Ctrip seems to put on the cold's shirt, aggressive

Under the command of Liang Jianzhang, Ctrip seems to put on the cold's shirt, aggressive.

See Liang Jianzhang again, he still "geek", even if he to "geek" the meaning of the word feel some unfamiliar.

His youth, 13-year-old known as "computer Prodigy", will use a computer poetry, but also on the Shanghai Television Science and technology documentary. At the age of 15, Fudan University first class, 20 years old in the United States to obtain a master's degree. 1999, he and Hanting, Shen, fan co-founded the Ctrip Travel Network, 2003 Ctrip on the Nasdaq listing.

"Smart", "toughness", which he has worked with the people of his very general evaluation. Like most geeks, he doesn't care about the details of his life, and he's more of an otaku. His clothes are ordinary, speed faster, his office seems to be ten years ago, or the pair of "water and soil may be determined the same way, wind and rain without often ctrip" couplet. "Oriental Entrepreneur" in 2006 in the "Global Chinese business Leaders Summit," the award of his "Oriental Elite Award" trophy on the wall in the cupboard, next to Liang Jianzhang and former U.S. President Bush photo.

February 2013, when Liang Jianzhang return Ctrip, many people feel that Ctrip needs Liang Jianzhang, Liang Jianzhang can come to carry more technical sense and internet genes.

As a geek, Liang Jianzhang knows the product and has a very organized management ability, so few people.

Liang Jianzhang return, by the outside world as Ctrip to the turning point or critical moment, however, Liang Jianzhang think this is the media hype. "Ctrip never got into a crisis," he told the oriental entrepreneur. "He is more willing to return to the position of the Masters to call his" two times entrepreneurship.

The return of the Geek, two times, the typical geek, to carry Ctrip to bring a higher speed, faster efficiency and a long absence of passion.

Before Liang Jianzhang back, Ctrip more like a big company, and Millet, Tencent compared, he became no longer cool, no longer dazzle.

After the handover, Liang Jianzhang please come Chao to endorse Ctrip ads, and requirements in advertising, Chao can not use the PC, but must use mobile phones, closely follow the trend of mobile interconnection. Mobile interconnection is about walking, which means speed and quick response, and in reality, Liang Jianzhang is also a "go-go" fans. When the reporter to his request for filming, he almost from the 6 floor "gallop" to the 3 floor, do not take the elevator, said to go, Ctrip's PR can only wear high heels in the back of the trot.

Let's go, that's the quickest. Liang Jianzhang return Ctrip for a year, hand over the answer is also called beautiful.

February 2014, Ctrip released the fourth quarter of 2013 and the year without the audit results show, Ctrip 2013 fourth quarter net revenue of 1.4 billion yuan, an increase of 31%, operating profit of 183 million yuan, the year-on-year growth of 53%. And 2013 Annual net operating income of 5.4 billion yuan, than 2012 growth 30%―― Although 2013 years of growth has not yet returned to the 2010 peak of 45%, but compared to 2011 years less than 20%, has been a reversal of the rally.

In the beam after the Palm Ctrip, its share price rose, 2013 years the highest ever close to 60 U.S. dollars, which also became since Ctrip in Nasdaq since the peak.

Late return

Why did he choose to quit in 2007 when Ctrip was at his zenith? Why did they choose to return in 2013?

Liang Jianzhang and Ctrip relationship, with the father and son to describe not for too. Liang Jianzhang for Ctrip name, and acted as the Chairman of the board, he carried Ctrip all the way to grow, Ctrip also brought him countless honor and wealth. Therefore, for Liang Jianzhang, Ctrip is not only a simple money company, but more like his ideal carrier.

In fact, Liang Jianzhang has been very clear about their own insistence. For him, the more challenges, the more fun. Industry evaluation, in the "Ctrip Four Gentleman", Liang Jianzhang more like one-stop, "puff hidden Tibetan-shaped, juvenile precocious year-round." "He can not care about Ctrip's share price, but in his world, there can be no challenge."

