Product Thought 1: Intentionality Today I begin to think about products. What is a product? My first reaction is a physical product with packaging and design, which I'll leave for later discussion. But then I realize it's not necessarily so; intangible services are also products, such as haircuts, beauty treatments, massages, etc. These services relate to venue, technique, process, and personnel, which can be considered later. I also think of products that are independent of venue and even process, such as consulting (which I do), training, and logical thinking. Finally, I think of an idea or a concept as a product. So what exactly is a product? Clarifying this is crucial for marketing. I feel the first attribute of a product is intentionality—it is purposeful, likely with commercial intent, and then targeted, meaning it is deliberately designed and thought out for a specific group of people. What for? Naturally, their needs, pain points, and expectations. These are the causes; the effect is bringing them benefits, satisfying their needs, solving their pain points, making them happy, and thus willing to exchange their money and wealth, forming a transaction. So my personal definition of a product is something for exchange, or a commodity. As for the difference between product and commodity, sorry, I'm not interested! Products are intentional, so they need packaging, storytelling, research on target groups, and value. These are the questions I'll explore in this series! I plan to write 20 parts, and I must work hard every day! Product Thought 2: Function A product exists initially from functional appeal and solution. This original intention is the root cause. Of course, due to later extensions and packaging, people's understanding of products goes beyond function to include emotional and associative elements. Function refers to tangible aspects, including physical and chemical. Physical relates to relationships and movements between substances; chemical relates to internal composition and structure. Physical and chemical often coexist. Products generally help people increase their ability to transform and adapt to the world physically or chemically. So function targets helplessness and inadequacy—this is the focus of product development. Actually, potential functional needs are not easy to discover because people subconsciously protect their weaknesses, unwilling to admit they can't do something or feel inadequate. Only when your product makes them feel comfortable or powerful will they respond. If you ask people what they need, consumers can't imagine it. For example, before the car was invented, people thought horse-drawn carriages were the only transportation! So the best market research is to empathize with consumers, a feeling hard to express in words. Function is often related to technological progress, inventions, patents, and know-how, and it most easily forms tangible core competitiveness and technical barriers. This is the foundation of many successful companies and an important marker of the industrial and internet revolutions! Product Thought 3: Emotion Emotion is essentially mood, but more stable and deeper. What does the emotional attribute of a product mean? Because consumers experience emotional fluctuations from contact with the product to purchase and consumption—sometimes excited, sometimes expectant, sometimes angry, sometimes helpless. How do these emotions arise? Is there a pattern? Of course, because these emotions are all caused by a common thing: the product. And what is the core of emotion? It's the gap between expectation and actual experience. Where does expectation come from? From the company's marketing. Where does experience come from? From the product's objective functionality and the on-site salesperson's explanation. What people see is not important; the interpretation of what they see is more important. So it can be said that emotions are mostly brought about by marketing planning. Consumers are generally passive and easily brainwashed. The key is whether the brand is well-prepared and consistent in this brainwashing! The root of this brainwashing content lies in the product itself—how it came to be, its history, and the emotions the designer imbued it with. In human communication, although a tangible product seems to be the medium, it's essentially emotional input and output—people's understanding and expectations of life. For example, some products convey practicality based on a down-to-earth life philosophy; some convey luxury and nobility based on a philosophy of being unique. The core issue is that designers should spread and adhere to their life philosophy and design principles, not be easily swayed by commercial goals. Because commerce is actually realistic and shallow; doing business for the sake of business often fails. Instead, adhering to principles eventually forms your own style and brand, which ultimately achieves commercial success! Emotion is the essence of human connection; products are the bond and medium. Although people may never meet, by using the same product, they become a group, and their emotions have a common direction. This is the foundation of brand communities! Product Thought 4: Brand We often see that with the same product quality, putting on a famous brand can sell for thousands and still be in short supply, while an