△Add friend and note "inspection" to register Several agent groups for Mengniu's Slow Burn meal replacement shake have recently been filled with tension. After submitting exit applications over a month ago without receiving refunds, some agents have become anxious. They discuss the "problems" encountered during product operation. Some have been resolved, while others are being "negotiated." However, the pace of "negotiated solutions" has become a test of the agents' previous "confidence" and even their trust in Mengniu. Rise to Fame in Haste On November 27, a WeChat group for Slow Burn shake agent refunds was abuzz with discussion. The group gathered about 110 agents, with refund amounts ranging from a few thousand yuan to nearly 100,000 yuan. Unusually, terms like "hospitalization" and "maxed-out credit cards" kept appearing. The root cause lies in a document. Recently, personnel from Beijing Youxuan Qiantong Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Youxuan Qiantong), the operating company for the Slow Burn shake project, released a document stating that in principle, no returns or refunds would be accepted. Due to prolonged stockouts, the company would negotiate returns and refunds for some dealers facing genuine difficulties. Consequently, agents with "difficulties" began reporting their situations. The money they want refunded is for their "cloud inventory" of unclaimed goods. For example, an agent paid over 50,000 yuan to obtain a corresponding credit for goods. After claiming 20,000 yuan worth of goods, they still had over 30,000 yuan worth unclaimed, stored as "cloud inventory" in their personal account. In August, Agent A ended their agency with a 15% deduction. However, agents like Agent B, who submitted refund requests in October or later and require Youxuan Qiantong's review, have not been as fortunate; they are still "waiting." Some agents believe the aforementioned document from Youxuan Qiantong is proof that refunds are hopeless. However, after communication with Youxuan Qiantong, a Mengniu representative stated, "(Youxuan Qiantong) is not refusing to refund but is processing refunds in accordance with national laws and regulations." Despite the complaints from exiting agents, there are few related legal disputes. An agent explained, "The refund policy was never clear from the start. When we paid the deposit, no legal contract regarding refunds was signed; only verbal agreements were made." It cannot be ignored that during the operation of Slow Burn shake, similar "changes" were not uncommon. Agent A, who has been in the social retail industry for years, was once a supporter of Slow Burn shake. "Initially, I thought Slow Burn would become a behemoth. The project and team were excellent. Now, I can only say it was wishful thinking." "In February 2018, I became a Slow Burn agent. At that time, there was no完善的招商系统; applying was just filling out an electronic form. But the recruitment speed was smoother compared to smaller brands," said Agent A. "Looking back, the 'best' time was March-April. For example, a senior partner would create a WeChat group, invite 20 people, and within a few weeks it would grow to a 500-person group. Many people who had never sold products on their Moments, like restaurant owners or fruit shop owners, joined with a learning mindset. They believed that working with Mengniu was worth 'promoting,' unlike selling unbranded masks." Multiple agents consider May a turning point. At that time, logistics and stockout issues for Slow Burn shake erupted, and a few agents began to exit. During the "goods shortage," the agents said they were unaware of the specific production capacity of Mengniu's factories. "It wasn't until media reports came out that the operators mentioned production line issues," said Agent B. "At that time, many agents persisted largely due to their trust in Mengniu. However, during the stockout, some customers accused agents of fraud because they didn't receive their goods for a long time." But problems followed: "Worried about another stockout, agents hoarded goods through various means, even increasing order quantities to ensure sales. Unexpectedly, after supply resumed, some agents, to clear excess inventory, sold products at low prices on other platforms, ultimately causing market price chaos," said Agent C. This led some "customers" to buy low-priced products on e-commerce platforms or use such information to demand refunds from agents. "Not only did we lose money, but we also damaged our networks," said Agent B. In this regard, several insiders revealed, "Initially, Mengniu did not place much importance on the Slow Burn project. Unexpectedly, it grew rapidly, leading to supply shortages." The lack of importance was also reflected in packaging: "The initial shipping boxes were of poor quality, and agents often found damaged goods upon receipt. In hot weather, the damaged packages even had bugs. This was also related to the weak sealing of the bottle caps," reported Agent B. However, these issues improved after the launch of the "slim version" of Slow Burn shake. Challenges Abound Agent A believes the above issues are part of the reason that wore down his and other agents' willingness to continue. "The final outcome depends on the operation team and the recruitment model." Public information shows that Youxuan Qiantong is the national distributor for Slow Burn shake. However, there are actually five teams responsible for recruitment (or "operators"): Suzhou-Zhejiang