Three Squirrels: Cute power sends China’s online shoppers nuts
January 22, 2014 Leave a comment
Three Squirrels: Cute power sends China’s online shoppers nuts
Staff Reporter
2014-01-21
Anhui Three Squirrels E-commerce, set up in June 2012, has carved out a market share for selling nuts in China through its unique marketing and service style, selling over 300 million nuts last year, reports the China Entrepreneur magazine.Walking into the headquarters of Three Squirrels, you will see a forest-like setting with the cartoonish images of three squirrels covering the walls of the office, the magazine said.
The company, which posted the best sales for nuts on the popular Tmall shopping site last year, recently broke ground on new headquarters in an industrial park in Wuhu, Anhui province.
It took the company just 65 days to become the top nut seller on Tmall and consumers already associate the brand with nuts, though the company also sells dried fruit and tea.
Zhang Cheng, an employee at the company, said Three Squirrels has done well because its “cute” brand connects with customers.
Company founder Zhang Liaoyuan revealed that the initial idea was to build a high-end brand with a cute image, and it has been established through online interactions between service staff and customers, he said.
The company has also created a unique business culture with its style of service, the magazine said, as its customer service department is called the “center for owners’ satisfaction” and a purchase is called an adoption.
The brand’s popularity is evident in the number of followers on Tmall, which contributed 87% of its sales last year. Its pricing is in the same range as its rivals, however its has a strong and loyal online following, China Entrepreneur said.
The company’s Tmall site has received an average 150,000 daily visits so far this year and its service center handles around 10,000 customers daily.
However, the rapid growth of the company, which now employs over 600 people as opposed to the initial five-member team, is a source of concern to the young founder, who is in his 30s. A workforce with an average age of 23.5 means Zhang has absolute authority and needs to keep his young management team in check, the magazine said.
The company recently received investment from a venture capital fund which is willing to respect the independence of the management, but the reliance on the founder has become an issue for Three Squirrels, the magazine said.
“Everyone knows that 300 million (nuts) means nothing. It is just the beginning,” Zhang said.
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