As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2020.

Registration No. 333-248641

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 3

TO

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Boqii Holding Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands		5990		Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

Building 9, No. 388, Shengrong Road, Pudong

New District, Shanghai 201210, People’s Republic of China

+86-21-68826799

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

Cogency Global Inc.

122 East 42^nd Street, 18^th Floor

New York, NY 10168

+1 800-221-0102

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Li He, Esq. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 18/F, The Hong Kong Club Building 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong +852 2533-3300		Howard Zhang, Esq. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 2201, China World Office 2 No. 1, Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue Beijing 100004, People’s Republic of China +86 10 8567 5000		Shuang Zhao, Esq. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP c/o 37th Floor, Hysan Place 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay Hong Kong +852 2521-4122

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company  ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.   ☐

 

†	The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of each class of securities to be registered		Amount of securities to be registered(3)		Proposed maximum offering price per share(3)		Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(2)(3)		Amount of registration fee
Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share(1)(2)		6,037,500		US$16.00		US$96,600,000		US$12,539(4)

(1)	American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333-248968). Each American depositary share represents 0.75 Class A ordinary shares.

(2)

Includes Class A ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public, and also includes Class A ordinary shares that are issuable upon the exercise of the underwriters option to purchase additional ADSs. These Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.

(3)	Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933.

(4)	Previously paid.

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion

Preliminary Prospectus Dated September 28, 2020

7,000,000 American Depositary Shares

 

Boqii Holding Limited

Representing 5,250,000 Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

This is an initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, representing Class A ordinary shares of Boqii Holding Limited. We are offering a total of 7,000,000 ADSs, each representing 0.75 of our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share. The underwriters may also purchase up to 1,050,000 additional ADSs within 30 days.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs. We expect the initial public offering price will be between US$10.0 and US$12.0 per ADS. We have applied to list the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE under the symbol “BQ.”

Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, our outstanding share capital will consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Our founder, Hao (Louis) Liang, and co-founders, Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang and Di (Jackie) Chen (each, a “Founder,” and collectively, the “Founders”), will beneficially own all of our issued Class B ordinary shares. The Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately 19.2% of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering and 83.7% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 20 votes and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person who is not a Founder or an affiliate of a Founder, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B ordinary share to a person who is not a Founder or an affiliate of a Founder, each of such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into one Class A ordinary share. See “Description of Share Capital.” Immediately following the completion of this offering, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE rules. See “Principal Shareholders.”

Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

We are an “emerging growth company” under the U.S. federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

 

Investing in the ADSs involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 of this prospectus.

 

		Per ADS				Total
Public offering price		US$				US$
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)		US$				US$
Proceeds, before expenses, to us		US$				US$

 

(1)	For a description of the compensation payable to the underwriters, see “Underwriting.”

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment in U.S. dollars in New York, New York on             , 2020.

 

 

 

Roth Capital Partners		CMBI		Valuable Capital Limited

The date of this prospectus is             , 2020.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

		Page
Prospectus Summary			1
Risk Factors			19
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			70
Use of Proceeds			71
Dividend Policy			72
Capitalization			73
Dilution			78
Enforceability of Civil Liabilities			80
Our History and Corporate Structure			82
Selected Consolidated Financial Data			89
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			93
Industry			121
Business			128
Regulation			153
Management			172
Principal Shareholders			180
Related Party Transactions			185
Description of Share Capital			189
Description of American Depositary Shares			202
Shares Eligible for Future Sale			210
Taxation			212
Underwriting			218
Expenses Relating to this Offering			229
Legal Matters			230
Experts			231
Where You Can Find Additional Information			232
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements			F-1

We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we may have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the underwriters have not authorized any other person to provide you with different or additional information. Neither we nor the underwriters are making an offer to sell the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This offering is being made in the United States and elsewhere solely on the basis of the information contained in this prospectus. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the date on the front cover of this prospectus.

Until             , 2020 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade the ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in the ADSs involves significant risks. You should consider carefully all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in the ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In any such case, the market price of the ADSs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our limited operating history across our various business initiatives makes it difficult to evaluate our business prospects and future growth rate.

We have a limited operating history across our various business initiatives, such as operating our private label lines, cooperating with KOLs to promote sales on our platform, offering SaaS solution to offline pet stores, engaging in pet healthcare business and other new pet-related product and service offerings. As a result, our historical performance may not be indicative of our future growth or financial results. In addition, we may continue to introduce and implement new business strategies and initiatives as we continue to respond to changing market needs and customer preferences. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully implement our business initiatives or achieve our expected growth rate, or at all, as our business model continues to evolve. Our overall business growth may slow down or become negative, and our revenues may decline for a number of possible reasons, some of which are beyond our control, including decreasing customer spending, changes in consumer preferences, increasing competition, declining growth of our overall market or industry, the emergence of alternative business models, changes in rules, regulations, government policies or general economic conditions. Our net revenues increased by 26.2% to RMB238.4 million (US$33.7 million) for the three months ended June 30, 2020 from RMB189.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. However, our net revenues decreased to RMB770.2 million (US$109.0 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 from RMB803.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, primarily because we (i) introduced and attempted to incubate more emerging brands, which might require more time to achieve wider customer acceptance at scale, (ii) strategically adjusted our product mix by reducing sales of certain products with high fulfillment expenses in order to improve our net profit margin in the long term, and (iii) strategically terminated the consignment model which reduced revenues generated from consignment commission fees. If our growth rate declines or if our business initiatives fail to yield positive customer acceptance or economic returns as expected or if such initiatives cause any material disruption to our business model, investors’ perceptions of our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected and the market price of the ADSs could decline. You should consider our prospects in light of the risks and uncertainties that companies with a limited operating history may encounter.

