Pinduoduo's success at the capital level has further pushed the problems existing in its genes to the table.

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 genes to the table. The following article is excerpted from the 34th issue of Sanlian Life Weekly in 218.

Author: Wang Zihui

But Pinduoduo himself seems to feel a little wronged. On July 31 of that year, Pinduoduo founder Huang Zheng told the media: "We have always been particularly serious about counterfeiting." Earlier in April, when he was interviewed by the media, he claimed: "There is no platform in China that works harder than us."

On the one hand, it is "fake goods gathering" in the eyes of the outside world, on the other hand, it is "serious counterfeiting" in your mouth. From different standpoints, your understanding of Pinduoduo will be completely different.

42-year-old Mao Ge's evaluation of Pinduoduo's counterfeiting is "too strict". As a small and medium-sized seller engaged in clothing business on the platform of Pinduoduo, in December last year, Mao Ge received an in-station letter sent to him by Pinduoduo, saying that there was a "fake situation" in a leather coat he sold. In addition to removing fake goods from the shelves, he restricted the withdrawal of funds from the store account, and also fined compensation, the amount of which was 1 times of the historical sales of fake goods. On the same day, Mao Ge's shop, including payment, deposit and cash withdrawal, was about 38, yuan, which meant that he was fined as much as 3.8 million yuan.

Since 216, businesses have taken Pinduoduo to court because of dissatisfaction with Pinduoduo's punishment. Since this year, with the increasing number and amount of fined businesses, the actions of businesses to defend their rights have become increasingly fierce. On social media, "Mao Ge" is called "spiritual leader" by some rights activists. Mao Ge lives in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, but in the last eight months, he spent most of his time in Shanghai, with the purpose of organizing businessmen to go to Pinduoduo headquarters to defend their rights.

In the past few months, he has joined dozens of rights protection businesses and gathered together to protest at the headquarters of Pinduoduo and the downstairs of Jinhongqiao International Center in Changning District. The latest action is scheduled for the morning of August 13th. Although there was publicity in QQ and WeChat groups with a total population of over 1, days in advance, only a dozen people came downstairs for 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 4 or 5 rights protection merchants. Everyone would wear cultural shirts printed with "Pinduoduo returns my hard-earned money" and try to break through the security line and rush into the elevator to go upstairs. But few people really want their money back in this way.

Therefore, the activity on August 13th is more like a spiritual oath and an enlightenment to new people. Among the dozen people who came this day, four young people came from Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province, 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 were blocked, but also the funds were frozen, ranging from tens of thousands to two hundred thousand.

Jun Chen, one of the most experienced defenders, has taken Pinduoduo to court. The other three were all visiting 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 already tried it. It's useless. They will call you in a few days and tell you 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 merchants punished by Pinduoduo were told that they violated some regulations in the Pinduoduo Platform Cooperation Agreement, mainly including selling fake goods, false propaganda, false delivery and so on. The penalty for violating the agreement is extremely severe, and even seems unreasonable: "The merchant is required to pay 1 times of the historical total sales of' seriously problematic goods' sold through Pinduoduo as the consumer compensation amount. If the merchant refuses to pay the compensation, Party A has the right to deduct the consumer compensation amount from the merchant's store funds to pay the consumer. "

One fine will cost him all his fortune, and his wife divorced him for this reason. Mao Ge's attitude towards Pinduoduo may represent many fined businesses:" I just want to go all out. "

However, because of the "fake brand-name products" such as fake TV sets and fake laundry detergent that have been exposed before, merchants have not been supported by outside public opinion. A Le, who was also defending rights at the scene that day, didn't think he was selling fakes. "For example, just like my Skyworth Jia, if the buyer asks you if you are Skyworth, 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 31, Huang Zheng said that they were serious about counterfeiting, but the outside world mixed the shanzhai with the fake. Huang Zheng divides these controversial products into two categories. He defines products that completely pretend to be other brands as deceiving consumers and being fakes; However, there are some people who want to take advantage of well-known brands, such as "Qingfeng" tissue. "This problem is relatively 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 contents of the Pinduoduo Platform Cooperation Agreement. "Inconsistent description of goods" is the reason why most merchants are punished, and the differences in composition, size and style are all listed here. Jun Chen's example is quite representative. One of his cotton clothes was sampled by Pinduoduo, and it was considered not pure cotton. Several related shops opened by himself and his relatives were closed, and all the funds of 2, yuan were frozen.

Another of his companions was punished because a sweater with a length of 5 cm was found to be only 48 cm. On the one hand, Junchen 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 Pinduoduo headquarters for most of the day, nothing was gained from the rights protection activities, and the four of them had to go home. Return to Tongxiang from Shanghai. It only takes 4 minutes to take the high-speed train. The most famous one here is Wuzhen, the representative of the water town. But 2 kilometers southeast of Wuzhen, Puyuan Town is the township unit with the strongest economic strength in this county-level city. With a permanent population of 2,, this small town is the largest sweater distribution center in China. It is said that nearly 7 million sweaters are produced every year, accounting for more than 6% of the national total (some data say it is 4%).

There are 19 trading areas and more than 1, shops in Puyuan woolen sweater market. Don't think that all sweaters are sold here. In fact, you can find almost all clothes here, from T-shirts to underwear to autumn coats. Shops are lined up next to each other, and there are "Weilang Family" everywhere. The name of "combination of soil and foreign countries" is.

