng's words are neither explicit nor vague, and everything depends on the Pinduoduo platform cooperation agreement. "Inconsistent description of goods" is the reason why most merchants are punished. The differences in composition, size and style are listed here. The example of Jun Chen is very representative. One of his cotton-padded jacket was randomly selected by Pinduo, and it was considered not pure cotton. Several related shops opened by myself and my relatives were sealed up, and all 200,000 funds were frozen.
Another of his companions was punished because a 50 cm long sweater was found to be only 48 cm long. On the one hand, the monarch insisted to me that the ingredient list they provided was true. "But Pinduoduo is different. He doesn't agree with you. " On the other hand, they also think that this "nitpicking" inspection is unconvincing.
After sitting in the smoking area in front of the headquarters in Pinduoduo for a long time, the four of them had no choice but to go home. Return to Tongxiang from Shanghai. It's only 40 minutes by high-speed rail. The most famous one here is Wuzhen, the representative of water town. But 20 kilometers southeast of Wuzhen, Puyuan Town is the township unit with the strongest economic strength in this county-level city. This small town with a permanent population of 200,000 is the largest sweater distribution center in China. It is said that nearly 700 million sweaters are produced every year, accounting for more than 60% of the national total (some data say it is 40%).
Puyuan woolen sweater market has 19 trading areas and 10000 shops. Don't think that all the sweaters are sold here. In fact, you can find almost all clothes here, from T-shirts to underwear to autumn coats. Shops lined up next to each other, and there were "Lang Wei's" everywhere. The name of "combination of soil and foreign" is.
More than a decade ago, the customers here were wholesalers of offline channels; A few years ago, the signboard of "Taobao source" appeared, and then after Tmall and JD.COM, the name "Pinduoduo" appeared.
Jun Chen took me into a familiar shop, and the owner's family was choosing summer clothes. "I have 95% cotton here, don't worry." Lao Zhang, the shopkeeper, said after seeing our rubbing action that his tone was very confident, but the clothes themselves were too greasy, telling us that this was probably not true. And I searched the whole dress, but I didn't see the ingredient label, and the price was only in 25 yuan. In another shop selling shirts, we only saw the possible real ingredient list-48% polyester fiber +48% viscose fiber +4% spandex. A large number of cheap recycled fibers and synthetic fibers are the main materials that make up these clothes.
In low-end supermarkets or wholesale markets all over the country, such clothes can be seen everywhere, and it is difficult for you to define them with the concept of "fake" or "cottage". In the past two summers, hundreds of thousands or even millions of clothes of this quality have been sold through channels in Pinduoduo. Lao Zhang told us that since last year (20 17), the shipment of Pinduoduo platform is almost neck and neck with Taobao. "Only on Pinduoduo, everyone's profits are lower."
Lao Zhang told us that the clothes produced by manufacturers are "innocent", and every dealer takes them back and hangs whatever brand he likes. From seven wolves to playboy to crocodiles, everyone loves to use them, which attracts consumers most. "Some time ago, they hung up the brand of' Seven Wolves', which cost more than 40 yuan. On a good day, they can sell thousands of pieces."
Merchants can print their own tags, and some merchants will get brand authorization to hang in the store in order to reduce risks. Jun Chen bought the brand license of Playboy VIP in a company in Shanghai, and each tag cost several dollars, but he also told me: "This Playboy VIP is a registered trademark of a domestic company, and it is still in lawsuit with that American company."
In Lao Zhang's shop, the monarch and his subjects will choose the styles and hang them on the Pinduoduo. According to the user's order, he will come to Lao Zhang's shop to pick up the goods and go back to pack and deliver them himself. The price of express parcel is 5 yuan. If the quantity is large, you can reduce a few cents. Through this complete industrial chain, Jun Chen and his cat buddies can earn at least more than 5 yuan, even if a dress is only sold for 20 yuan in Pinduoduo to 30 yuan.
Lao Zhang said that businesses are smart now, so they simply don't write ingredients, just look up what ingredients are, and I'll say what they are. For those products marked with ingredients, they disdainfully asked me: "Is it possible that 29 yuan's clothes are 100% cotton?"
I asked A Le a similar question: Is a TV set with several hundred dollars reliable? Frankly speaking, the difference between big brands and small brands is mainly reflected in two aspects: workmanship and after-sales. In the manufacture of TV sets, the screen accounts for 80% of the cost. Small domestic manufacturers can't produce TV screens. Generally, you buy cheap second-class or second-hand screens, and then assemble them by hand with cheap shells. "This kind of small factory is also very formal. After installation, each machine will be left there for 24 hours before it is put on the market after testing. The quality is a bit rough, but it can be seen. " Most of these cheap TVs come from A Le's hometown-Dashi Street, Panyu, Guangzhou.
Pinduoduo's goods are condensed into "low price" and "sufficient" by the outside world, which A Le thinks is quite appropriate. Similar logic also applies to daily chemical products with large sales volume. Laundry liquid is an excellent example. In this category, the sales of many kinds of laundry detergent "9.9 yuan 2 kg" are more than one million pieces, most of which come from Gengzhuang Village, Shenze County, Hebei Province, and the cost of a bottle of 2 kg laundry detergent is around 8 yuan.
29 yuan's Playboy authorized men's wear, 900 yuan's Skyworth TV, and 9.9 yuan's proprietress laundry detergent ... These products are either "knockoffs" or "fakes" and become the most popular commodities in Pinduoduo. According to the disclosure in the prospectus of Pinduoduo's listing, the average amount of its 20 17 4.3 billion single is only 32.8 yuan. In contrast, when Ali went public in 20 14, the average customer unit price of Taobao had reached 180 yuan.