We have a history of net losses and may continue to incur losses in the future.

We recorded net loss of RMB47.9 million and RMB42.3 million (US$6.0 million) for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively, and RMB231.5 million and RMB175.9 million (US$24.9 million) for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively. We have accumulated RMB2,107.2 million (US$298.3 million) in shareholders’ deficit as of June 30, 2020. Our net revenues will be impacted by various factors, including customer spending and preference, competitive landscape and macroeconomic and regulatory environment. Hence, our net revenues may not grow at the rate we expect.

Moreover, our net revenues may not increase sufficiently to offset the increase in our expenses as we further increase our brand awareness, expand our customer base, enhance customer experience, and expand our product and service offerings as well as offline distribution network. We will continue to invest in sales, marketing and branding efforts, which is expected to cause our sales and marketing expenses to increase continuously and rapidly. We will also continue to invest in improving our technologies and developing additional products and

 

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services. In addition, as we grow as a newly public company, we expect to incur certain legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not previously incur as a private company. These efforts may be more costly than we expect. We may continue to incur losses in the future and we cannot assure you that we will eventually achieve profitability.

We have significant working capital requirements and have historically experienced working capital deficits. If we continue to experience such working capital deficits in the future, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We had a working capital deficit, which is total current assets deducted by total current liabilities, of RMB32.8 million (US$4.6 million) as of March 31, 2020, and a positive working capital of RMB268.2 million (US$38.0 million) as of June 30, 2020. Working capital constraints have in the past and may continue to constrain our ability to grow revenues, especially with emerging brands that generally require larger inventory investments during their early commercial development. The working capital deficits will further restrict our liquidity position and have a negative impact on our ability to repay current liabilities. Although we had a positive working capital as of June 30, 2020 to meet our ongoing working capital needs and fund our continuous growth, there is no assurance that we will generate sufficient net income or operating cash flows to meet our working capital requirements and repay our liabilities as they become due in the future. For actions that we plan to take in order to address our working capital deficit, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to successfully take any of these actions in a timely manner, including prudently managing our working capital, or raising additional equity or debt financing on terms that are acceptable to us. Our inability to take these actions as and when necessary could materially adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and ability to operate.

If we are unable to diversify our monetization channels, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

To promote business growth and enhance our platform, we will diversify our monetization channels, such as expanding our offline presence and monetizing our online community user base. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to execute any of such strategies for monetization and business expansion successfully.

In addition, these monetization strategies will require significant efforts and resources from our management. For instance, we need to continue to manage our relationships with KOLs to ensure our content appeals to our users and customers in an effort to monetize our online community user base. Content offerings may not achieve broad user acceptance, and may present new and difficult technological or operational challenges and subject us to claims if users and customers are not satisfied with the quality of the content or if customers are not satisfied with the products promoted on our platform. For further information, see “—If we fail to maintain our relationships with content creators, in particular KOLs, or if our KOLs fail to produce popular pet-focused contents, we may not be able to attract or retain users of our online community, and our revenues and results of operations may be harmed.” Also, we will need to gain acceptance from offline pet stores and maintain steady relationship with them to expand our offline distribution network. For further information, see “—Our business, prospects and financial results may be affected by our relationships with offline pet stores.” All of these endeavors involve risks and will require significant management, financial and human resources. We cannot assure you that we will be able to implement our strategies successfully. If we are not able to diversify our monetization channels and achieve growth in our financials effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Our business, prospects and financial results may be affected by our relationship with third-party e-commerce platforms.

In addition to our self-operated Boqii Mall, we also operate flagship stores on third-party e-commerce platforms, including Tmall, JD.com and Pinduoduo. We leverage customer traffic of these e-commerce platforms

 

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to boost our product sales. Sales through these platforms have significantly contributed to our financial performance. Nevertheless, these e-commerce platforms tend to lack expertise in the pet industry, and may lose appeal to customers who need tailored services and specialized pet products. To the extent that we fail to leverage traffic on these third-party platforms, our flagship store sales may decline and we may experience difficulties in locating customers. At the same time, our cooperation with these third-party platforms may be negatively affected by a number of factors, including but not limited to higher commissions and fees, negative publicity and service outages of these platforms, all of which are beyond our control. In addition, these third-party platforms may deem our business a strong competitor of theirs and terminate their cooperation with us. If our relationship with these third-party platforms deteriorate or are terminated or if we fail to maintain the relationship on commercially viable terms, we may not be able to quickly locate alternative sales channels. Hence, our operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

