Local O2O website gets on TV, increases merchants

Local business

Local discounts and local deliveries are set to be available in May. The local discounts are offered after certifying users' mobile phone numbers, similar to the way VIP cards work.

The company carefully selects merchants for its 45 categories, which go far beyond food and beverage, including services like car repair. Discounts and deliveries are not limited to a subset of products or services but extend to all merchants.

"Our website will cater to people's daily needs. People won't have to log on to many websites, or pay the bill through various methods," said Feng.

A merchant would simply verify the user's mobile phone number, and they would get the discount.

When some tangible goods, such as flowers and food are ordered from online merchants, they will be delivered through the site's delivery system.

"When someone orders a gift for a customer, the customer will have the right to accept the gift, exchange it for some other goods or services, or get credit for future purchases," Feng added.

After the purchase, a customer may also share her feelings and thoughts through the site's feedback platform, Local Circle, which is set to launch in August.

Local teams

On March 27, the company also sent local teams from three regions to look for and contract qualified merchants and service providers.

There will be one office per authorized team in each city. Their local knowledge and understanding are valued most, rather than the number of merchants they contracted with.

"Compared with recruiting a team, the authorized teams know the local market better, and have more resources. So the company and the authorized teams share the value and advantages," said Feng.

The company now has more than 100 employees, and about 75 percent of them are stockholders. Feng and the core partners decided to give staff members greater incentives every six months in accordance with their responsibilities, entrepreneurship, and value created, but investment is not mandatory.

There are now five staff members holding more than 10,000 shares who have become mid-level partners.

Qnvip.com launched the Q bourse at Shanghai Equity Exchange on Aug 15, 2014.