unknown brand sells for tens and doesn't move. This is the relationship between Apple and Foxconn. So a product is like a person's body, and a brand is like clothing. In a bathhouse, everyone naked looks similar; differences are often formed by the temperament and feeling created by clothes and accessories. During Double 11, some small brands have huge discounts but poor sales, while big brands with high visibility sell well because people usually want to buy them and trust them, so they take the opportunity to order during the discount. How does a brand come about? Based on my decades of research, the core is multi-source confirmation: when a person receives the same message from different angles, channels, and dimensions, they believe it. For example, if you are an online brand but are seen and experienced at offline stores or events, your brand gains points. Conversely, if you are an offline brand but frequently see your ads or reports on TV or WeChat Moments, you quickly gain points. That is, information and advertising need cross-validation from multiple angles; people believe brainwashing from different angles more. This is the significance of O2O. Brand is a huge topic; I'll just discuss this one point here: cross-validation across channels. I'll discuss other aspects later. Product Thought 5: Packaging In FMCG, we deal most with packaging, which offers vast room for creativity. In marketing plans, I feel about 30% relates to packaging. The first level of packaging is the container concept. For example, beverages started with cans, then PET, which is divided into SSPET and MSPET, corresponding to different consumption scenarios. Marketing is about appealing to scenarios; whoever occupies the first impression of a scenario owns the mind share. Behind scenarios are channels, target groups, cost-performance, selling points, promotions, etc. The container concept can extend to processing technology, such as hot-fill vs. cold-fill aseptic lines, which greatly improved taste and nutrition. The second level is the outer packaging, which is the packaging for retailers and distributors, also the packaging for full-case sales, and the form for inventory and display. Specifications can vary: 12-pack, 15-pack, 24-pack, 6-pack, etc., forming concepts like gift packs, convenience packs, family packs, etc. These directly affect cost and cost-performance. Some manufacturers use outer packaging for promotions, like placing small gifts inside or wrapping gifts formally. Some use carton returns for money to promote shelf placement. The design and color of outer packaging are very important, especially for gift packs! The third level is transport packaging, or returnable containers, mainly for protection and not directly facing consumers. Even in e-commerce, consumers understand it's for protection. The focus is on cost reduction, so no need for fancy design. Packaging is like clothing; the text and instructions on packaging are also important. National regulations, such as prepackaging standards, require certain content and prohibit certain words. So the copy on outer packaging must be reviewed by technical departments to avoid penalties. But the most important is design, which is the key link in marketing. I'll think about this next time! Product Thought 6: Color When people first encounter a product, the first information is color. Color brings the greatest and most direct feelings and associations because in real life, people are most sensitive to color. Phrases like "flowery world" and "multicolored" refer to this. Buddhists compare all objective things to color, meaning what people see is nothing but color—light! Product colors roughly fall into three types. The first is monochrome, though not strictly one color, but predominantly one color with slight accents. Monochrome brings simplicity and firmness. The second is two-tone, where two colors are roughly equal, creating a sense of balance, like yin and yang. Two colors represent yin and yang. The third is multicolor, such as three colors or full color, representing change, youth, and freedom. Choosing different colors obviously evokes different associations, related to common sense and subconscious. For example, red evokes fire and blood, green evokes growth and environmental protection, white evokes purity and snow, black evokes rigor and quality. Everyone has different feelings about colors, possibly related to childhood and subconscious, but there are commonalities among the masses, often related to life itself. Fundamentally, most subconscious thoughts are about life and death—the strongest theme of life! By choosing a product's color, you imprint the basic mark of life and death on the product! Product Thought 7: Shape When we see a product, we first notice its shape: round or square, fat or thin, angular or soft. Some shapes seem insignificant, but we must have great reverence for them because behind them is the designer's effort. An angle, a curve—sometimes they can move me to tears! Speaking of shape reminds me of ancient Greece 2500 years ago: Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Archimedes. They studied the laws of beauty through lines, angles, circles, the Pythagorean theorem, and the golden ratio. From Venus's curves to David's structure, from stability to symmetry, from the pyramid's beauty to its practical