Practical, effective and practical

outline：Recently, I drove to Liangtangba—literally “Palace Garden Village”—where we found Tan Bangli, one of the most astute distributors for our Wild Elephant Spring brand. I wonder what everyone thinks about turning business into a mobile operation. Have you ever seen a “store” that can actually move? No need to rush—let’s dive in and take a closer look. Wherever there are people...

Recently, I drove to Liangtangba, a place whose name means “Imperial Garden Village,” where we found Tan Bangli, the most astute dealer for Wild Elephant Spring.

I wonder what everyone thinks about mobile commerce—have you ever seen a “store” that can actually move? No need to rush; let’s dive in and take a closer look.

I go wherever there are people to make sales; I set up shop wherever the crowds are largest; and I park my “store” in whichever area has the highest water demand.

“Zhī—hōng hōng!” With the sound of the engine igniting, piercing the tranquil morning light, an unassuming three-wheeled motorcycle covered head-to-toe in advertising banners rolled into the open square in the bustling heart of Lanyuanba, marking the dazzling debut of Tan Bangli, our distributor of Wild Elephant Spring drinking water. This, folks, is his mobile storefront—aren’t you all a bit taken aback?

 

 

I can say with absolute certainty that there is only one such operation in the entire Xishuangbanna Prefecture, and this sales approach is entirely his own innovation. Thanks to it, even in the highly competitive drinking-water market of Ganlanba, Tan Bangli has managed to carve out a distinct niche for himself, ranking second in sales volume in the area. This method not only cuts costs but also speeds up water delivery, enabling him to get the water into customers’ hands as quickly as possible after receiving their call. Our protagonist’s residence is located in the Ganzin Residential Community; taking advantage of the convenient ground-floor location, he set up his storefront right in his own home, truly embodying the principle of “doing business right at your doorstep.”

 

 

Tan Bangli explains that there was a good reason for his decision: in the past, when he rented a storefront to sell drinking water, long delivery distances often caused late arrivals, gradually driving away some of his best customers and making the business increasingly difficult. After much deliberation, he resolutely decided to close the shop, abandon the traditional model, and successfully pivot to a mobile sales operation. He began transporting all his water back home, set up a sign right outside his front door, converted his living room into a makeshift sales space, and then purchased a three-wheeled motorcycle. He loaded part of the water onto the bike and delivered it to areas where his key customer base tended to congregate, using a two-wheeled motorcycle for last-mile deliveries. Whenever he received a customer call, he would immediately map out the most efficient route: if the destination was relatively close from his home, he’d have a family member ride the bike directly to deliver; if it was even closer, he’d personally grab the water from the three-wheeler and make the delivery himself—indeed, as the photos show, the cargo box on his vehicle is locked. As a result, delivery speed improved dramatically, winning back customers who had previously been lost due to slow service—and even attracting more new ones.

Local residents are quite supportive of Tan Bangli’s business approach: whenever they stop by his tricycle to buy some vegetables, they can’t help but think about whether their homes still need water—creating a remarkably effective advertising effect.

The truth that wisdom enables us to create wealth is embodied in him, and once again we have seen this confirmed. (Text and photos by He Guotong)