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Articles by 苗庆显
Browse 79 New Distribution articles by 苗庆显.
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Another Round of Boring 'Cutting Out the Middleman'
The first is the 'bare procurement + private label' model represented by Sam's Club and Pangdonglai, which will sweep offline retail in the coming years and become the mainstream for large retailers. This imposes new requirements on upstream suppliers, whether manufacturers or distributors. The second is instant retail, as the last big piece of the e-commerce pie, which will also enter a rapid growth phase. For example, Meituan's fastest-growing business segment will likely be Xiaoxiang Supermarket, which follows a model similar to Sam's Club, also using 'bare procurement + private label'.
苗庆显Why Do Brands No Longer Emerge in the Internet Era?
Regardless of the consumer goods industry you are in, you will notice that the top ten most influential brands in your industry were likely established more than a decade ago, mostly between the late 1990s and around 2010. In the past fifteen years, almost no influential new consumer brands have emerged, and the internet has made it extremely difficult to build strong brands due to fragmented information and the loss of traditional sources of brand 'potential energy'.
苗庆显The Era of Consumer Sovereignty: Every Purchase Is a Re-Vote
A company that made 2 billion last year often sets next year's target by adding to that figure—10% growth means 2.2 billion, 20% means 2.4 billion, and bolder plans might aim for 3 or 4 billion. The reasoning is that with more effort, promotion, channel expansion, efficiency gains, and product optimization, growth should follow. However, in the era of consumer sovereignty, every purchase is a new vote, and past performance is not a reliable anchor. Companies that fail to recognize this shift may misjudge the market and make strategic errors.
苗庆显A Company Should Not Be Like a Frog, Biting at Anything That Moves
When a company has a star product, it gains a ticket into various retail systems and basic traffic on e-commerce platforms. This gives the company the ability and willingness to spend money to continue buying shelf space, allowing weaker products and non-competitive 'generic goods' to also get on shelves and gain traffic, becoming options for consumers. Many companies mistakenly believe this is due to their 'brand' strength, but in reality, it's often a differentiated good product plus advertising that gives their other products a chance on shelves. Once retailers shift from selling shelf space to selling products, they will eliminate weak products and generics, keeping only the strongest competitive products. This will lead to a significant decline in overall company performance, but also presents opportunities amid the upheaval.
苗庆显The 'New Retail' Led Astray by Jack Ma Is Finally Being Brought Back on Track by Pangdonglai and Others
Miao Qingxian argues that the 'new retail' concept was hyped without clear definition, but true new retail is about selling goods, experiences, and services rather than shelf space, traffic, or ads. Retailers like Pangdonglai and Sam's Club are leading this shift, which will reshape the entire supply chain and the roles of manufacturers and distributors.
苗庆显If 'Marketing' Had Not Been Mistranslated as 'Yingxiao'
The mistranslation of 'Marketing' as 'Yingxiao' (营销) in China has caused widespread misunderstanding, leading to a distorted view of the discipline and practice. This article argues that the correct interpretation should be 'market-oriented' or 'marketization', and that this misnomer has contributed to business failures, internal confusion, and a negative public perception of marketing professionals.
苗庆显Media Determines Information, Channels Determine Products, and Change Always Starts with Intermediaries
This article explores the profound meaning of Kotler's statement that "utilizing intermediaries is a major source of economic efficiency," arguing that intermediaries are a primary driver of social wealth and that commercial change often begins with them. It emphasizes that as society progresses, division of labor deepens, leading to more exchange and a stronger role for intermediaries, and that channel changes drive product and marketing innovations.
苗庆显The Sizzling Snack Discount Stores Are Heading Toward the 'Peak of Foolishness'
In the past two years, the hottest tracks in the consumer goods sector have been SHEIN's cross-border 'small-batch, fast-reorder' model and the booming snack discount store market in China. In 2023, SHEIN's revenue reportedly exceeded $30 billion, surpassing ZARA and Uniqlo to become China's largest apparel company. Domestically, snack discount stores saw over 10,000 new openings in 2023, with total stores exceeding 20,000, led by Snacks Are Busy (including Zhao Yiming) with 7,500 stores and claimed revenue of over 20 billion yuan.
苗庆显"Washing Your Face with Foot-Washing Water" Is the Ultimate Topic of Business
A humorous anecdote illustrates the 'framing effect' (or 'basket effect'), showing how the same thing in different contexts or with different names can be perceived completely differently. This principle is crucial in business, from product categorization to marketing, and even shapes our understanding of society.
苗庆显Ma Yun Goes Left, Ren Zhengfei Goes Right: An Era of Surging Waves Arrives
People love chasing trends, hoping to soar even with extra weight, but end up being wrapped like dumplings. The real trend is never a hot topic but the overarching direction of social development, shaped by underlying logic and the interplay of decisive forces. Even someone as powerful as Ma Yun must follow the trend or perish. The current trend is 'platforms step back, value takes the stage.'