value, these prophets brought rational beauty to humanity, still worthy of study today. Plato said, "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter." The beauty of our world indeed has logic behind it. A beautiful woman's beauty lies not in heavy makeup but in her evolved facial features and proportions—truly miraculous, worthy of appreciation. Heavy makeup and adornment can sometimes ruin her natural beauty! Products are like beauties: present the designer's initial geometric beauty, let the public connect with the designer's heart, forget price and hype, and only appreciate beauty. That is the work of nature! Shape, geometry, beauty—we should regain that seriousness, rationality, and reverence! Product Thought 8: Name We give a product a name. In the planned economy era, product names might be internal codes—long strings of numbers or symbols for internal statistics—or just industry generic names, where all companies used the same name. For example, drugs today still use generic names mandated by the state. Whether internal codes or generic names, these are outdated concepts. Sadly, many entrepreneurs still don't recognize this as an important issue, thinking it's just a name! Actually, a name seems intangible and doesn't affect the product's physical properties, but that's wrong. As Confucius said in the Analects: "If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things." Names greatly influence people's minds. Two examples: First, personal names. You'll notice men named "Zhu Zi" (pillar) tend to be strong, and women named "Wan Ru" (gentle) tend to be reserved, because body and personality development are influenced by name suggestions; otherwise, they'd be embarrassed to show themselves. Second, product names. Wahaha was a children's health product brand started by Zong Qinghou. Later, he developed the sub-brand Nutrition Express. If he hadn't used the sub-brand, could he have built a fruit-milk category worth over 10 billion? The translation of Coca-Cola is similar. I've always believed that what we see is not the real truth, but only a part of objective facts we choose to see. The angle from which we choose to see facts is determined by our own mind, which can be guided and suggested. Since names are called constantly, they are the greatest suggestive force! Product Thought 9: Definition In reality, definition is very important. A definition tells the internal and external system: Who am I? To tell others who I am, you must make choices and only state the most essential, not everything, otherwise it's not a definition. For example, a phone defined as "a super-long-battery-life phone with fingerprint recognition" makes it clear at a glance that it has two core features. Price is also a positioning. When definition and price positioning combine, they form the consumer's purchase driver. So product definition is essentially the engine of sales drive! Definition means making a decision. A product may have many selling points and can be promoted from many angles: R&D, marketing, sales, and sales promotion each have their own angle. Over time, a new angle may emerge. Without definition, descriptions become varied, consumers receive inconsistent information, making it hard to leave a deep impression or create buzz and word-of-mouth. Many companies lack this. Clear definition makes it obvious to everyone inside the system, and naturally, everyone outside, including consumers, will feel strength and confidence. The product can then easily spread its wings and fly freely! Product Thought 10: Tone When developing a new product, especially in packaging design, the most important thing is tone, particularly for products that don't compete on cost-performance. Consumers buy mainly because of your vibe. But such a vibe often doesn't sell as much as cost-performance products, challenging both the brand and consumers: should you stick to that vibe? For example, luxury brands like Chanel started as just a women's hat and clothing store opened by Coco in Paris—one store in 1910, two in 1914. But Coco never married; she devoted her life to pursuing style and individuality, insight into women's charm, freedom, and tone. So she succeeded. Chanel, like her, became a treasure that men dream of but can never catch. Products are like personalities: who you are determines what product you make and who will favor it. The biggest question is whether you can stick to your personality, not be forced by life or tempted by commerce, and be yourself. If you persist, the tone will emerge. If you always compromise, you become neither fish nor fowl, losing individuality and character! What exactly is tone? No one can say clearly because it's a feeling, a distinctive temperament. The essence of this temperament is consistency, and behind consistency is truth, purity, passion, persistence, focus, and professionalism. Whether in products, brands, or life, if you persist, you'll definitely be awesome! Product Thought 11: Materials Actually, product quality boils down to two factors: raw materials and processing technology. Today we'll focus on raw materials. Choosing materials is a project of conscience, and consumers will eventually experience it. For example, everyone cares about screen resolution, thinking 1080P is better than 720P. But if the former uses a domestic screen and the latter uses a