So in 2007, when he and the team took Ctrip to a good place, they chose to retire, "get some money to do what you want to do." "At the outset, many people felt that he was just taking a study abroad as an excuse, and he eventually came back as a hanting." Who would have thought that Liang Jianzhang had completed his Ph. D. in economics at Stanford, and his dream was to be a scholar, and the population and economy were his most interesting subjects.

And when he returned to study in 2012, found that the lake has changed, the crowds, the smoke, the internet giants have joined the online tourism market share of contention. and Ctrip "mouse + cement" mode has been more and more challenges, the outside world more worried that Ctrip will lose the mobile Internet tickets.

Liang Jianzhang Clearly, Ctrip needs transformation, and transformation means challenge. As he returned to Shanghai in 1997, he knew that the opportunity had come.

But in 1997, his chance was the Internet, and in 2013 his chance was to move wirelessly.

In recent years, with the rapid promotion of smartphones, mobile clients have arisen. The industry believes that Liang Jianzhang return some late, but it should not be too late, the founder of the network Wei Changren said, "Tourism category app, so far, but also only a short period of 2 years of history, is still in the stage of horse racing." ”

In OTA industry, the first development of wireless client is where to network, began in June 2010.

More than two years after the September 2012, Ctrip officially released, including Ctrip Wireless, Ctrip Special Hotel, Ctrip tourism, donkey rating nets, friends, such as Network Wireless Application group. However, even if the spread of such a battle, whether in the number of users or business development, Ctrip in the mobile wireless end has not been eye-catching performance. The conservative arrangement, which attempts to "use more horses and more laps," is only a supplement to the traditional booking form.

After the Palm Ctrip, Liang Jianzhang carried out a drastic reform, push the "thumb + cement" strategy, and will be divided into air tickets, hotels, wireless and tourism and other major business department, and the company was renovated. To wireless, for example, its employees are almost all drawn from various departments, will be a separate wireless department, also see the strategic significance of the wireless Ctrip. In the "Mouse + Cement" manufacturing era, Ctrip's office followed the classic lattice style, staff space is very fixed, and in the "Thumb + cement" mobile internet era, the personal office area become more open, the sense of distance reduced, communication became more convenient.

In research and development, Ctrip also increased the intensity of many projects by Liang Jianzhang himself, he often not in his office on the six floor, and all day in the development department located on the four floor. Later, he set up an office on the 4 floor. From then on, employees are accustomed to seeing Liang Jianzhang with other people through large-floor glass.

Ctrip Senior Vice president, Wireless Division CEO Hao became Liang Jianzhang most "care" an executive, for a long time he and Liang Jianzhang work together.

As Ctrip's "number No. 001" Staff, Hao said, "at the beginning of the wireless division is not a physical department, members are scattered in other departments of the team." "Now, through internal integration and external recruitment, the current wireless division has more than 300 people."

"During the year, the change in the product itself was the most dramatic, except for the number of team members." There were 3 apps at the top, and then, for marketing costs and user perceptions, we concentrated the 3 apps into 1, starting with a ring closed loop from the beginning of the two core channels. "Hao said.

Today, Liang Jianzhang, whether on a business trip or on vacation, uses his app and feeds his team real-time feedback and spits, "of course, the main problem is to find fault, ask." ”

Liang Jianzhang attaches great importance to the mobile wireless battlefield. "Last year, we put a lot of products, especially low prices, on the app," he said. This year, we have to catch some services, the ' Thumb + cement ' service fully reflected, some services through the mobile phone to do, some services by artificial to do, this is our most important work. How to combine mobile phone to do better, this is a direction. Liang Jianzhang the Oriental entrepreneur.

In fact, Liang Jianzhang the new office on the four-storey actually there is a consideration, because this is a total of six-storey Ctrip headquarters building in the middle floor, the most conducive to his running in various departments. It always takes 9:30 to get to the office. Liang Jianzhang today, from his home in Pudong, Shanghai, arrived at the Hongqiao office in the early morning, and all kinds of meetings often opened for a whole day.

