Core Viewpoint - The confrontation between the liquor giant Moutai and the e-commerce platform Douyin has intensified, particularly regarding the unauthorized sale of Moutai products on the platform [3][4]. Group 1: Douyin's Actions - On November 15, Douyin announced the shutdown of unauthorized Moutai stores, leading to the removal of numerous third-party product links, with only official flagship store products remaining visible [4]. - Following the initial shutdown, some affected liquor specialty stores began to restore their links, although the popular 53-degree Flying Moutai remained sold out [4]. - Douyin's crackdown on low-priced Moutai sales was prompted by complaints from consumers about false advertising and the sale of suspiciously low-priced products [6][7]. Group 2: Pricing Dynamics - During the "Double 11" shopping festival, some merchants on Douyin sold Flying Moutai at prices as low as 1288 yuan, significantly below the market wholesale price [7]. - The price of 53-degree Flying Moutai on Douyin stabilized at around 1700 yuan after the platform's intervention, halting a previous trend of declining prices [4][10]. - The overall market price for Flying Moutai has fluctuated, with wholesale prices dropping below 2000 yuan earlier in the year, and recent data showing a price of 1655 yuan per bottle [11]. Group 3: Moutai's Strategic Response - Moutai's new chairman, Chen Hua, emphasized the importance of maintaining a stable channel ecosystem and price system during his recent meetings [11]. - The company has been actively tightening control over its distribution channels, with a significant increase in authorized online stores, while also cleaning up unauthorized ones [12]. - Moutai has postponed its November release plan and reduced offline quotas, indicating a strategy to tighten supply ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival, which may lead to price increases [12].

Core Viewpoint - Brand price control is essential for maintaining a healthy channel ecosystem, preventing harmful price wars that erode dealer interests and brand value, while providing consumers with stable price expectations [1] Group 1: Digital Price Control Technologies - Digital traceability technology, such as blockchain, is being utilized for transparent management across all channels, allowing for real-time tracking of product flow from production to sale [3] - A specific case shows that a home appliance brand reduced cross-region price diversion by 67% within three months by implementing this technology, while also identifying three non-compliant dealers [3] - The integration of AI image recognition technology has improved efficiency in price monitoring by over 90% compared to traditional manual methods [3] Group 2: Dynamic Pricing Models - The "elastic price control system" proposed by a technology company uses big data modeling to achieve differentiated price management, categorizing dealers into strategic, growth, and potential types [5] - Strategic dealers are allowed a price adjustment range of 5%-8%, while new dealers must strictly adhere to the suggested prices, balancing channel interests and market flexibility [5] - A cosmetics brand that adopted this model saw a 42% increase in dealer retention and an 18% growth in average order value in e-commerce channels [5] Group 3: Legal Compliance and Data Empowerment - Effective price control requires a combination of legal deterrence and technical prevention, exemplified by a "price compliance toolkit" developed in collaboration with legal teams [6] - The toolkit includes guidelines for channel price management and standardized evidence collection processes, significantly reducing the time to address price violations from 45 days to 7 days [6] - A food company successfully resolved 23 cross-province price diversion cases, with 8 resulting in court-ordered compensation, highlighting the effectiveness of legal integration in price control [6] - A "red-yellow-blue" grading mechanism for dealers is established, where repeat offenders are blacklisted, ensuring a sustainable channel ecosystem [6] Group 4: Overall Industry Implications - Brand price control has evolved from simple price management to comprehensive ecosystem governance, emphasizing the need for a deep integration of technology, data insights, and legal enforcement to create a robust channel price management system [6]