02/09/2025
Core Content Related to Peng Xin, Founder of Naixue
（2-9-2025 seminar in Hong Kong)
I. Brand Establishment and Positioning
1. Brand Origin: The name "Naixue's Tea" comes from Peng Xin's online alias "Naixue". From November to December 2015, Peng Xin led the opening of 3 stores simultaneously (after 1.5 years of preparation). The brand's mission and vision – "Let young people fall in love with Chinese tea, and become an innovator and promoter of Chinese tea going global" – was jointly formulated by Peng Xin and the management team in the second year after the brand's establishment.
2. Early Breakthrough in Positioning: Peng Xin aimed to break the "low-end" label of the milk tea industry a decade ago. Benchmarking against Starbucks, she competed for prime locations in shopping malls, with the target customer base covering white-collar workers and families (rather than only focusing on students). With "fresh fruits + fresh milk + high-quality tea" as the core, she drove the tea beverage industry into the "Fresh Era" and unlocked the category's growth potential.
II. Brand Operation and Standardization Construction
1. Store Model Decision: Peng Xin insisted on the direct operation model. Currently, Naixue has 1,300 directly operated stores (the largest number of directly operated stores in the tea beverage industry). She recognizes the advantages of the direct operation model, such as "strong management control and rapid adjustment capabilities", while stating that the brand will learn from the franchise model to join hands with more external forces for development.
2. Promotion of Standardization Breakthroughs: In the early days, stores relied on manual recipe memorization (requiring a 36-month training cycle for employees). Additionally, Naixue encountered setbacks in overseas expansion – in Singapore in 2019 and Japan during the pandemic – due to high operating costs. In response, Peng Xin's team developed the industry's first automatic tea-making equipment, significantly shortening the training cycle and laying the foundation for subsequent global layout.
III. Product Philosophy and Upgrade Direction
1. Core Product Philosophy: Peng Xin proposed that Naixue must adhere to "high-quality healthy products + conveying positive emotions". She believes that tea consumption is a "happiness need" for young people in their work and life, rather than a pure rigid demand.
2. Leading Product Era Upgrades:
◦ Drove the industry from the "Powder Era → Bubble Tea Era" to the "Fresh Era" (with Naixue as the core driver);
◦ During the pandemic, Peng Xin led the industry into the "Sugar Control and Reduction Era" and proactively monitored the glycemic index of products;
◦ In 2025 (the 10th anniversary of the brand's establishment), Peng Xin proposed entering the "Healthy Functional/Light Nourishment Era". In collaboration with Jiangnan University and the Nutrition Association, the brand added superfoods to its products, emphasizing zero flavorings, zero preservatives, and low-calorie sugar control, and upgraded its brand positioning to an "urban energy charging station".
IV. Global Layout Strategy
1. Strategy Adjustment and Practice: After withdrawing from early overseas expansion due to excessively high operating costs, Peng Xin adjusted the global strategy and adopted a "high-profile strategy" – prioritizing the opening of directly operated stores to establish the brand image (without relying on local partners). Currently, the Thai market has been in operation for 5 years, with stores located on the first floor of Central World (near the luxury goods area), and its performance has surpassed the Starbucks store next door.
2. New Market Expansion Plan: Peng Xin plans to open a store in New York in September 2025, with a target of opening 4 stores throughout the year (including a Times Square store). The goal is to integrate the brand into local life rather than only serving Chinese customers. At the same time, she promoted Naixue's collaboration with Disney's first Asian cruise ship to open a co-branded store, thereby verifying the market recognition of the brand and its products.
V. Personal Reflection and Talent Philosophy
1. Business Reflection and Learning: Peng Xin openly acknowledged that Naixue's operations were not optimal in the past two years. She then proactively returned to a learning mindset (e.g., participating in board meetings) and emphasized the importance of "lifelong learning" for personal and brand development.
2. Talent Cooperation Intention: Peng Xin recognizes the "pragmatic and goal-oriented" talents cultivated by business schools. She clearly stated that she plans to communicate with Dean Hu after the event to promote the supply of management talents to Naixue.