Our business is subject to the changing preferences and needs of our customers and their pets. Any failure by us to timely adapt our offerings according to changes in customer preferences may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our growth depends, in part, on our ability to successfully introduce new products to meet the evolving requirements of our customers and that of their pets. This, in turn, depends on our ability to foresee and respond to evolving customer trends, demands and preferences. The development and introduction of new products involve considerable costs, and may not generate sufficient customer interest or sales to cover their development or marketing expenses, which may reduce our operating income. In addition, any such unsuccessful effort may adversely affect our brand and reputation. To the extent that we are not able to successfully identify customer preferences, develop or promote new products, we may lose our competitive edge in the market and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

If we fail to acquire and retain new customers, or fail to do so in a cost-effective manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our success depends on our ability to acquire and retain new customers and to do so in a cost-effective manner. We must continue to acquire customers in order to increase sales and achieve profitability. Considered our ability to monetize the user base of our online community is also critical to our business and growth, we have invested heavily in branding, sales and marketing to acquire and retain customers. We operate the largest pet-focused online community in China’s pet market, according to Frost & Sullivan, with approximately 23.0 million registered users as of December 31, 2019 and approximately 3.5 million average MAUs in the nine months ended December 31, 2019. As of June 30, 2020, we managed over 500 pet-focused Weixin/WeChat groups to extend our customer reach and promote our brand. The U.S. government recently announced a ban of the messaging mobile application WeChat, which is used by many of our customers. We are currently unable to ascertain the scope of the ban, the potential implementation measures, and the effects of such measures may have at this point and there is no assurance that the ban will not adversely affect our ability to communicate and interact with our customers. We also leverage third-party e-commerce platforms and social networks for customer traffic. As social network and e-commerce channels continue to rapidly evolve, we may be unable to develop or maintain a presence within these channels. Furthermore, we utilize online search engines from time to time on an as-needed basis to generate additional traffic to our platforms through search engine optimization and posting sponsored articles. For the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2020, we incurred RMB34.3 million and RMB34.9 million (US$4.9 million) in sales and marketing expenses, respectively. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2019 and 2020, we incurred RMB157.5 million and RMB128.4 million (US$18.2 million) in sales and marketing expenses, respectively. We expect to continue to spend significant amounts to acquire additional customers and retain existing ones, which may lead to increased net losses. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to recover the costs of our sales and marketing activities or successfully convert users on our online community into our customers, or that these activities will be effective in attracting new customers or retaining existing customers. If we fail to attract sufficient new customers, increase our sales per customer, generate customer traffic for our online sales platforms, generate repeat purchases or maintain high levels of

 

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customer engagement in a cost-effective and timely manner, or at all, our revenues may decrease and our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

We rely on assumptions and estimates to calculate certain key operating metrics, such as GMV, and such measures may not be directly comparable with similarly titled operating metrics adopted by other companies in our industry, which may lead to inaccurate interpretation of our business operations and our market position.

GMV and certain other key operating metrics are calculated using internal company data. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable calculations for the applicable periods of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring those metrics. For example, when calculating GMV, we exclude products sold through the consignment model and the value of services offered by us. Although our management believes that such metrics are defined in a way that it believes best reflects our business operations, our operating metrics may differ from estimates published by third parties or from similarly titled operating metrics used by other companies in our industry due to differences in data availability, sources and methodology. If third parties do not perceive our operating metrics to be accurate representations of our business operations or if we discover material inaccuracies in our operating metrics, our reputation may be harmed, which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

We face risks related to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Accidents, disasters and public health challenges in China and globally could impact our business and results of operations. These types of events could negatively impact user activity, if any, in the affected regions, or, depending upon the severity, across China or globally, which could adversely impact our business and results of operations. For example, since the end of December 2019, the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus named COVID-19 has materially and adversely affected China and the world, resulting in mandatory quarantines, closures of physical offices, stores and facilities, cancelation and postponement of events and general restrictions on movement imposed by the governments. Certain aspects of our business operations have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and related precautionary measures. Reduced transportations and travel restrictions have caused temporary delays in product delivery, which has further resulted in a decrease in number of orders. Moreover, most of the offline pet stores we cooperate with have experienced a temporary decrease in number of customers in recent months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Disruption to manufacturing and logistics networks have affected our brand partners’ and manufacturers’ abilities to produce and supply goods.

The situation of the COVID-19 outbreak is very fluid and we are closely monitoring its impact on our business, and have taken specific precautionary measures to minimize the risks of COVID-19 to our employees, users, customers and business partners, including temporarily requiring our employees to work remotely or suspending our participation in certain offline events and activities. These measures could affect our efficiency and productivity, incur additional costs, slow down our branding and marketing efforts, and result in short-term fluctuations in our results of operations. Our business operations could also be disrupted if any of our employees is suspected of contracting COVID-19, since our employees could be quarantined and/or our offices be shut down for disinfection. These measures have temporarily affected our business operation during the first quarter of 2020. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak may impact our business, results of operations, financial conditions and prospects remains highly uncertain and unpredictable, as it depends on factors such as the ultimate geographic spread of COVID-19, the duration of the outbreak, governmental actions, and the effectiveness of travel restrictions, quarantines, lockdowns, business closures and other measures to contain the outbreak and their impact. Our business, results of operations, financial conditions and prospects could also be materially adversely affected to the extent that COVID-19 harms the Chinese and global economy in general, and the trading price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

We are vulnerable to natural disasters, other epidemics and calamities. Fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of

 

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data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide our offerings. In addition to COVID-19, our business operations could be disrupted if any of our employees is suspected of having other epidemics, including Ebola virus, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu and SARS. Our results of operations could be further affected to the extent that any of these epidemics harms the Chinese economy in general.