Samsung screen, the latter is actually better in both effect and cost. In beverages, consumers can't tell the difference between fruit juice drinks and fruit-flavored drinks. Some manufacturers use real juice, while others use only flavorings—the cost difference is huge. There are roughly three modes of material selection. The first is choosing the lowest cost at the same specification level—a cost-priority strategy for price-sensitive consumers. The second is choosing the best quality at the same specification level—a quality-and-brand-first strategy for consumers seeking quality and lifestyle. The third is choosing materials that can be used for storytelling, giving the product differentiation or characteristics. Although costs increase, it highlights selling points and differences—a differentiated marketing approach for young consumers seeking fashion and individuality. Materials are the inner substance. Like a person, do you care about face or substance? Product Thought 12: Processing Technology All products are formed by purchasing upstream raw materials, processing chemically or assembling physically, then packaging physically and conceptually, and selling through channels to consumers. I often have this experience: before entering a company, it feels grand and mysterious; after entering, I find it's just a simple chemical or physical change—so simple. The upstream is more impressive. But if you go further upstream, it's still simple. My insight is that things in the world are essentially simple; all mystery and complexity are imagined or disguised! The core of a product is raw materials and processing technology. We discussed materials yesterday. I think processing technology has four main states: The first is advocating original ecology: respecting nature's work, with minimal processing or change. Examples include "nature's porter" and "pure natural, no additives," common in food and beverages, often with origin claims. The second is ordinary processing technology and equipment. They claim high-tech and modern factories, but they're essentially Industry 1.0 or 2.0, with no special advantage. This is the state of most factories; calling it modern and advanced is meaningless. The third is truly introducing the world's most advanced technology and equipment, with many patents and proprietary R&D. Such companies present concrete core competitiveness that is convincing and respectable. Of course, investment is huge. China lacks such companies, which is a major reason brands can't rise. The fourth is customization, or C2B. This concept was just proposed but is definitely a future trend. Internet technology rapidly reduces the cost of small-batch production, and changeover speeds are unimaginable, making luxury customization achievable at ordinary costs. This is a major trend; whoever quickly occupies this mind share is crucial. Processing technology requires large investment, has long-term impact, and high technical content. It should be the core competitiveness and foundation of brands and products, requiring advance planning and step-by-step implementation. Product Thought 13: Selling Points Every product's most important aspect is its selling point. What is a selling point? It's the reason consumers buy! Consumer needs vary widely, so there can be multiple selling points, but a product targets only a segment of the target group. This segment is a group because they share commonalities and needs. Therefore, the core selling point must be singular, so the target group has an overall perception and first memory. Selling points are often determined at the product's inception—the original intention. "Don't forget the original intention" means don't forget the foundation, because it's the reason the product survived initially. Don't go too far and forget the direction you started! Summarizing a core selling point can lead the common characteristics of a product category, support the brand, and give the target group a reason to consume or be proud. For example, Gionee summarized its M series' core selling point as "super-long battery life." But within the M series, there are sub-selling points addressing different consumers' specific needs and concerns, which salespeople can discuss during promotion. Communication may cover many aspects, so selling points can be many! The general principle is that selling points must be truthful and never false. They can be organized, packaged, beautified, and described, but they must be grounded and real. Otherwise, they're not selling points but deception! Product Thought 14: Scenarios How does a product relate to target consumers? Certainly in a scenario. A typical scenario forms a representative meaning. The brand turns this scenario into an advertisement, guiding behavior. Then the most typical scene in the TVC is frozen into a key visual, becoming posters, newspaper ads, leaflets, display images, etc. Scenarios are important information for product promotion. Why are scenarios so important? Because people form behavioral habits through imitation and learning. This is the result of psychologist Bandura's research in 1952, forming the social learning school. When people see a typical scenario, it touches their hearts, activates subconscious energy, and they imitate unconsciously. The simplest and first action of imitation is buying. Why does that