In front of people, Liang Jianzhang never put their own emotions incisively and vividly expressed, even in front of the TV cameras say that they are wolves, all maintain an elegant smile. In front of the company's employees, Liang Jianzhang shows the other side. "His thinking is very agile and demanding," said an in-house employee in Liang Jianzhang. Sometimes very fierce, sometimes like a child to discuss the problem, noisy. ”

What is the feeling of the year after the return? Faced with this problem, Liang Jianzhang not hesitate to give the answer: "Busy, too busy, more busy than when the start-up." He recalls that even in the toughest 2002 and 2003, he went home almost 7:30 every day, and now that employees often see his e-mails at 22 o ' clock in the middle of the night, he feels, "although the competition is fierce, it's not a vicious competition." ”

Relative to the wireless division of the increasingly large, Ctrip has been in the building of the card Corps has disappeared, once opened up the tourism pattern of card-issuing marketing model in the mobile internet era has become a burden, and Ctrip last year in the mobile wireless end of the force is also known as "mobile internet age of the hairpin.

Bitter

For Liang Jianzhang, the legendary "Mathematical genius", the figures are more real. Liang Jianzhang Since 2000, began to the CRM, Balanced Scorecard, Six Sigma management model, such as the refinement of the management concept into Ctrip, and then the operator's phone call time, steps, etc. have done a number of quantification, such as a few seconds to answer the phone, the first question, what the second sentence and so on.

Today, Hao to "Oriental entrepreneur", in many numbers, Liang Jianzhang is most concerned about the proportion of mobile phone subscriptions.

2013 Hao hand over the answer, make Liang Jianzhang very happy. "Ctrip Mobile application Cumulative download volume recently exceeded 100 million." The peak of about 50% of hotels and 30% of the air ticket transactions from the phone booking. ”

However, a year, the proportion of mobile transactions significantly increased, which makes Liang Jianzhang feel "quite satisfied." However, the transformation of Ctrip has also experienced pain, research and development investment doubled, the company's structure is due to mobile interconnection and reorganization. But Liang Jianzhang that this is worthwhile, because in the mobile Internet tide, the tourism e-commerce industry may be the first mobile E-commerce to mainstream trading mode of the industry, the market also has a huge rise in space.

People are the hardest to overcome is their own, business is the same. In the PC era, Ctrip's call center model in the process of transformation also had to make a way for mobile phone mobile end.

"It was a bit of a struggle," he said. "Liang Jianzhang to the Oriental entrepreneur," recalls, "for example, our technology to do automatic speech recognition, is in the phone to do smart phone service, or all changed to do on the phone, in fact, the amount of mobile phone is still very small." ”

It turned out that his decision was correct.

"James (Liang Jianzhang's English name) is really far beyond the people, to see the problem can emerge from the short-term benefits, from the big pattern of thinking, with data and logic of strict reasoning, once seen clearly, and vigorously promote implementation." "Ctrip Vice President Zhungyuxiang so Liang Jianzhang.

The price war is another strategy that can embody Liang Jianzhang courage. At the beginning of 2013, Ctrip started the ticket price war, 2014 Spring Festival Eve, Ctrip provoked the scenic ticket price war.

Hong Qinghua, founder of the Donkey Mother Travel Network, apparently has a few criticisms. In the Ticket business field, the donkey mother and the same way network has always been able to be called "peaceful coexistence", but the way Ctrip has broken the original calm.

Previously, in line tourism industry called "absolute big guy" Ctrip never disdain to participate in price war, let alone initiate price war. Even in 2011, 2012, when the revenue downturn, Ctrip most of the time just to wait and see, and occasionally exploratory participation.

However, once the decision to participate in the bloody battle, Liang Jianzhang will never relent. In the price war, Ctrip hit out nearly 500 million dollars, force exceed other competitors. And in the scenic spot ticket price war, Liang also took out the 200 million Yuan marketing ticket business plan.