Any harm to our brand or failure to maintain and enhance our brand recognition may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We believe that the recognition and reputation of our brands among customers and brand partners are crucial to our business and competitiveness. Many factors, some of which are beyond our control, are important to maintaining and enhancing our brands and may negatively impact our brands and reputation if not properly managed. These factors include our ability to:

 

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maintain superior customer experience;

 

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maintain a diverse selection of high-quality products;

 

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maintain and grow our customer base, online community user base and keep our users highly active and engaged;

 

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maintain and grow our content offerings and ensure access to high-quality content creators, especially KOLs;

 

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maintain and enhance our reputation and goodwill generally and in the event of any negative publicity on product quality, customer services, internet security, or other issues affecting us or our industry in China;

 

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maintain our relationships with brand partners, manufacturers, physical pet stores and pet hospitals and oversee the quality of products and services provided by these third parties; and

 

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maintain our relationships with KOLs and ensure that their behaviors represent our brands and products.

We operate in a relatively new and evolving market.

Our business and prospect primarily depend on the continuing development and growth of China’s pet industry, which is relatively new, evolving and unproven. China’s pet industry is affected by numerous factors, including but not limited to comprehensive consumption upgrade, governmental and regulatory policy and expansion and diversification of pet products and services portfolio. Compared to U.S. pet parents, Chinese pet parents generally have less pet parenting experience. They are generally more price sensitive and less brand loyal. Accordingly, we believe that first-time Chinese pet parents prefer general e-commerce platforms that offer pet products at competitive prices, and we also believe that they have limited demand for specialized, pure-play online retail platforms with high-quality pet-focused product offerings, such as our online sales platforms. If we no longer offer competitive discounts, we may experience a decrease in the number of our customers and their orders, which materially and adversely affects our results of operations and financial condition. According to Frost & Sullivan, pet products still represent a niche market in China, accounting for 0.3% of China’s retail market, as of December 31, 2019. If China’s pet industry does not grow or grows slower than expected, our business, financial condition and results of operation may be materially and adversely affected.

We face intense competition. If we do not compete successfully against existing or new competitors, we may lose customers and market share.

China’s pet industry is highly competitive and Chinese pet parents are generally price-sensitive. We compete with pet product retail stores, supermarkets, generic e-commerce platforms and other pet-focused online retail platforms. Our competitors may have more financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do

 

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and may be more experienced and able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and support of their business. Specifically, they may be able to derive greater net sales and profits from their existing large customer base, acquire customers at lower costs or respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer preferences or habits than we can. They may also engage in more extensive research and development efforts, undertake more far-reaching marketing campaigns and adopt more aggressive pricing policies, including but not limited to predatory pricing policies and provision of substantial discounts, which may allow them to build larger customer bases and generate more net sales than we do. Increased competition may reduce our market share and require us to increase our sales and marketing efforts and capital commitment in the future, which could negatively affect our results of operations or force us to incur further losses. Furthermore, any disputes with current or future competitors may lead to negative publicity related to us, which may cause us to incur significant costs to defend against these activities and harm our business.

We expect competition in China’s pet industry, in particular among pet-focused online retail platforms, to continue to increase. We believe that our ability to compete successfully in this market depends on many factors both within and beyond our control, including:

 

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the size and composition of our customer base;

 

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the number of brand partners and products that we feature;

 

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the quality and price of the products that we offer;

 

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our ability to customize content and product recommendations to customers tailored to their needs;

 

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the convenient shopping experience that we provide;

 

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our selling and marketing efforts, including our ability to promote the brands of our brand partners and our private label brands; and

 

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our reputation and brand strength.

If we fail to compete successfully in this market, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We may be unable to manage and expand the relationships with brand partners, or otherwise fail to cooperate with them at favorable terms, and our business and growth prospects may suffer as a result.

We cooperate with our brand partners to provide a substantial majority of the products offered on our platform. Maintaining strong relationships with our brand partners is important to the growth of our business. If we lose our existing brand partners due to, for example, increased competition, ineffectiveness of our advertisement solutions or fulfillment process, a significant change in the business policy or operation of the relevant brand partners, or any deterioration in our relationship with such brand partners, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We generally do not maintain long-term exclusive supply contracts with our brand partners. We cannot assure you that our existing brand partners will continue to cooperate with us on commercially attractive terms, or at all, after the term of the current agreements expire. If these brand partners choose to enter into distribution agreements with our competitors or develop and rely on their in-house e-commerce capabilities, our sales could suffer and our business could be adversely affected. The loss of any of our significant brand partners or the discontinuance of any preferential pricing or supply terms they currently offer to us would have a material and negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, there can be no assurance that our current brand partners will be able to accommodate our anticipated growth. An inability of our existing brand partners to provide products in a timely or cost-effective manner could also impair our business and growth prospects. Moreover, our principal brand partners currently provide us with certain incentives, such as cash rebates and free products. A reduction or discontinuance of these incentives would increase our costs and

 

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prevent us from achieving our profitability. In addition, if one or more of our brand partners were to offer these incentives, including preferential pricing, to our competitors, our competitive advantage would be reduced, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Meanwhile, we are continually seeking to build relationship with other high-quality brand partners. If we are unable to attract or cooperate with new brand partners, or to replace the loss of any of our existing brand partners, in a timely manner, or at all, we may experience a competitive disadvantage, our business may be disrupted and our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our private label products may not always appeal to our customers, and may compete with our brand partners.