International, Yuntimes, Weishijiao, Jingtian International, and Mengran International. As previously reported by FMCG, Suzhou-Zhejiang International and Weishijiao had operated Wahaha Tianyan Jingjing. However, they subsequently withdrew. In August, a "rights protection" incident occurred among Tianyan Jingjing agents. An agent involved in the operation of these teams said, "Even when reporting problems normally, you couldn't speak ill of the product. Otherwise, you'd be warned by the relevant person in charge or even kicked out of the group, further causing information 'misalignment.'" Additionally, many social retail practitioners have realized that "promises" heard before joining sometimes cannot be "fulfilled." After all, promises are not legally binding agreements. Changes in recruitment models also affect the "error rate" of product operations. "A popular recruitment model now is 'positioning.' For example, to become a senior partner for a product, you previously needed to recruit a certain number of agents and achieve sales targets. But now, through 'positioning,' you can pay a certain amount to obtain the senior partner position, enjoying high-volume goods and lower purchase prices. For the operation team, this quickly pools funds and solves the need for large cash flow in the early stages. However, the problem is that some agents cannot handle the sales volume of such goods." It can be seen that making a "successful" social retail product is not easy. "The product life cycle is mostly one to two years. Especially in this circle, many people have impure motives for doing projects—they assess the project's survival period, occupy the top position to earn fees during that period, and then quickly exit, ignoring the mess left behind," said the above agent. An industry observer said, "When distribution rights are open to the C-end, opportunities seem 'equal' to everyone, but the 'inequality' lies in the time difference and space difference of entry. The so-called space difference refers to different agent levels. Additionally, traditional retail channel costs make it difficult to drive C-end consumers to form a distribution model of significant scale. In such cases, products can only inflate their value and raise prices to incentivize individual distribution." Despite this, many brands, such as Dali, Mengniu, and Wahaha, have ventured into social retail products. A person close to Mengniu said, "Slow Burn shake is arguably one of Mengniu's fastest-growing single products in recent years." The repeated demonstration of social retail's "value" has also deepened industry practitioners' judgment on the future trend of "social retail." Supporting evidence: data shows that in 2017, the number of micro-business practitioners exceeded 20 million. "But no one knows to what extent it can develop," Agent A lamented. Back to Slow Burn shake. Currently, agents can choose to "transfer" to Mengniu's Ningchun team, while those who choose not to transfer and exit will continue to communicate with the relevant person in charge about "refund" matters. However, Youxuan Qiantong also faces "difficulties." A court ruling document shows that in August, the court froze some of Youxuan Qiantong's assets in accordance with the "Prohibition of Pyramid Selling Regulations." Despite the numerous problems, Mengniu is "optimistic" about social retail and is working to solve issues. An operation team leader revealed that next year, Mengniu will launch multiple social retail products. Additionally, measures to print traceability codes on packaging to address price chaos are being implemented. The R trademark for Slow Burn shake was recently approved, and a Mengniu representative said this will facilitate legal action against "smuggled goods" sellers on Taobao. It is worth noting that issues like stockouts and price chaos may gradually improve with operational time. But given the impact of "time differences" on earnings, how many agents are willing to focus on operating a single product? And for those social retail products that quickly "rise" and then decline due to multiple reasons, how should the "mess" left behind be settled? Regarding the core issues mentioned in this article, as of press time, FMCG had not received an official response from Mengniu. Source: FMCG (ID: fbc180) Tenth B-end E-commerce Inspection--"From Product to Scenario" Event Dates: December 10-13 Event Locations: Wuhu, Nanjing, Changsha Event Schedule:

December 10 morning: Visit Three Squirrels headquarters + snack store

December 10 afternoon: Visit Nanjing Squirrel Small Store

December 10 evening: Visit Nanjing Gao Master Beer Workshop

December 11 all day: Nanjing-Changsha, or free arrangement

December 12 morning: Community group buying exchange salon

December 12 afternoon: Kaola Select Heroes League press conference

December 12 evening to December 13 early morning: Field visit to Kaola Select logistics center—This time is the peak sorting period, allowing direct observation and learning of the backend operation process of community group buying e-commerce Interested distributor friends are welcome to join us for understanding and field inspection: Organization Format

  1. Expert exchange salon
  2. Company visit
  3. On-site explanation
  4. One-on-one communication
  5. Actual market case visits Those who wish to participate If interested in a specific day's content, you can register separately Long press this QR code or click "Read Original" to register! Add friend and note your intention -END-