scenario touch them? That's the core! It might convey the warmth of a big family they lack, or a sweet couple's love they envy, or the heroine's beauty or figure they admire. In short, some emotion moves them—something they deeply desire—so they want to imitate and become the protagonist, starting with the simplest act of buying! What is a scenario? It's specificity, detail, and appropriateness. For example, is the protagonist the most suitable representative of the target group? Is the story reasonable and common? It must not be forced or without suspense. Is it day or night? Sunny or cloudy? Indoor or outdoor? South or north? These must be thought through clearly and conveyed or implied. A TVC is like a novel, though only 15 seconds long, with rich background information and details. The scenario can be very specific because the behind-the-scenes work is thorough, making it likable and shareable! Product Thought 15: Category A category is a group of brands forming a class, smaller than an industry. For example, the beverage industry includes carbonated, juice, tea, functional drinks, etc. It's larger than a brand, e.g., juice drinks include Coca-Cola Minute Maid, Uni-President Orange, Master Kong Daily C, Pepsi Tropicana, Huiyuan, etc. People's decision-making process goes from large to small, forming a decision tree. To maximize sales, retailers arrange displays according to the consumer's decision tree, making consumers feel satisfied. This gave rise to category management in modern trade. I remember Carrefour started this project over a decade ago, inviting P&G and Pepsi to participate; I was involved. For retailers and brands, the goal is to understand consumers' decision trees and guide them to buy more, more expensive, and higher-margin items. So in aisle design, high-margin new products are placed first, and fast-moving bestsellers are placed later, with display space carefully calculated. How do categories originate? How are new categories created? Who becomes the synonym for a category? These are key and complex questions. For example, in 2004, Xiaoyangren developed a PET-packaged drink mixing juice and milk called Miaolian, pioneering fruit-milk. It sold very well but didn't truly form a category. The next year, Wahaha borrowed the concept and launched Nutrition Express, which exceeded 10 billion in a few years, making fruit-milk a real category with Nutrition Express as the synonym. So a category is initiated by one brand, followed by many, and whoever runs fastest and shouts loudest becomes the authentic one. Examples include the Master Kong vs. Uni-President sour cabbage noodle battle and the Wanglaoji vs. JDB authentic herbal tea battle. Creating new categories, defining them, and forming category barriers—there are over a dozen methods, but success depends on budget and strength. David Aaker's book "Brand Relevance" (which I translated) offers deep insights into category innovation. You can refer to it. Place your product in an appropriate category and find it a good room. If the category is too crowded and there's no place to settle, don't rest there; find another place or even create a new category. Both have risks and pros and cons. Red ocean vs. blue ocean—the choice determines life or death! Product Thought 16: Innovation This is an era of disruption and rapid change. People no longer consume just to survive but more for happiness, so trying new things to satisfy curiosity is a major purchase driver. Another important reason is that the new generation of consumers values freedom and independence, not following rules. Even if a big brand is famous, "I don't care about you, so what?" "I like buying this unknown brand, so what?" "I buy what you don't know; I buy low cost-performance because it's expensive!" This illogical logic may be rare among those born in the 60s-70s, but common among the 90s and later. Consumption is often impulsive, not rational! Innovation is an eternal topic, and its power is unimaginable. It's a manifestation of IQ and EQ. Why EQ in addition to IQ? Because innovation often stems from insight into human nature and understanding others' feelings. It doesn't require high tech; a little thought can create strong feelings. The mystery is beyond those with low EQ. Recently, I saw Edison Chen introducing his brand. He talked about limited-edition clothing from a master, only 57 pieces worldwide, with the master's signature and individual numbering. Such items can even be collected. I admired his brand promotion skills and genius. Innovation roughly falls into three types. The first is disruptive invention, which may advance humanity and create entirely new categories, but often has limited commercial use due to huge investment and long cultivation. The second is local innovation, adding new ideas at certain points, telling stories that resonate. This is common in phones and smart products, often based on upstream suppliers' R&D. So phone iteration and competition are about timing and rhythm; if you lead competitors by a month, you're hot. The third is copying—reasonable copying or borrowing—bringing techniques or expressions from different categories or industries to your product, or from foreign countries to China, or from ancient times. It requires designers to be well-informed, attentive, and clever in borrowing. This type is the majority in