Although the mother donkey was created after Liang Jianzhang "ran away from America", Hong Qinghua was no stranger to Liang Jianzhang. "I have been in touch with him several times, the appearance looks very soft, the heart is actually still very wolf sex." He is a genius of technology, and the market has a keen sense of smell. Hong Qinghua said. But he naturally unwilling to sit still, January 2013 just won Citic 1 billion yuan letter of the donkey mother said to 500 million yuan rush Ctrip. As the eldest of the online ticket business, the CEO of Wu Zhixiang also vowed to carry out the price war, and said that the marketing budget for scenic spot tickets "No Limit".

So two times a three-time initiative, Liang Jianzhang After careful consideration, the pros and cons of the price war in his brain is digitized and then weighed repeatedly. "It would be a reluctance at first, fearing that it would affect profits." But since 2013 began to gradually increase the strength of air tickets, we found that the size of the airline ticket business than the original increase of 10%, in the long run this is a very good trend, the growth rate, market share will expand. ”

But who can be the ultimate winner of a prolonged price war? Ctrip will eventually take how much profit in exchange for how much market share?

There is no answer to these questions. But Ctrip's latest earnings show that its ticket bookings rose 37% in the fourth quarter of 2013, while airline bookings were down 4%.

For Liang Jianzhang, he has achieved his goal. Price war to bring the profit margin of Ctrip, far lower than the increase in market share. From the cautious temptation of 2012, to the initiative of 2013, Liang Jianzhang confidence and the courage of the splendor.

Liang Jianzhang is not taboo about the cruelty of competition, he said in 2014 New Year's address, "2013 years of achievement has passed, we are greeted by a brutal competition, but full of opportunities for 2014 years." Let our opponents, the price of a bloody battle, 0 profit, hard work, innovation, beyond, to achieve the greatness of Ctrip. ”

The acquisition of a madman

2013, under the command of Liang Jianzhang, Ctrip as if put on the cold's shirt, aggressive.

In addition to the price war, mobile wireless end, etc. exerting force, in the end of 2013, Ctrip in a short period of one week, first with the DCM together with 60 million U.S. dollars to the first car service platform to use the car, and then to the 100 million dollar strategy to get a Hey car rental, and then, Ctrip completed on the pedestrian Wind tourism network, The strategic investment of the cicada travels. Such frequent movements will show the expansion intention of Ctrip very clearly.

Ctrip Senior Vice president Mr. said that 2014 will be Ctrip's investment year, Ctrip will continue to increase brand, promotional and new business investment, and further strengthen Ctrip one-stop travel service platform services.

Liang Jianzhang felt that the current focus of the acquisition of Ctrip is those for the wireless end and related industry chain to provide services to the company, he believed that 3a――anywhere, Anyone, anytime is the future of the largest customer demand point, around this key point, OTA should solve the problem is timely, convenient and private, So everything is based on these needs for mergers and acquisitions and business development.

Take the automobile service for example, at present, Ctrip's hotel, the airline ticket, the business traveller and so on has tended to mature, but has just entered in the transportation aspect. "The car is a very important direction, in the United States and other developed countries, the car is second only to the air ticket, China's car is now relatively small base, but will certainly explode." Ctrip as a travel agent, the traffic field will certainly vigorously to do. "We don't care if it's moving, and now all the companies are moving, and it's hard for pure mobile companies," Liang Jianzhang said. We will see the whole tourism industry. ”

"Car rental, tickets, etc. conducive to the development of the surrounding market, this is a free line mobile phone needs." and Cicada travels can promote travel strategy, but also wireless end need. Our business focus this year is to develop the convenience of wireless terminals, such as mobile phone whereabouts services. "There's a flowchart in Liang Jianzhang's mind, introduction of scenic spots, tickets, routes and other information attributed to the attractions plate, transportation, accommodation, catering, specialty and so on are attributed to tourism-related, and other information and new business sectors, these sections have their own processes and digital management, fully summed up to the top of the Mobile Information Service application.