We launched our private labels, Yoken and Mocare, in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Our Yoken brand offers high value for money pet food and products, and our Mocare brand focuses on premium freeze-dry cat food. However, there is no assurance that our private label product offerings will continue to generate customer interest and cater to their needs. If we are unable to generate sufficient sales of our private label products, we may fail to cover our development, manufacturing and marketing expenses on these products, and our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Moreover, as we sell both branded products sourced from our brand partners and our private label products on our online sales platforms, we are likely to face competition from our brand partners. Branded products may have an advantage over our private label products primarily due to name recognition, although private label products are typically more competitively priced compared to branded products. In addition, selling private label products may harm our relationship with our brand partners. If we lose our brand partners or if our relationship with our brand partners deteriorate, our business may be adversely affected. See “—We may be unable to manage and expand the relationships with brand partners, or otherwise fail to cooperate with them at favorable terms, and our business and growth prospects may suffer as a result.”

We outsource the manufacturing of our private label products. As a result, our business, results of operations, financial conditions and reputation may be affected by issues relating to our manufacturer.

We outsource the manufacturing of our private label products to pet food manufacturers in China. We may be unable to maintain our relationships with our manufacturing partners or identify or enter into relationships with new manufacturing partners to meet the manufacturing and assembly needs of our private label business in a timely manner, or at all. Additionally, manufacturing at our manufacturing partners may be disrupted or delayed for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, natural and man-made disasters, information technology system failures, commercial disputes, labor disputes, and environmental and worker health and safety issues. As a result, we may experience shortage in supply and delay in delivery of our private label products, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation may be materially and adversely affected.

Failure to maintain the quality and safety of our products and significant merchandise returns or refunds resulted could have a material and adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

The quality and safety of our products are critical to our business. We have implemented stringent quality control systems on our private label products. Yet, due to the scale of our operations and rapid growth of our offline presence, maintaining consistent product quality depends significantly on the effectiveness of our quality control system, which in turn depends on a number of factors, including the design of our quality control system and the implementation of our quality control procedures. We may not be able to fully monitor the manufacturing process of our private label products and the quality control measures taken by our manufacturers may not be effective. There can be no assurance that our quality control system will always prove to be effective.

We may be exposed to product recalls and withdrawals and adverse publicity if our products are alleged to be fake or expired, or cause injury or illness or if we are alleged to have mislabeled or misbranded our products

 

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or otherwise violated governmental regulations. We may also voluntarily recall or withdraw products that we consider below our standards, whether for taste, appearance or otherwise. Consumer concerns regarding the safety of our products, whether justified or not, could adversely affect our brand reputation and business. A product recall or withdrawal could result in substantial and unexpected expenditures, destruction of product inventory and lost sales, which could reduce our cash flow and prevent us from achieving profitability. In addition, a product recall or withdrawal may have detrimental effects on our brand reputation, leading to increased scrutiny by regulatory agencies and sharp decrease in demand for our products, all of which require significant management attention. These could negatively impact our business and, consequently, adversely affect our results of operations and reputation.

We do not carry product liability insurance and may be subject to product liability claims if consumption and use of our products is alleged to cause injury or illness to our customers and their pets. The real or perceived sale of contaminated food products by us could result in product liability claims against our brand partners or us, expose us or our brand partners to governmental enforcement action or private litigation, or lead to costly recalls and a loss of consumer confidence, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. While we may attempt to seek compensation from responsible brand partners or our manufacturers in the event that we become subject to claims due to their misconduct, such compensation may be limited and if we cannot fully recover our damages from them, we will be required to bear such losses at our own costs. Any material product liability claim, litigation or governmental enforcement action could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even unsuccessful claims could result in the use of funds and managerial efforts in defending them and could negatively impact on our reputation.

In addition, we allow our customers to return certain products and offer refunds, subject to our return and refunds policy. If merchandise returns or refunds are significant or higher than anticipated and forecasted, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. Furthermore, we revise our policies relating to returns or refunds from time to time, and may do so in the future, which may result in customer dissatisfaction and harm to our reputation or brand, or an increase in the number of product returns or the amount of refunds we make.

If we cannot manage the growth of our business or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We continue to experience rapid growth in our business, which will continue to place significant demands on our management, operational and financial resources. We may encounter difficulties as we expand our operations, data and technology, sales and marketing, and general and administrative functions. We expect our expenses to continue to increase in the future as we acquire more users and customers and launch new initiatives. Continued growth could also strain our ability to maintain the quality and reliability of our platform and products and services we offer, develop and improve our operational, financial, legal and management controls, and enhance our reporting systems and procedures. Our expenses may grow faster than our revenues, and our expenses may be greater than we anticipate. Managing our growth will require significant expenditures and allocation of valuable management resources. If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Diversifying our product offerings may expose us to more risks.

