Martin’s Shop and the Giant from the East

A little analogy about Temu and Shein, and why David didn't crush Goliath by slashing prices, but by totally changing the game.

Once upon a time, there was this guy Martin. Martin had a shop that was basically his baby. He hand-picked every item and knew his customers like they were his inner circle. But then, one day, this massive, dark shadow blocked his storefront.

It wasn't a storm cloud, guys. It was the “Giant from the East.”

Suddenly, his customers started showing up with these bright orange and white packages that said Shein or Temu. “Check it out, Martin,” they’d say, waving their phones in his face, “the app has this for like, half the price! It’s insane!”

Martin felt like he’d just been kicked in the teeth. He did what his survival brain screamed at him to do: he slashed his prices.

He thought that was the only way to stay in the game. But every time Martin dropped his price by 10%, the Giant dropped theirs even more. Without realizing it, Martin fell into what the old-school pros call “The Suicide Competition Trap.” His profit margins vanished, and his brand—which used to be the gold standard—started looking “cheap” to everyone in town.

Martin was totally shooting himself in the foot. He was trying to win a race to the bottom, and the problem with that race is that you might actually win. And the grand prize? Bankruptcy. Total buzzkill.

The Meeting with the Three Legends

Desperate, Martin stopped doom-scrolling the Chinese apps and started looking at the soul of his business. That’s when he remembered the lessons from three legendary masters who dropped some serious truth bombs:

1. The Lesson of Value: Martin realized the problem wasn't that the Giant was cheap—it was that Martin had gone silent. “When you don’t show what makes you different, price is the only thing left,” he realized. He’d basically trained his customers to beg for discounts because he forgot how to explain why his stuff was awesome. He learned that knowing your product’s specs is one thing, but selling the lifestyle is where the magic happens.

   
   

2. The Lesson of the Tribe: The Giant was just a cold, soulless algorithm. Martin? Martin was a legend. “People don’t fall in love with an algorithm; they fall in love with people.” Martin started using that. When someone walked in, he didn't just ring them up; he gave advice, he cracked jokes, he made them feel like VIPs. He created a connection no app could ever code. It stopped being a transaction and started being a brotherhood.

   • Shein has customers; Martin needed believers. In the digital age, successful brands aren't just stores; they’re Totems. They’re symbols that people rally around because they share the same vibe. If your shop is just a place with "stuff," they’ll dump you for a lower price in a heartbeat. But if your shop is where people feel like they belong? They’ll have your back forever.

     
     

3. The Purple Cow Lesson (The Seth Godin Special): Martin accepted he could never sell to everyone (that’s the Giant’s turf). He decided to sell exclusively to his tribe—the ones who valued his expertise and the “Martin touch.” He stopped being an “average” shop and became an extraordinary one for the people who actually got it.

   
   

The Epic Finale (Which is actually just the start)

Martin stopped obsessing over China’s prices. He understood that competing on price has a "true cost": it kills your growth and keeps you from being the best.

Instead, he flipped the script. He stopped selling "cheap" and started selling "Value."

• Did the customer want dirt cheap? They went to the app.

• Did the customer want security, expert advice, a guarantee, and an epic experience? They went to Martin.

And even though he sold fewer items than the Giant, Martin actually started making more money. Because at the end of the day, not everyone wants to buy the cheapest junk; they just want to be 100% sure they’re spending their cash on the right thing.

Moral of the story: Don’t try to be a pocket-sized “Chinese Giant.” The world already has one, and he’s the king of that game. Your superpower isn't the price tag; it’s your Added Value.

Are you still fighting Martin’s battle against the Giant? At Sneety Comunicación, we’re not giving you a tiny slingshot to fight giants; we’re helping you build a freaking fortress where the price isn't the only way in. Let’s crush your Strategic Marketing together so your value shines brighter than any flash sale on an app.