Almost all merchants in Pinduoduo have the same identity: former Taobao sellers. Liang Ning, an Internet commentator, recently analyzed the rise of Pinduoduo, citing the anti-counterfeiting action of Taobao on 20 15 and the business spillover phenomenon caused by JD.COM. Giving up pat network is one of the dividends of Pinduoduo's development.
History is similar. As the originator of C2C e-commerce, Taobao is also accused of the proliferation of counterfeit goods. 2065438+ 05123 October, 65438+China State Administration for Industry and Commerce announced the results of spot checks on online shopping products, and the genuine rate of Taobao was only 37.25%. Seven law firms in the United States also announced an investigation into the sale of counterfeit goods by Alibaba and its platform. Affected by this incident, Alibaba Group's share price plummeted and its market value evaporated by nearly $65,438+0,654,380 billion.
Immediately, Ali launched a large-scale "anti-counterfeiting operation." According to Ali, in the two months from September 20 15 to August 20 16, Alibaba * * * removed 380 million product pages and closed180,000 illegal shops and 675 operating institutions. Since the beginning of this year, these small and medium-sized businesses in Mao Ge have clearly felt that Taobao, on the one hand, has become more and more strict in management, and it is not allowed to brush bills, and it also requires direct authorization of the brands it sells; On the other hand, the traffic tilt to small and medium-sized businesses is becoming less and less, which supports the development of large stores on the Tmall platform.
"20 14 is the best year, and it has been going downhill since then." Mao Ge said. 2065438+In September 2005, Pinduoduo was launched. In the following years (20 16, 20 17), Pinduoduo continued to attract small and medium-sized businesses to settle in through preferential policies such as "zero yuan to settle in" and "no entry threshold", and the number of users and income maintained an annual growth rate of more than 200%. 2065438+September 2007, Pinduoduo specially held an investment promotion meeting in Puyuan Town, Junchen's hometown. Because of the large-scale leaflet propaganda, hundreds of people came to the town that day, most of them were Taobao sellers. After seeing something different from Taobao, the monarch and his subjects joined Pinduoduo with a try mentality.
From Panyu, Guangdong, Tongxiang, Zhejiang and Shenze, Hebei, more and more businesses at the low end of the supply chain have found living space in Pinduoduo. According to the analysis of Guotai Junan Securities, 65% of users in Pinduoduo come from cities below the third and fourth lines, mainly middle-aged people aged 30 to 50. These people are defined as "groups that Taobao can't satisfy". A Le said that companies like them can't survive on Taobao now because there is no traffic. His own shop on Taobao is hard to find, and the number of product browsing is very low.
However, on the one hand, Pinduoduo relies on the rise of these businesses wandering in the gray area, on the other hand, it is questioned and restricted by these gray factors. From a certain point of view, this is the dilemma faced by Pinduoduo: it is necessary to show its determination to crack down on counterfeiting, and too much counterfeiting will erode its platform foundation.
If we delve into the product quality, it is difficult for defenders such as Mao Ge and Jun Chen to defend themselves, but what they question is Pinduoduo's punishment decision: "People's Taobao is a product that is off the shelf and closes its store. I have never seen any platform that will directly take all the money from the merchants. " At the same time, they also think that the similar products that Pinduoduo is still selling are no different from theirs. "You see it's so cheap, it's all fake." A Le said to me, pointing to a TCL TV with a price of around 1,000 yuan.
Pinduoduo has its own explanation. Huang Zheng compared the control of counterfeit goods to "Dayu's water control": "You can't just rely on blocking, but also rely on sparse, because there are so many factories there, you should give them a good environment and lead them to a good place." At the same time, he believes that governance should also have priorities, and those problems that may explode and have major security risks to people should be given priority.
But these words can't solve the contradiction between them and the merchants. To this end, in addition to defending rights at the gate of Pinduoduo headquarters, the punished merchants also started lawsuits. Only Mao Ge knows that there are more than 760 cases against Pinduoduo. A lawyer surnamed Zhao has thus become a red man in the circle. From 2065438 to August 2006, he has been taking over the case of Pinduoduo, claiming that "no 100 is almost enough".
In the first year, he often helped merchants get back some money through out-of-court settlement. Since the end of last year, Pinduoduo's attitude has become more and more tough, and more and more cases have been lost, which has been dubbed as "Zhao doesn't win" among commercial rights groups. Because I didn't trust this lawyer Zhao, I chose to come to Beijing to find a lawyer to fight a class action lawsuit, and I wanted to gather more businesses to defend my rights together.
Just before they and I left the headquarters in Pinduoduo on August 13, an eagle-eyed businessman happened to see Huang Zheng come out of the building and get on a Mercedes parked at the door and gallop away. This is the first time they have met Huang Zheng himself. Staring at the Mercedes-Benz disappearing into the field of vision, the merchant was silent for a few seconds, and his eyes showed complicated feelings.
But Huang Zheng certainly didn't see them, and even a behemoth like Alibaba wouldn't stay in his eyes to some extent. In an exclusive interview with the media, Huang Zheng once said: "We don't want to be the second Ali. The existence of Pinduoduo itself is a model, and we are in the early stage of this model. You can call me condescending, but you can't ignore me. "
(Intern Qiu Zhongying also contributed to this article)