苗庆显The "Marketing" You Work So Hard At Might Be the "Fake Marketing" That Leads You Astray
Marketing is the profitable satisfaction of needs. This year has seen major market changes; it's gratifying to see some companies truly seize opportunities and make great strides, but disheartening to see more led astray by "traffic-first" and fabricated new concepts. If companies fall into misunderstandings about marketing, they may never escape these pitfalls.
苗庆显Live-stream selling has cooled down; now we can start doing live streaming
Live streaming is not just for internet platforms; physical enterprises have greater application space. The article argues that live-stream selling is a bubble that has burst, and enterprises should use live streaming for broader purposes like showcasing products, culture, and processes.
苗庆显In-Depth | We Must Unite with Intellectuals—Starting with Whether Wu Xiaobo Should Refund
This article discusses the backlash against intellectuals like Wu Xiaobo and Gao Xiaosong, arguing that while intellectuals have flaws, they are crucial for the real economy. It emphasizes the need for physical enterprises to unite with intellectuals to regain discourse power.
苗庆显Traffic is Bullshit!
All business value is based on user value; traffic has no value to users and can only be monetized when attached to products. The article argues that businesses should focus on products and customers, not chase platform traffic.
苗庆显Dong Mingzhu Was Right: Livestream E-commerce Is Just Hype
Dong Mingzhu's livestream e-commerce success is undeniable, but she insists it's just hype and that product quality matters. This article argues that business owners should stick to their own positions rather than blindly following platform trends.
苗庆显Under the Smashing Model, There Is No Windfall After Livestreaming
The article discusses the rapid rise of livestream e-commerce in China, arguing that while it has become a major retail channel, the window of opportunity for ordinary businesses and individuals has largely closed due to the 'fallacy of composition' and platform traffic concentration. It advises companies to focus on their unique value and integrate livestreaming into existing channel advantages rather than chasing the trend blindly.
苗庆显The So-Called 'Revenge Spending' Is Just Another 'Pep Talk' Pie in the Sky
The article argues that the widely discussed 'revenge spending' after the pandemic is largely a myth, as most consumption is either time-sensitive, delayed, simplified, or shifted, and overall consumer confidence and purchasing power will decline. It advises businesses to avoid risky ventures and instead adopt a cautious, 'active pessimist' approach to navigate the changing market.
苗庆显Don't Be Fooled: Is Sales = Traffic × Conversion × Average Order Value?
A cosmetics company owner lamented that 'traffic is too expensive,' leading to a discussion about the flawed formula 'sales = traffic × conversion × average order value.' The article argues that this formula, while useful for frontline staff, misleads business owners by ignoring core marketing factors like demand, product, and brand. It urges operators to focus on customer value and long-term strategy instead of chasing traffic, which only benefits platforms.
苗庆显Monetizing Traffic? Sorry, You Are the One Being Monetized
The article argues that the current obsession with 'traffic' in business is misguided, as traffic itself is not a reliable path to profit. It warns that companies focusing solely on traffic acquisition often become the product being monetized by platforms, and advocates for a return to value creation and long-term professional marketing strategies.
苗庆显Deep Dive: What's the Difference Between Li Jiaqi and the "Quack Doctors" of TV Shopping?
This article compares the current trend of influencer marketing on platforms like Douyin with the historical phenomenon of TV shopping, arguing that both share the same underlying logic of live-stream selling but differ in transaction efficiency. It warns that without proper governance, influencer marketing may repeat the mistakes of TV shopping, leading to false advertising and low-quality products, while emphasizing the importance of top salespeople and the role of intermediaries.
苗庆显How the Term 'Marketing' Has Misled Countless Companies and Marketers
Two disciplines are most misunderstood: accounting and marketing. While accountants are often seen as mere bookkeepers, marketers are even worse off, viewed as mere sellers. This article argues that the Chinese translation of 'Marketing' as '营销' (yingxiao) has caused widespread misunderstanding, leading companies to focus on sales tactics rather than customer needs and value creation, and calls for a redefinition and enlightenment of the field.
苗庆显Distributors, Always 'Doomed,' How Are They Doing Now?
Distributors won't be eliminated, but that doesn't mean you as a distributor won't be; 'no middleman to take a cut' is unreliable, but the 'disintermediation mindset' is real. In recent years, distributors have lived in fear of being eliminated. Some have found refuge with big companies, while others face the need to transform.
苗庆显“Terminal is King” Is Outdated; Terminal Reengineering under New Retail Thinking Is the Way Out
The article argues that the traditional concept of "terminal is king" is outdated, and that companies should reengineer their terminal business processes based on product attributes, marketing objectives, and the flow of information and logistics. It introduces a five-element terminal-driven model, including pre-terminals, core terminals, post-terminals, logistics terminals, and scenario-based logistics terminals, to effectively communicate with consumers and drive sales.
苗庆显Offline Carrefours are 'Selling at a Loss', Will 'Online Carrefours' Be Far Behind?
The decline of traditional supermarkets is not new, but Carrefour's 'bargain sale' to Suning has stirred nostalgia. The article argues that new retail must return to value-based retail, criticizing the fee-collecting model of big-box stores that squeezed suppliers and lowered efficiency, while warning that online platforms are becoming 'online Carrefours'.
苗庆显