In the beverage industry, there's a saying: "Lulu doesn't cross the river, Coconut Palm doesn't cross the river." That is, these two giants of plant-based protein drinks—one from Chengde, Hebei, heading south to the Yangtze River, stops there; the other from Hainan, heading north, stops at the Yellow River. Why is that? Is it mutual courtesy? Is it a logistics issue? Let's first analyze why "Lulu doesn't cross the river" using the five origin questions of distribution. (1) Regional cognitive differences: Apricots are often mistaken by many southerners for plums or a similar sour fruit; over 90% of people have never even seen what an apricot looks like, let alone know what an almond is. (2) Lack of demand focus: The south is rich in products, and the demand for animal protein, mainly milk, is still in the cultivation stage. Southern consumers' understanding of plant-based protein is limited to soy products. Coconut juice is just one of hundreds of juices in the south; people don't associate drinking coconut juice with supplementing protein, let alone Lulu almond dew, which still lacks a clear demand proposition. (3) Narrow category: Lulu itself lacks a clear positioning, so consumers automatically categorize it as a "nut extract." In people's minds, it's already a niche, underdeveloped "flavored beverage." (4) Blurred brand image: A quick survey of friends and relatives shows that the Lulu slogan people remember is: "Drink Lulu heated in winter, and with ice in summer." This ad already assumes it's a bestseller, as if people are crying out for Lulu all year round. Heating and adding ice are suggestions to increase consumption occasions, assuming the market is saturated. Now, a walnut milk beverage also from Hebei is thriving, telling us that Lulu's sales are still pitifully low. (5) Price space issue: To cross the river, southern distributors need the same operational space as northern ones, but increased freight costs compress profits. How much price space does Lulu reserve for southern distributors? We won't analyze that here. Although Lulu hasn't done such a detailed internal analysis, after Mr. Lu Guanqiu took over, he focused Lulu's core sales areas on Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and a few other provinces based on the fact that it "couldn't cross the river," allowing the team and distributors to deeply cultivate these regions with high awareness of "almond dew," achieving good results. For Lulu to follow the path of Six Walnuts—first surviving with a regional cluster strategy, then expanding rapidly with a scattered layout—there's still a long way to go! The key is to seriously consider the five origin questions of its product, treating the origin as the "body" and operations as the "use," without putting the cart before the horse. "Coconut Palm doesn't cross the river" is the same. This article is excerpted from "Distribution: How Products Become Best-sellers", authorized by "Brilliance Books." Some content has been edited. In early July, our platform will organize the third B-end e-commerce inspection tour, visiting domestic B-end e-commerce platforms that are instructive for distributor transformation. Interested friends can scan the QR code below to register. Organization format 1. Company visit 2. Actual market case visit 3. On-site explanation 4. One-on-one communication Each registered friend only needs to pay an organization fee of 200 yuan. Interested distributor friends can scan the QR code below to register. When adding friends, please reply "Third Registration". Previous inspection enterprise cases: -END- The best FMCG distributor learning platform in China 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 the 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 eighteen skills | 013 KA operation methods and strategies | 014 First lesson for new salespeople | 015 Internet, brand | 016 Distributor B2B transformation | [Long press QR code to follow]