He Bin becomes a fruit king others cannot replicate

In an out-of-the-way corner of Chengdong Road in the Bonded Zone (Jingang Town), there is a small but hugely popular fruit shop called Xiao He Fruit. Along the road leading to Xiao He Fruit, there are about seven or eight fruit shops scattered here and there, yet many local residents are especially partial to Xiao He Fruit. Why does this shop tucked deep in a small lane hold consumers' hearts so firmly?

Recently, the reporter came to Xiao He Fruit, where the owner He Bin was busy unloading goods, a batch of fresh pomelos shipped from Fujian. In the tidy shop, New Zealand golden kiwifruit, Vietnamese red-fleshed dragon fruit, Shaanxi Wangzhongwang winter jujubes, Vietnamese large green mangoes, Taiwan pineapples and more were all available, giving off a refreshing fruity fragrance.

He Bin is from Sichuan. He first came to Zhangjiagang in early 2014 to visit relatives, and during that time he conceived the idea of starting a fruit business. After investigating many times, he chose his shop location on Chengdong Road in the Bonded Zone (Jingang Town), where there are the most fruit shops. As for this counterintuitive approach, He Bin explained that the mature market there had already gathered enough foot traffic.

Although the entrepreneurial idea first arose from wanting to "make money," once the shop actually opened, He Bin put his effort into service.

The origin of every kind of fruit was carefully selected by He Bin. "Connecting directly with the place of origin is mainly to shorten as much as possible the time from the branch to the tongue and ensure quality." Not only that, he also posted the growth process and details of fruits from various origins in real time on the WeChat public account, so consumers could see clearly and eat with confidence. For every customer who came into the shop to buy, He Bin never tired of teaching them how to pick high-quality fruit, the nutritional value of the fruit they bought, and how to eat it for the best taste. "The shop staff will promise the fruit's shelf life and quality; if there is a problem within that period, you can come to the shop to exchange it for the same goods, goods at the same price, or get a refund." Regular customer Aunt Xu told the reporter that she trusted Xiao He Fruit's after-sales service very much and bought by the box every time.

He Bin once worked as a courier. After starting his business, he made "free home delivery" a basic service of Xiao He Fruit, which won the favor of many young people.

"At 9 a.m. on a weekend morning, lying in bed, with just one phone call, half an hour later he delivers a cut, fully packaged fresh fruit platter to my door. And the fruit is not marked up, there is no processing fee or delivery fee, and there is no minimum order amount. Only Xiao He Fruit offers this kind of service." Ms. Fang, an employee of an enterprise in Houcheng Office, said that this thoughtful service provided convenience for tired office workers.

On the shelves of Xiao He Fruit, the reporter saw a fruit with yellow skin and a strange appearance. The name label read "horned melon." He Bin explained that it is also called "African honeydew" and was brought in on behalf of a small number of customers according to their needs. "Because few people know this fruit, there is almost none for sale on the domestic market, but since customers asked for it, I can bring it in on their behalf, without charging other fees, purely as a service."

Since starting his business, He Bin has already owned two stores. What surprised the reporter was that He Bin also personally manages a 70-mu fruit base. Starting this year, He Bin has gone beyond store sales and extended his service by taking customers to pick fruit at his own fruit base.

As business grew bigger and bigger, considering that there would always be fruit that could not be sold in time, He Bin "adapted to each move" by turning part of the fruit into fresh juice for customers in the shop to drink free of charge or buy, and turning part of the fruit into fruit salad for sale. The diversified business model solved the problem of surplus fruit and also increased the value of some fruit.

Good wine needs no bush. This is both the goal He Bin tirelessly pursues in his entrepreneurial journey and the confidence accumulated from the satisfaction of more and more returning customers. Although running a fruit business is very hard, He Bin firmly said that he would not only do his best in every link of sales, but also provide quality service that others cannot offer and cannot replicate.