We’ve just visited Zhuhai in China for a few days on business…
It’s a massive modern city of 1.6 million people & has been designated a special economic zone specialising in printer & photocopier technology, amongst other electronic items.
Most of the population seem to use a bike rental schemes to get around. Paying as they go or on monthly subscriptions.
The major bike rental player is Mobike & are owned by 1 of China’s top tech companies Tencent.
They’ve made it simple to rent bikes. Download their app. Choose your plan. Fill in your payment details & away you go.
Bikes are pretty much available on every Main Street. Simply scan the QR code to release the bike & return it to a designated location with a final QR scan.
2 tips to avoid large fines:
- Remember to scan the QR code on return.
- Return the bike to a designated area.
Bike rental schemes in China have been through a rocky patch in recent years, with many smaller providers going to the wall.
The biggest issue when creating a subscription business like this. Is cash flow.
Initially, bike renting companies insisted on a hefty deposit (around £40). Making it difficult to gain market traction.
The smaller companies struggled financially, as they couldn’t afford to buy & maintain the bikes without the deposit & enough subscribers.
Mobike spotted this & used investment money (from its parent Tencent) to remove the need for people to pay deposits.
This enabled Mobike to attract loads of new customers & signing up most of their competitors customers too. Ultimately causing their competitors demise.
We see the similarities in the UK print management industry…
As well as buying consumables or service. You need to buy the printer (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, Ricoh, Lexmark, Xerox). Even worse, when it breaks (out of warranty) you’ve got to buy another 1.
We’ve done what Mobike did for bike renting schemes in China. You just pay us a fixed monthly fee (guaranteed never to increase) & everything’s included:
- Multifunction printer
- Unlimited cartridges
- Consumables & spares
- Lifetime warranty & support
You see Mobike recognised it’s all about certainty & total peace of mind.
…just like we do.