China overtook Japan in 2013 to become the world's second largest tourism market, close to 2 trillion yuan. In the new industrial pattern, Ctrip's competitors are no longer just traditional travel agencies, also not art dragon, Donkey mother, the same way, but bat, when Ali acquisition of poor tour, Taobao will provide tourism in the sharing, decision-making and tourism products booking and other tourism services; Tencent investment Art Dragon, the same way net; where Baidu holding goes, its aggregation plus search engine mode , has posed a fundamental challenge to Ctrip.

Many people feel that in the past 10 years, the pattern of bat, has been possible to become batx, and Ctrip is one of the X. Have missed many opportunities of Ctrip, when the bat will be the fire to the online tourism market, in the back of the No retreat, but the glow of two entrepreneurial power.

The new journey is just beginning. He that walks, wants to be born.

BOX: The other side of the scholar

Compared to the chairman of Ctrip, Liang Jianzhang also has an unknown identity, namely, professor of economics at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University.

After Ctrip played a year that was not an easy battle, Liang Jianzhang had no plans to reinvest and start again, "I'd rather be an economist." "The Liang Jianzhang of young fame seems to have a greater enthusiasm for the" scholar ", the later-endowed identity.

In 2012, Liang Jianzhang ended his studies and returned home. At that time he did not immediately intervene in the commercial operation of Ctrip, but continued his research in the United States-economics. In the United States, he has obtained a Ph. D. in economics from Stanford University, Razer and Nobel laureate Becker, who focuses on population and entrepreneurship and the Chinese labour market.

This purely academic field seems more appealing to him than the business world. When discussing the subject of population and economics with him, the expression of Liang will be completely convergent, showing a serious and serious, this time can realize his more real side.

On Weibo, Liang Jianzhang has two numbers. One is the "Liang Jianzhang-concern population issue", which was opened in early February 2011, and he is keen to express his views on the issue of population on Weibo, in his capacity as a "person concerned with promoting population policy reform". So far, he has posted 800 or so tweets on the platform, gathering nearly 600,000 fans. The other is the microblogging "Liang Jianzhang", which was opened several months after the heavy Palm Ctrip, which he defined as "My travel Log," which has written 50 tweets and gathered more than 70,000 fans.

Rather than a business topic, Liang Jianzhang is more willing to talk about population issues: "The number of future children in mainland China is very worrying, the average is a little bit more, and Taiwan is 1, South Korea is 1.2, so the future will certainly encourage childbirth." Now, of course, it has changed, and some social elites have changed their minds very quickly. I think we have played a part, but we still want to push it a little bit faster. The population is a big event, and I can play the role of some other scholar, it is out of a sense of responsibility. Of course, Ctrip is one of my responsibilities. ”

Liang Jianzhang feel, currently open alone child some late, even he began very serious imagination, can by his personal subsidy Ctrip employee health child fine.

Liang Jianzhang thinks, whether oneself or ctrip should do something to change family planning.

Recently, Ctrip announced that it will build a one-month-long and 3-related low-price second kill from March 3, will be low price war to achieve the ultimate, Ctrip is from "Want to go on" upgrade to "want to be born"-for the March promotional season booking tourism products and pregnant tourists, Ctrip has another reward.

The "33" section is a Liang Jianzhang idea to study the population problem in depth. "We are in this event for couples to prepare ' want to be born ' golden prize." During the period from March 3 to March 31, the guests who have booked the products and who have been born from December 3 to January 31, 2015 this year will be able to obtain the gold pendant by birth certificate at 1000 of the first date of birth. If the guest has the child which conforms to the national policy, by the date of birth 100, sends the extra 3333 Yuan gift card. ”

Obviously, Liang Jianzhang hopes to use his fame and resources to get more extensive attention to the population issue, which may be the other side of his scholar and another way of realizing the social responsibility of Chinese entrepreneurs.