OFR – Chapter 204 The war begins!

At six o’clock in the morning, Taobao officially released the real-time popularity rankings of various industry stores!

Today was the day to elect the industry’s popularity king, so many store owners who had a shot at a good ranking got up early to check their store’s position.

For most e-commerce sectors on Taobao, the rankings hadn’t changed much compared to before. The top spots were still dominated by long-established and powerful stores that had stood strong on the platform for years.

In many industries, the title of popularity king was already a foregone conclusion.

After all, with only a few hours left, it was nearly impossible to overturn the rankings.

However, the plant and animal industry was an exception!

Even though only a few hours remained before the final results were announced, the two industry giants were still locked in a fierce battle.

Time passed quickly!

At 6:30 AM…

【Plant and Animal Industry Store Rankings】

1st place: Zhenpin Tian (珍品天)

• Followers: 4,510,000+
• Active users online: 1,980,000+
• Total transaction amount: 518.68 million+
• Positive review rate: Over 95%
• Overall rating: 86 points
• Ranked #1 in the industry!

2nd place: Meiwei Tian (美味天)

• Followers: 5,260,000+
• Active users online: 2,150,000+
• Total transaction amount: 318.56 million+
• Positive review rate: Around 80%
• Overall rating: 85 points
• Ranked #2 in the industry!

3rd place: Gold Store Lantian (金牌店铺蓝天)

• Followers: 560,000+
• Active users online: 80,000+
• Total transaction amount: 16.5 million+
• Positive review rate: Around 75%
• Overall rating: 58 points
• Ranked #3 in the industry.

…

The rankings for the plant and animal industry clearly showed a polarized landscape!

The first-place store, Zhenpin Tian, and the second-place store, Meiwei Tian, were both rated over 85 points, with incredible numbers in followers, active users, and transaction volumes. Even in more competitive industries, these stores would stand out.

Meanwhile, starting from the third-place ranking, all other stores were relatively average, with scores failing to surpass 60.

It was clear that only these two stores had a real shot at claiming the title of industry popularity king!

For other stores, the idea was nothing more than a dream.

Naturally, Mu Bai (慕白) glanced at these rankings.

He noticed that Zhenpin Tian still held onto the top position, but he understood it was mainly due to its higher transaction volume and better review rate.

Right now, Meiwei Tian had already surpassed Zhenpin Tian in both followers and active users. The gap between their overall ratings was just a single point.

It was clear that if Meiwei Tian’s transaction volume or review score increased just a little more, it would overtake Zhenpin Tian and become the undisputed industry popularity king.

Mu Bai was puzzled—how had Meiwei Tian’s popularity surged so wildly?

Just as he was wondering, Mi Xuan (米旋) sent him a timely message.

Mi Xuan: “Mu Hao! Mu Hao! I just got the details from a friend. Turns out, Meiwei Tian is the flagship store backed by Liangshi Trading Group (梁氏贸易集团). They are determined to win the popularity king title this time!

The reason their numbers skyrocketed just now is because Liangshi Trading Group has been driving traffic to them.

In fact, a vice president from Liangshi is currently live-streaming on their store to create hype.

Also, Liangshi just added another batch of rare auction items, including a near-priceless Volcanic Water Lily!”

Mu Bai: “Hmm? Liangshi Trading Group? A vice president? A near-priceless Volcanic Water Lily?”

Mu Bai frowned slightly as he read Mi Xuan’s message.

He hadn’t expected Meiwei Tian to be supported by Liangshi Trading Group.

He had heard of Liangshi before—it was a well-known domestic company.

Mu Bai quickly switched to his computer browser and searched for information on Liangshi Trading Group.

A few minutes later…

He discovered that Liangshi Trading Group was a northern business giant with an estimated value of over 500 billion yuan!

It was important to note that a company’s valuation before going public and its market value after an IPO were vastly different!

Once a company went public, its market value typically multiplied several times—sometimes even by tenfold!

If Liangshi was already valued at 500 billion yuan before an IPO, its market capitalization after going public would be astronomical!

Faced with such a powerful opponent, Mu Bai wasn’t exactly afraid, but he did find the situation troublesome.

What puzzled him even more was why a giant corporation like Liangshi, with access to international platforms, would bother backing a small online store on Taobao.

Mu Bai pondered over it for a moment before shaking his head.

This wasn’t an issue he needed to concern himself with right now.

His real challenge was figuring out how to counter Meiwei Tian’s latest offensive!

Yesterday had been a battle of public opinion and popularity.

Was today going to be the most common commercial tactic of all—a price war?

Mu Bai shook his head at the thought.

After all, a price war was a lose-lose strategy—a destructive form of competition.

But just as he was about to dismiss the idea, Meiwei Tian’s latest announcement made it clear…

Sometimes, it wasn’t about whether he wanted to fight.

It was about whether he had a choice!

“Heh… very well.”

Mu Bai read Meiwei Tian’s update and let out a soft chuckle, his gaze turning sharp.

He had no interest in engaging in a price war, a tactic that harmed both sides.

But just like yesterday—since his opponent had forced him into a corner, he had no choice but to respond!

A price war? Heh… When had he ever been afraid?