Ten years ago, all the customers here were wholesalers of offline channels; A few years ago, the signboard "Taobao Supply" began to appear, 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 sorting out summer clothes. "I am 95% cotton here, you can rest assured." Lao Zhang, the shopkeeper, said after seeing our rubbing action, his tone was very confident, but the clothes themselves were too greasy, which told us that this was probably not true. Besides, I searched the whole clothes and didn't see the ingredient label, and the price was only 25 yuan. In another shop that sells shirts, we only saw the possible real ingredient list-48% polyester fiber +48% viscose fiber +4% spandex, and 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 were sold through the channels in Pinduoduo. Lao Zhang told us that since last year (217), the shipment volume of Pinduoduo platform has almost kept pace with Taobao. "It's just that on Pinduoduo, everyone's profit is 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 the seven wolves to the playboy to the crocodile, everyone loves to use them, which is also the most attractive to consumers. "Some time ago, they hung the brand of' seven wolves' and sold for more than 4 yuan. A good day can sell thousands of pieces.

Merchants can print their own tags, and some merchants will also get a brand authorization letter to hang in their stores in order to reduce risks. Jun Chen bought the brand authorization of "Playboy VIP" in a company in Shanghai, and a tag cost a few dollars, but he also told me: "This" Playboy VIP "is a registered trademark of a domestic company, and it is still in litigation with that American company."

In Lao Zhang's shop, Junchen will select the style and hang it on Pinduoduo. According to the user's order, he will come to Lao Zhang's shop to pick up the goods and go back to package and deliver them himself. The price of an express parcel is 5 yuan. If the quantity is large, it can be reduced by a few cents. Through this complete industrial chain, Jun Chen and his cat buddies can still earn at least more than 5 yuan, even if a dress only costs 2 to 3 yuan in Pinduoduo.

Lao Zhang said that the merchants have learned to be smart now, so they simply don't write the ingredients, and I will say what they are by random inspection. For those products marked with ingredients, they disdainfully asked me, "Is it possible that clothes with 29 yuan are 1% cotton?"

I put a similar question to A Le: 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 8% of the cost. Small domestic manufacturers are unable to produce TV screens. Generally, they buy cheap second-class or second-hand screens, and then assemble them with cheap shells by hand. "This kind of small factory is also very formal. After it is installed, each machine will be put there for 24 hours, and it will be put on the market after testing. The quality is a little rough, but it can be seen. " Most of these cheap TVs come from A Le's hometown-Dashi Street, Panyu, Guangzhou.

It is quite appropriate for A Le to concentrate the goods in Pinduoduo into "low price" and "enough". Similar logic also applies to daily chemical products with larger sales volume. Laundry liquid is an excellent example. In this category, the sales of many kinds of laundry liquid "9.9 yuan 2 kg package" are over one million pieces, most of which are from Gengzhuang Village, Shenze County, Hebei Province, and the cost of a bottle of 2 kg laundry liquid is around 8 yuan.

29 yuan's authorized men's wear, 9 yuan's Skyworth, and 9.9 yuan's good wife's laundry detergent ... these products are either "knockoffs" or "fakes" and become the most popular goods in Pinduoduo. According to the prospectus of Pinduoduo's listing, the average amount of its 4.3 billion orders in 217 was only 32.8 yuan. In contrast, when Ali went public in 214, the average customer price of Taobao had reached 18 yuan.

Almost all merchants in Pinduoduo have the same identity: former Taobao seller. When Liang Ning, an Internet commentator, recently analyzed the rise of Pinduoduo, he listed Taobao's anti-counterfeiting action in 215 and the business spillover caused by JD.COM's abandonment of Paipai.com as one of the dividends of Pinduoduo's development.

History is similar. As the ancestor of C2C e-commerce, Taobao has also been accused of the proliferation of counterfeit goods. On January 23, 215, China's 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 fake goods by Alibaba and its platforms. Affected by this incident, Alibaba Group's share price plummeted and its market value evaporated by nearly $11 billion.

Immediately, Ali launched a large-scale "counterfeiting campaign". According to Ali, in the 12 months from September 215 to August 216, Alibaba * * * removed 38 million product pages, closed 18, 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 a bill, and it also requires a direct authorization for the brands it sells; On the other hand, the traffic tilt to small and medium-sized businesses is also less and less, which supports the development of large stores on Tmall platform.

"214 was the best year, and it has been going downhill ever since." Mao Ge said. In September 215, Pinduoduo went online. In the following years of 216 and 217, Pinduoduo continuously attracted small and medium-sized businesses to settle in through preferential policies such as "zero yuan to settle in" and "no threshold to settle in", and the number of users and income maintained an annual growth rate of more than 2%. In September, 217, Pinduoduo specially held an investment promotion meeting in Puyuan Town, Junchen's hometown. Hundreds of people went to the town that day, most of them were Taobao sellers. When Junchen saw the words different from Taobao, such as "zero yuan settled in" and "traffic tilt", they all joined Pinduoduo with a try mentality.

From Panyu, Guangdong, Tongxiang, Zhejiang, and Shenze, Hebei, more and more businesses in the low-end 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 tier, mainly middle-aged people aged 3 to 5. These people are defined as "groups that Taobao can't satisfy". A Le said that businesses like them can't live on Taobao now, because there is no traffic. His own shop on Taobao is hard to find, and the browsing times of the goods are very low.

However, on the one hand, Pinduoduo relies on these businesses wandering in the gray area to rise, 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 anti-counterfeiting will erode its platform foundation.

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