E-Ladies: Navigating the Wired World
Chapter 118: Episode 118: We Don’t Pay to Delete Content1

Chapter 118: Episode 118: We Don’t Pay to Delete Content1

The next step was to send the products to an authoritative institution for testing, and the results were within the expected range.

With the exception of Beauty & Home and the other no-name product, all other brands had tested products and over-the-counter purchased products that very much met the usage standards, and the various indicators did not significantly differ from what was stated in the manual.

However, the effective isolation ingredients contained in Beauty & Home’s primer differed greatly from what was described in the manual. It didn’t even reach 50% of the claimed value...

As for the heavy metal content, the values were frighteningly high. This wasn’t an isolation cream; it was a disfigurement cream!

But the product that Beauty & Home sent directly met all the standard values, a product that couldn’t be more qualified.

"Hehe, is this primer from Beauty & Home genuine? Why do all the values seem off?" Zhou Xueyin asked, looking at the report with confusion as she spoke to Liu He.

"I bought it at their counter, it couldn’t be fake, right? Should I buy another bottle from a different counter?" Liu He also felt there was something wrong with the data from this bottle.

While the previous bottle had also shown discrepancies between the tests and the manual, it wasn’t to this exaggerated degree.

"For the sake of rigor, let’s buy a few more from different counters..." Truly, the qualified products are all identical, but the unqualified ones come in so many variations...

To be responsible to themselves and to everyone else, Zhou Xueyin and Liu He went together to the Beauty & Home counters at several large malls to purchase products.

They then labeled these products and sent them to an authoritative institution for testing and data analysis.

Two days later, they received the data report...

The results were nearly identical to the ones they had previously obtained, which seemed to indicate that the problem was not with any particular counter but with the product batch itself.

"Yinyin, the landscape review is almost done, do we post it directly? Or...?" Liu He inquired, also afraid to upload content on her own initiative, in case the manufacturers came looking for trouble.

"Post! We’ll deal with trouble when it comes." Zhou Xueyin anticipated that Beauty & Home would definitely come to cause them trouble, but with conclusive data from an authoritative institution, even if they did come, they had nothing to fear.

After the landscape review was published, it received unanimous praise from netizens.

Since there were no economic interests involved, this landscape review was genuinely fair and impartial, not like those who took money from manufacturers to excessively praise their products.

With professional, authoritative data, along with actual testing results, it was clear to the netizens which products to buy and which to avoid at a glance.

Soon, this landscape review became the subject of reprints by major websites. Not only did readership skyrocket, but forum traffic also hit a new high.

[I really love this landscape review! All the data is clear at a glance, and I won’t have to waste money anymore!]

[The editors at 51buy have worked hard, conducting tests in this scorching heat, I feel so sorry for them!]

[Good thing I didn’t listen to the salesperson and didn’t buy Beauty & Home, or I’d probably be heading to the hospital to treat my skin right now!]

[No such thing as a good cheap product! Stuff like Beauty & Home needs to be booted out of the market!]

[Oh no, I just bought some primer from Beauty & Home, and to save money I bought two big bottles, now do I use it or not? Can someone give me a definite answer?]

[I thought I had become allergy-prone, turns out it was an issue with Beauty & Home’s primer! Scared me to death...]

[Used Beauty & Home once, the effect was not as good as the ads claimed, now more than half a bottle is left, can only throw it away...]

.........

The comments from netizens came in all shapes and colors, covering the sky and the earth.

However, the vast majority were denouncing Beauty & Home.

It was about time they called Zhou Xueyin.

And surely enough, about a week after the landscape review was published, a representative from Beauty & Home called Zhou Xueyin, "Hello? 51buy in charge? We’ve seen your landscape review. May I ask when Ms. Zhou has some free time? We would like to have a good talk."

"Talk? What is there to talk about?" Zhou Xueyin asked, perplexed, "I think the data on the special feature speaks for itself, doesn’t it? We have no dealings with your company, so there’s no need for a talk."

"Oh no, let’s talk it out, Ms. Zhou," the other party urged upon hearing Zhou Xueyin’s tone, but tried not to push too aggressively, "How about we discuss removing the content related to our company?"

"Remove it? That won’t do. You guys are advertising all the time, constantly promoting. If it weren’t for our comprehensive review, how many consumers would continue being misled by you?" Zhou Xueyin said, slightly indignant.

What she despised most were such manufacturers, who had the money to advertise and market but not to manage their product lines properly. If only she had the chance to conduct an undercover investigation of their production facilities, she would undoubtedly expose their practices. She couldn’t let consumers spend their hard-earned money on fraudulent merchants.

"Ms. Zhou, what you are saying is a bit too much..." the other party continued, still in a servile tone, "Look, we are an honest brand that makes our products diligently, right? How could we deceive our customers?"

"Diligently? Then why don’t you explain why the products sent for direct testing and the products bought at the counter differ so much?" Zhou Xueyin countered.

"How about this... your company is in Dinghao, correct? Our boss personally wants to visit you. Would that be convenient?" It appeared the other party had no desire to discuss over the phone anymore and since they wanted to meet, she wasn’t opposed to meeting them.

"Fine, the day after tomorrow, Friday afternoon, I’m free." Zhou Xueyin checked her calendar.

"Great, great! We’ll see you then! Goodbye!" The other party hung up the call.

"Tsk tsk tsk... sigh..." Zhou Xueyin sighed, "Hehe, how’s the traffic on the special feature now?"

"Not so good. The traffic started dropping severely since yesterday, but the number of comments hasn’t changed much ..." Liu He showed the data to Zhou Xueyin.

"It seems other websites may have removed the referral links..." Seeing the data plummet, Zhou Xueyin guessed the reason.

"Yinyin! Telephone! Answer it!" Just then, Sun Miao called out from the front desk.

"Transfer it over!" Zhou Xueyin pointed to her workstation, "Hello? Good day, 51buy in charge, Zhou Xueyin speaking. How may I assist you?"

"We’re the person in charge of the Blu brand exclusive store. Your primer landscape review is fantastic! I’d like to advertise with you..." The other party said sincerely.

"One moment, please. I will transfer you to our business department. Discuss any matters with them, okay?" Zhou Xueyin passed the call to Li Jixiang, "Jixiang take the call, it’s about an advertising collaboration!"

That afternoon, the phone rang non-stop. Makeup manufacturers that previously looked down on 51buy, after seeing such a professional and responsible review, all called in wanting to advertise, hoping they could promote their new products.

However, the company’s staff was limited, and with too many products, they might miss the window of opportunity. So, Zhou Xueyin thought of another method, a brilliant strategy that could test new products and also activate the forum user atmosphere.