Since our inception, we have focused on selling pet food, treats and supplies, and have also expanded our product offerings to include veterinary drugs. Diversifying our product offerings involve new risks and challenges different from those of our existing product categories. Our lack of familiarity with and lack of relevant customer data relating to new products may make it more difficult for us to anticipate customer demand and preferences, inspect and control quality and handle and store the products. As we broaden our product offerings, we may also be required to obtain additional licenses or permits for the sales of certain new products

 

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and subject to additional regulations by the relevant PRC government authorities. There is no assurance that we will be able to acquire additional requisite licenses or permits or to comply with the relevant legal requirements, which may materially and adversely affect our business. Moreover, as we continue to diversify our product offerings, we will need to continuously enhance and upgrade our technology, optimize our branding, sales and marketing efforts, expand our R&D team and train our customer service staff. All these efforts will require significant managerial, financial and human resources. At the same time, new products may have lower profit margins than our existing offerings, and we may need to price aggressively to gain market share or remain competitive in any new categories, which may further reduce our profit margins.

If we fail to maintain our relationships with content creators, in particular KOLs, or if our KOLs fail to produce popular pet-focused contents, we may not be able to attract or retain users of our online community, and our revenues and results of operations may be harmed.

We rely on our content creators, in particular KOLs, to present popular pet-focused content on our online community and promote our products that appeal to existing and potential customers. Hence, if we fail to maintain our relationships with KOLs, our revenues and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We generally enter into customary contracts with our KOLs, under which they are paid a fee for each piece of advertising post or video. We may need to offer higher compensation and incur additional recruitment costs to retain our KOLs due to increased competition for KOLs. Even so, we cannot assure you that we will be able to control, incentivize or retain KOLs to provide popular content and stimulate purchases of our products. If our KOLs cease to contribute content to our online community, or their content fail to attract users and customers, we may experience a decline in user traffic and user engagement of our online community. If we are unable to grow our user base or increase user engagement, our online community will become less attractive to existing and potential customers, which will have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Any change, disruption, discontinuity in the features and functions of major social networks could severely limit our ability to continue growing our customer base, and our business may be materially and adversely affected.

We leverage social networks as a tool for customer acquisition and engagement. Through these social networks, such as Wechat, our customers may share product information and their purchase experiences with their friends, family and other social contacts, which helps us generate low-cost organic traffic and active interactions among customers. A portion of our customer traffic comes from such user recommendation or product introduction feature on social networks. To the extent that we fail to leverage such social networks, our ability to attract or retain customers may be severely harmed. If any of these social networks changes its features or support, such as charging fees for the current free features, or stops providing us with infrastructure support, we may not be able to locate alternative platforms of similar scale to provide similar features or support on commercially reasonable terms in a timely manner, or at all. Furthermore, we may fail to establish or maintain relationships with social network operators to support the growth of our business on economically viable terms, or at all. Any interruption to or discontinuation of our relationships with major social network operators may severely and negatively impact our ability to continue growing our customer base, and any occurrence of the circumstances mentioned above may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be held liable for any false or misleading statements or advice given by KOLs on our online community.

We may be held liable for any false or misleading statements or advice given by KOLs on our online community. When these KOLs post pet-related content, respond to user inquiries, offer pet parenting advice or recommend products to pet parents, they may make false or misleading statements in relation to pet parenting or

 

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the suitability and effectiveness of pet products. These KOLs may be negligent in giving advice or fail to specify that their recommendation is general in nature and may not apply to the circumstances of particular pet parents and their pets. We may not always have appropriate disclaimers in place on our online community for such behavior.

We may be subject to legal and administrative proceedings and claims from time to time where these statements are found to result in harm to our customers or their pets. These claims and proceedings may be expensive and time-consuming to investigate and defend and may divert resources and management attention from the operation of our business. Although these claims may not be successful, they may harm our reputation and business.

Negative media coverage could adversely affect our business and reputation.

Negative publicity about us or our business, shareholders, affiliates, directors, officers or other employees, brand partners, manufacturers, content creators, third-party platforms, delivery service providers and other third parties as well as the industry in which we operate, can harm our operations and reputation. Such negative publicity could be related to a variety of matters, including, but not limited to:

 

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alleged misconduct or other improper activities committed by our shareholders, affiliates, directors, officers and other employees, as well as our brand partners, manufacturers, content creators, third-party platforms, delivery service providers and other third parties;

 

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allegations or rumors about us or our shareholders, affiliates, directors, officers and other employees, as well as our brand partners, manufacturers, content creators, third-party platforms, delivery service providers and other third parties;

 

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customer complaints about the quality of products and services provided by us or third parties we cooperate with;

 

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infringement activities associated with counterfeit goods on our platform;

 

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security breaches or customer data leakage;

 

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governmental and regulatory investigations or penalties resulting from our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations;

 

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instances of product or service safety issues, even those not involving us or our business partners; and

 

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other lawsuits and legal proceedings, with or without merits.

In addition to traditional media, there has been an increasing use of social media platforms and similar devices in China, including instant messaging applications, social media websites and other forms of internet-based communications that provide individuals with access to a broad audience of users and other interested persons. The availability of information on instant messaging applications and social media platforms is virtually immediate and may not afford us an opportunity for redress or correction. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Information concerning our company, shareholders, directors, officers and employees as well as our brand partners, manufacturers, content creators, third-party platforms and other third parties may be posted on such platforms at any time. Such negative publicity, whether valid or not, may result in a decrease in customer confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our reputation, business and result of operations would be adversely impacted by any counterfeit, unauthorized or infringing products sold on our platform that fail to meet the applicable legal requirements sold on our platforms.