business! Business doesn't need Nobel Prizes; it just needs to sell goods and make money! Often, understanding the ultimate purpose of innovation and starting from the end can save many detours! Product Thought 17: Quality Quality seems a boring topic, but it's the most core issue because it's the product's substance. Once, I went to Anhui to research the mobile phone retail market and talked with many store owners. I asked what the most critical factor was when choosing a phone brand to sell. I thought they'd say brand, margin, sell-through speed, or support. But after deep conversations, I found they were most concerned about return rates and complaint rates. Many phone brands have high defect rates, and consumers come to the store with strong emotions, seriously affecting traffic and image. I wondered why it wasn't so severe in other provinces. Later, I concluded that Anhui differs because there are no major or chain customers; most store owners stand at the counter, so they empathize with consumers' emotions. In other provinces, owners sit in offices and discuss margins and sell-through more rationally. Of course, those are also critical, which I'll discuss in the price section. Quality is even more important in food and beverages because these are ingested, directly related to safety. Sometimes a batch of problems causes consumer panic and distrust, even killing the brand. The most famous cases: Sanlu melamine, Shuanghui clenbuterol, Jiugui liquor plasticizer. These seem accidental but are inevitable because such adulteration is an industry norm, just exposed by someone or by 315. Many similar norms exist. Quality is the bottom line. Many food companies now claim, "The food industry is a conscience industry." But the question is: Is the entrepreneur's conscience still there? Price wars and cost wars have distorted market competition, and consumer mentality is also distorted: "cheaper and cheaper." This year's Double 11 sales of 91.2 billion are the climax of this distortion. 50% off! Are you crazy? General manufacturers' gross margins are 30-40%. 50% off can only mean fraud and shoddy goods! Competition is like chess: it's not about clever moves but avoiding bad moves and mistakes. Quality assurance and quality management are basic skills! Product Thought 18: Customer Service The concept of customer service seems old. When I was young, we promoted the "three guarantees" after-sales service. But now customer service has different meaning. It used to be a subsidiary of production; now it's an important part of marketing. Many e-commerce companies even rename it operations or fan operations. Customer service is not just after-sales; it's become an important entry point and window. The concept of entry point and window is very important. Understanding this is meaningful: where do consumers enter your world, where do they contact you and see your display? This is crucial. Is your entry easy to find, not confusing? Wide enough, not crowded? Warm enough, not angry? Professional enough, not perfunctory? Through entry points and windows, consumers can feel your product and brand three-dimensionally. The most important customer service is the hotline, like 400, because it's printed on packaging and after-sales manuals. The 400 line should be 24/7, or at least have clear voice messages after hours. Also, there should be enough operators to avoid busy lines and endless automated menus, which are annoying. Operator attitude and professionalism matter; many now have customer ratings tied to performance, which helps. Other customer service channels include official website, Weibo, WeChat, public accounts, forums, communities, spaces, etc. The most important things are timeliness and interactivity. If you treat people sincerely, they'll generally recognize and support you. The worst is neglect and deleting posts, which only invites criticism. Customer service is actually the beginning of marketing. Sales end at the transaction, but marketing begins after the transaction. Acquiring new customers is increasingly costly, while maintaining old customers—especially gaining their continued support and positive word-of-mouth—is very significant. Small customer service, big responsibility! Product Thought 19: Serialization Every product is a work of art, worthy of appreciation and enjoyment. But no matter how good an art treasure, people get tired of it. How to give people a sense of novelty while retaining nostalgia? The trick is serialization: familiar yet different. The magic of serialization is that people have expectations and anticipation, but there are always surprises you can't predict, so they keep chasing, always ahead. For example, Apple phones—though now due to competitive pressure, iteration is too fast and a bit chaotic. I mean earlier years, from 4 to 5 to 6, people were always anticipating and guessing; even the leak of a new model became a social event. Why? Because it's serialization: surprises but with heritage. People don't anticipate the phone's novelty but how it inherits original genes and still surprises. They anticipate the logic of changing styles on a fixed path. Familiarity breeds concern; unfamiliarity breeds curiosity. Serialization is about balancing familiar and unfamiliar, like a magic art. Some serialization comes from iteration like Apple's, but more often from