Massamasso infantilism: Stay away from the nature of electric quotient and fall into scale trap

Former Massamasso's marketing director, Han-hui, after learning that Suning is easy to buy or will buy Massamasso news, wrote a post-"Yes!" Massamasso, don't sell! 》。

Massamasso CEO Sun Hongyi saw this post, tears immediately fell down. He forwarded, "will stick to it!" Not only for the ideal, but also our teeth and adhere to the glory! Never forget the sweat, tears and laughter when you start a business together! ”

Such a sad scene can not help but sigh, each of China's e-commerce entrepreneurs experience the arduous process and unpredictable tragic results. But no one thought that it would happen to Massamasso, the company focused on the men's field of business has been the role model for China's vertical electric business, entrepreneurship 4 years year-on-year growth rate of up to 300%, a total of two rounds from Sequoia Capital, the Northern lights of the second round of financing, amounted to tens of millions of U.S. dollars. The Arctic light in the second round of financing even said that, in addition to Massamasso I do not see a second can vote for the men's business enterprise.

Such non-standard, personalized vertical electric operators, such as Massamasso, has always been the founder of the Liu, including Jingdong Mall, including all the people in the industry optimistic about the enterprise. Massamasso founded in June 2008, and created and actively develop its own brand, sales volume of the rapid rise in 2011, vigorously promoted, until now out of the takeover, layoffs leave the storm. Its vice-president, Messing, officially resigned on August 7.

The development track of Massamasso is too consistent with the overall development rhythm of China's electric business, but the essence of the vertical electric quotient is farther and further away. In the interview, "global entrepreneur" reporters over and over again asked Hong, if you can come back, you will do it?

Hong said: "I have asked myself this question many times, if I restore myself to the scene and the historical environment, I will do so, because there is no way to go, must first survive." ”

What kind of Hong has gone? What kind of mistake has he made? This error will be a heavy police training for all vertical electric dealers and even the entire business of the Business-to-consumer.

A good start

The founder of the gene and character often lays the gene for this brand.

In the eyes of Han ou, Hong is a true love of clothing people. Hong co-founded Massamasso before, has been in the traditional clothing industry for more than 10 years, served as Saint Paul and Wictor (Vicutu) Mister. The most impressive thing for employees is that Hong will pick some good styles in the sample and try all of them. If the layout is very good, he will also be excited to ask employees to see together.

When the reporter saw Hong, he had just finished the cooperation with several international brands. Our conversation has just begun, Hong to show his new boss pants, "this pair of trousers to more than 700 yuan, but you see, this pants seam, in fact, not very good workmanship, there are some small folds." He quickly got up from the chair, and very carefully touched the folds at the seams, very serious expression. He suddenly lowered his intonation to ask you: "The same pants, if the Massamasso only sell 298 yuan, and the quality is better, which one do you buy?" ”

His love of clothing and Massamasso has been incorporated into every little detail of his life. Han Hui recalls that year Massamasso under the Experience Shop (May 2010 out of Beijing World Trade Day Order entity shop), Hong personally to the shop to customers when shopping. "He would analyze every piece of clothing with every customer, and some of the jargon that I didn't understand, and he would crouch down on the floor and take his trouser legs for the customer himself," he said. Han Hui recalls that period of time some excited.

Hong His love of clothing to the electric quotient and established Massamasso, a subject of his emba in Central Europe in 2007. At that time he was thinking that the traditional industry's fare increase system was wrong, for example, the same quality of things, equivalent to the price of Burberry and Prada, but these world famous brands have their brand culture accumulation, so this system is problematic, there will be other ways to make the clothing industry can have a higher price. PPG's appearance gave Hong some inspiration, he felt for the first time through the Internet large-scale intensive warfare, will break the traditional industry price system.

Chang Xiaulio is his classmate and is now the chairman of Massamasso. Zhang has previously created a China-Ding financial Network and Shenzhen Network Hing Technology, well versed in E-commerce. In mid-2007, the two men decided to study the problem together and begin to write a report on the related topics. In half, Sun and Zhang came to the earliest Massamasso mode: Do high-end own men's brand, and has been recognized by some professors in central Europe. December 2007, the two people very quickly set up Beijing JIU he Shang Products Technology Co., Ltd. June 2008, named "Massamasso" Men's online operation.