Although we have adopted various measures to ensure the authenticity of products sold on our platform, these measures may not always be successful. If we were to negligently participate or assist in infringement

 

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activities associated with counterfeit goods or failed to duly verify the qualifications or the licenses of our brand partners, we may be subject to sanctions under PRC law, including injunctions to cease infringing activities, rectification, compensation, administrative penalties and even criminal liability, depending on the gravity of such misconduct. See “Regulation—Regulations on Consumer Protection” and “Regulation—Regulations on E-commerce.”

We believe our brand and reputation are extremely important to our success and our competitive position. If counterfeit products were sold on our platform or we were facing any administrative penalties against us due to products that failed to meet the applicable legal requirements, our reputation could be severely damaged and customers may choose not to spend time on our platform. As a result, our business operations and financial results may be negatively affected.

Our business, prospects and financial results may be affected by our relationships with offline pet stores.

We sell selected products to offline pet stores and pet hospitals as a supplement to our online sales. Offline sales to pet stores and pet hospitals are generally steady and help us maintain a healthy inventory levels, increase our brand awareness and expand our customer reach. In addition, our overall gross margin decreased for the three months ended June 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2019 partly due to increased contribution from product sales to pet stores and pet hospitals through both online and offline channels for the three months ended June 30, 2020, which typically carried a bigger ticket size per order but a lower gross margin compared with product sales to our individual online customers. We intend to cooperate with more offline pet stores and pet hospitals to expand our geographical footprint and further build up our offline network in the future. If our relationships with such businesses deteriorate or are terminated or we fail to maintain such relationships on commercially viable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

If we do not successfully optimize, operate and manage our fulfillment network, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be harmed.

Failures to successfully optimize, operate and manage our fulfillment network result in excess or insufficient fulfillment capacity, increased costs, and impairment charges, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business. As of June 30, 2020, we operated five warehouses and utilized three fulfillment centers, and as we continue to expand our business with different requirements and add fulfillment capacity, our fulfillment network will become increasingly complex and operating them will become more challenging. We strategically closed our warehouse in Hong Kong in late 2019 and sought to cooperate with additional new warehouses in mainland China to better manage global macro-economic risks. If we grow faster than we anticipate, we may exceed our fulfillment capacity sooner than we anticipate, we may experience difficulties fulfilling orders in a timely manner and our customers may experience delays in receiving their purchases, which could harm customer experience and our reputation. As a result, we would need to increase our capital expenditures on expanding our fulfillment network sooner than we expected. We cannot assure you that we will be able to locate suitable facilities or recruit qualified managerial and operational personnel to support the expansion our fulfillment network. Also, there can be no assurance that we will be able to operate our fulfillment network cost-effectively.

In addition, failure to optimize inventory in our fulfillment network may increase our shipping costs and result in delayed shipment. In particular, we maintain inventory of most of our brand partners’ products, which further complicates our inventory management. Our failure to properly handle our inventory may result in us being unable to secure sufficient storage space or optimize the use of our warehouses or cause other unexpected costs and harm to our business and operations.

 

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Delivery is a critical part of our business and any changes in, or disruptions to, our delivery arrangements could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We rely on a limited number of third-party delivery service providers, to fulfill orders to our customers. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable pricing and other terms with these delivery service providers, our results of operations and financial condition will be negatively affected. Our delivery service providers may experience performance problems or other difficulties in processing orders or delivering our products to customers on time, including natural disasters, labor disputes, financial difficulties, system failures or other disruptions to their operations. We are also subject to risks of damage or loss during delivery by our delivery service providers. If the products ordered by our customers are not delivered in a timely fashion or are damaged or lost during the delivery process, our customers could become dissatisfied and cease buying products from us, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation.

Our results of operations are subject to fluctuations due to the seasonality of our business and other events.

We have experienced and expect to continue to experience seasonal fluctuations in our financial performance. These seasonal patterns have caused and will continue to cause fluctuations in our operating results. Historically, we have recorded stronger performance in the fourth quarter, primarily because consumers increase their purchases during e-commerce festivals in China, such as the periods around Double Eleven Shopping Festival (which is an online sales promotion event that falls on November 11 of each year) and Double Twelves (which is another online sales promotion event that falls on December 12 of each year). In addition, we generally experience a lower level of sales activity in the first quarter due to the Chinese New Year holiday, during which the volumes of online purchases and logistical operations drop significantly due to vacations and business closures.

In anticipation of increased sales activity prior to shopping festivals, we increase our inventory levels and incur additional expenses such as procuring additional working capital and increasing the size of our workforce on a temporary basis. If our seasonal sales patterns become more pronounced in the future, this may strain our personnel, customer service operations, fulfillment operations and shipment activities and may cause a shortfall in revenues compared to expenses in a given period. As a result, our financial results may be materially and adversely affected. In addition to increasing our own inventory levels, we also rely on our brand partners to increase their inventory levels to match projected seasonal demand. If we and our brand partners do not increase inventory levels for popular products in sufficient amounts or if we are unable to restock popular products from our brand partners in a timely manner, we may fail to fulfill customer demand. This may harm our reputation and damage the trust that consumers have in our business, which is a key part of our business model. As a result, we may experience a material and adverse effect on our financial conditions and results of operations.