different specifications and scenarios coexisting. For example, Pepsi has cans for immediate drinking, SSPET for on-the-go, and MSPET for home. The theme and design of these packages are the same. When choosing products for different scenarios, consumers see others choosing different specifications but feel kinship because they share brand preference and life philosophy. This fantasy can make you happy all day! Serialization of star products is an important strategy, often implemented by companies I consult. But it's a strategy because it's not simple; you must carefully choose entry direction, timing, and rhythm. Done well, 1+1=3; done poorly, 1+1=1.5. It's a technical task! Product Thought 20: Iteration Unknowingly, the 20th product thought is the last. Next will be the price series. Today, I want to discuss iteration and clearance. Regarding iteration, FMCG doesn't have much because many FMCG products can sell for years or decades, like the two colas and some food brands that have sold for over a century with little change. But high-tech products iterate rapidly, sometimes every few months. Why? Because upstream technology advances daily, new technologies emerge, and new technologies are more efficient, creating clear competitive advantages. On the other hand, old technologies see costs drop rapidly as production scales, which stimulates broader use and further cost reduction. These changes are exponential and instantaneous. For example, chip costs drop at unimaginable speeds, enabling the Internet of Things. This is technology driving industry development. This state of using new technology and rapidly lowering old product prices is iteration. The marketing changes from iteration: first, accurately forecast production and inventory; second, rapidly distribute, pull, and ramp up volume—here "rapid" means weeks, not months; third, aggressively clear old products. Clearance is a sad topic, present in tech and FMCG. In FMCG, clearance involves large-date products. For example, if shelf life is six months, products at three months (half life) enter clearance because KA customers stop accepting them, and traditional channels need promotions. Otherwise, trouble. Also, strict FIFO (first-in, first-out) is required. It sounds simple but is hard to implement, requiring strict discipline in visits and handling. When one or two months remain, consider returns. Returned old goods test your "sewer" channels and capabilities. In iteration and clearance, the most important factor is rhythm. If rhythm is right, everything goes smoothly; if off, everything gets blocked, and you can only slowly adjust. Han Xiuchao: Studied management as undergraduate in 1979, master's in 1983, taught marketing management at university in 1986, joined foreign enterprises in 1992, served as senior manager at Shell China and GM of Wuhan Shell, worked at Pepsi for 13 years as marketing director and deputy GM of bottling plants, founded Shanghai Yunlian Brand Management Co., Ltd. in 2012, serving as GM, providing consulting and marketing advisory for private enterprises. Excellent Product Promotion: China's first DHA brain-gold beverage "Shanlong" brain-gold beverage national recruitment. Reasons for recommendation:

  1. Category innovation: The first DHA brain-gold beverage in China, aiding adolescent brain development, opening a new blue ocean in the beverage market.
  2. Unique and eye-catching packaging: Patented dragon-claw bottle design, the world's first sci-fi fashion beverage bottle, extremely prominent at display. Advanced imported sports cap, first introduced in China, stylish and cool, with high technical barriers.
  3. Distinct selling points: China's first brain-gold beverage, brain-health drink, fun and fashionable bottle design, ensuring best-selling.
  4. Weak competition: Shanlong is a completely original category and appearance, with few competitors.
  5. Huge consumer group: Targeting students and youth, channels like schools and internet cafes can rapidly boost sales.
  6. Small investment, big profits. Can trial with small quantities; retail price 5 yuan, huge profits. Due to busy schedule, please no advertising or inexperienced/no-channel friends. National blank market hot recruitment, don't miss it. Long press the QR code below to add Manager Lin's WeChat: Guangdong Heyuan Fengsheng Food & Beverage Co., Ltd. Website: WWW.FOODSUN.CN -END- China's best FMCG distributor learning platform Focusing on providing professional, practical, and applicable tutorials for enterprises and distributors Committed to helping Chinese FMCG distributors grow rapidly The most professional and practical knowledge base in the FMCG industry Reply with the red number below to get corresponding content Reply with number 1 to view the complete knowledge base | 001 Excellent article selection | 002 Distributor market operations | 003 Terminal visit management | 004 Sales supervisor skills | 005 Sales improvement techniques | 006 Channel expansion | 007 Managing distributors | 008 Distributor development | 009 Distributor internal operations management | 010 Team management | 011 Efficient distribution techniques | 012 Sales manager's 18 skills | 013 KA operation methods and strategies | 014 First lesson for new salespeople | 015 Internet, brand | [Long press QR code to follow] Join QQ/WeChat group: Click: Read original text