Today, their subject has become a classic teaching case in Central Europe, but Sun joked: "Unfortunately, the results of this subject scoring are not excellent." ”

They give Massamasso positioning: The target customer group lifestyle packaging brand. It is precisely because of this positioning, Massamasso after the expansion is in this direction. Hong in the mind of the brand is like no printing good products, can provide a way of life, such as cotton, hemp, simple health.

In the 4 years of entrepreneurship, Hong has been the product manager's identity to locate themselves. He not only try to wear clothes, but strict screening agent factory, its cooperative factories are the first-line brand cooperation factory, and other clothing manufacturers, in production, Massamasso are the procurement of fabrics, and then design and factory processing, in order to ensure the quality of fabrics.

In addition, he also insists that a brand electric dealer should dare to promote own brand. So he is the first to make a very big brand logo, and dare to enlarge the map on the homepage of the people. The idea was initially challenged because a larger picture might reduce the speed at which the page was opened, but he insisted that speed could be improved by technology, and that brands were something that consumers must see. Today, this visual effect has been widely used in large electric dealers, including Taobao.

"2008 Martha start-up Stage, a team of more than 20 people, nest in a small room in the modern city, product development, website construction, marketing promotion, a very difficult time to go through a very hard day, advertising done, mail sent, the product catalog sent to the hands of the user, the sale of the total no improvement. Han-Hui's post such memories of the start-up period.

Hong Memories, the first single Internet advertising is a 1180 windbreaker, in NetEase advertising, NetEase sales also deliberately called to ask: "You are not the price of the wrong, more than a 0?" "Yes, that's what Hong has always insisted on," he said.

Turning up in 2008, a winter, a pricing of more than 1500 yuan in a down jacket on the internet to sell goods, Massamasso business model at that moment set up. Adhere to the free brand, adhere to product quality, adhere to the leading supply chain management, these vertical electric operators should have the fine features, in the Massamasso has been the ultimate play. It was supposed to be a happy ending, but why did it go downhill?

Capital Curse?

"For 2009 years, Martha got a fund of Sequoia, to tell the truth, this is the beginning of the tragedy, my brain no longer need to think about how the brand to do, but to think about how the overall site promotion activities to organize, how to pull through the activities of new customers to pull sales. Han ou reflect.

In fact, Martha frequent discounts are also starting from this period. A lot of people said to Han OU, this brand of cattle, sold on the internet so expensive clothes never discounted, those times, this straightforward Beijing girl really feel that Martha will become online Zara. Later, South Korea in the Lok Bee network as the platform to promote the general manager of the center, was fortunate to see the founding partner Shen Sequoia Capital, but also Massamasso investors. Shen in learned that she is Massamasso out of the time, shaking her head to Han Ou said, Martha Plate is too small. The gaze was full of sight. "Han ou try to restore the scene at that time. And this is capital, and they have very realistic scale requirements for Massamasso.

But now recall, Han ou have regrets, if Martha can not discount, endure the period of the brand's lonely period, so that users really feel, wear Martha clothes, is also wearing a brand, may now be completely different situation.

"From an investor's point of view, they have no problem with that," he said. Hong responded. He revealed that in the one or two rounds of financing, he has agreed with investors in advance "Massamasso is a brand, profits more than the scale", also did not sign a gambling agreement with the Sequoia Northern Lights.

Hong said that, in addition to the early 2008 loss, 2009-2010, Massamasso business has been very good, and is profitable.

In fact, according to Sun and Korea's consistent feedback, then the attempt from the data, is also good, advertising and precision marketing results are good, customer volume has a steady growth. But in the long run, does frequent promotions have a subtle impact on customers, compromising brand size? Today's outcome seems to have been answered.

Scale traps

Hong very frankly confessed to his mistakes. The biggest impact on the brand is the second half of last year's large-scale discounts.

The wrong seeds were planted in the first half of last year. As Han Hui said, at that time the whole electric business in the brain, investors see the most frequently asked question is scale, investment evaluation indicators are also the user's growth and the proportion of new customers. In such a situation, the electric dealers began to circle people, put a lot of market advertising.

The electric dealer's wishful thinking is: Not afraid of investment is not enough, afraid of the plate is not big enough, because 6 months later can be a new round of financing. Massamasso is no exception, Hong said, in the hit ads and promotions, also constantly have investors come in contact.

But who also did not expect that the second half of last year, the sudden turn, overseas stocks all the way down, the market window temporarily closed, financing window is also closed. This trend in the electric business enterprise performance is particularly obvious, from "see more" to "see Empty" electric dealer.