Our SaaS solutions bring additional business and operational risks, and may not be attractive to offline pet stores.

We first introduced our self-developed software-as-a-service, or SaaS, to pet stores in 2015. We currently offer our SaaS solutions for free and there can be no assurance that our SaaS solutions will be well accepted by offline pet stores or that we will be able to monetize our SaaS solutions in the future. In addition, we may find it difficult and costly to support our SaaS solutions, which require professional implementation and technical support services which we could not provide without incurring significant costs. To the extent that our SaaS solutions are defective or there are disruptions to our services, demand for our SaaS solutions could diminish, and we would be subject to substantial liability. Specifically, if we experience security breaches and unauthorized access to our customer’s data or our data, our SaaS solutions may be perceived as not secure. As a result, customers may stop using our SaaS solutions, leading to loss of monetization opportunities, and we may incur significant legal and financial exposure and liabilities. Our reputation and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

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Our customers use third-party payment service providers to make payments on our platform. If these payment services are restricted or curtailed in any way or become unavailable to us or our customers for any reason, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Our customers make payments through a variety of methods, including payment through our third-party online payment service partners. We depend on the billing, payment and escrow systems of these service providers to maintain accurate records of payments of sales proceeds and collect such payments. If the quality, utility, convenience or attractiveness of these payment processing and escrow services declines, our platform may become less attractive to our customers. Moreover, certain commercial banks in China impose limits on the amounts that may be transferred by automated payment from customers’ bank accounts to their linked accounts with third-party online payment services. We cannot predict whether these and any additional restrictions that could be put in place would have a material adverse effect on our platform. We may also be subject to various rules, regulations and requirements, regulatory or otherwise, governing electronic fund transfers and online payment, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply with.

In addition, we cannot assure you that we will be successful to enter into amicable relationships with additional online payment service providers or maintain our relationship with existing ones. Identifying, negotiating and maintaining relationships with these providers require significant time and resources. They could choose to terminate their relationships with us or propose terms that we cannot accept. For example, increasing costs to these payment service providers, including fees charged by banks to process transactions through online payment channels, would increase our general and administrative expenses. In addition, these service providers may not perform as expected under our agreements with them, and we may have disagreements or disputes with such payment service providers, any of which could adversely affect our brand and reputation as well as our business operations.

Meanwhile, we may be subject to fraud, customer data leakage and other illegal activities in connection with the various payment methods we offer.

If we fail to obtain and maintain the licenses, permits and approvals required or applicable to our business under the complex regulatory environment for our businesses in China, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

As the internet industry in China is still at a relatively early stage of development, new laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time to address new issues that come to the authorities’ attention. Considerable uncertainties still exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of existing and future laws and regulations governing our business activities. We cannot assure you that we will not be found in violation of any future laws and regulations or any of the laws and regulations currently in effect due to changes in or discrepancies with respect to the relevant authorities’ interpretation of these laws and regulations. Additionally, since we are engaged in the sales and distribution of veterinary drugs in China, we may also be required to comply with the relevant PRC laws and regulations or obtain license or approvals, such as Veterinary Drug Distribution License. Any failure to comply with such laws and regulations or obtain such license or approvals may subject us to potential administrative penalties, fine and even suspension of our business. See “Regulation—Regulations on Veterinary Drugs.” We cannot assure you that we will be able to timely obtain or maintain all the required licenses or approvals or make all the necessary filings in the future.

According to relevant PRC laws and regulations, no entities or individuals may provide internet audio-visual program services, which includes making and editing of audio-visual programs and broadcasting such content to the general public online, without a License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs issued by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or the SAPPRFT (currently known as National Radio and Television Administration), or its local bureaus or completing the relevant registration procedures. In general, only state-owned or state-controlled entities are eligible to apply for such license. Shanghai Guangcheng may be required to obtain an Internet audio-visual program transmission license for video

 

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interaction or recorded video functions in our Boqii Pet app offered by Shanghai Guangcheng. Shanghai Guangcheng, however, is not eligible to apply for such license since we are not a state-owned or state-controlled entity. See “Regulation—Regulations on Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Program.” As of the date of this prospectus, we have yet to file any application for such license and we have not received any written notice of warning from, or been subject to penalties imposed by, the relevant government authorities for alleged failure by us to comply with the Audio-Visual Program Provisions. In the event that the authorities find us in violation of the relevant laws and regulations, we may be subject to warnings, fines or orders to rectify such non-compliance. In severe cases, we may be ordered to disable the video interaction or recorded video functions in our app and subject to a penalty equal to one to two times our total investment in the affected business, and the devices we used for such operation may be confiscated. Furthermore, the competent authorities may order us to close our platform, revoke the relevant license or filings for the provision of Internet information services and order the relevant network operation entity to stop providing us with signal access services, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, as required by the applicable PRC laws and regulations, an entity providing internet surveying and mapping services, such as geographic positioning, the uploading of geographic information or markings and the development of a public map database is required to obtain a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for Internet Surveying and Mapping, and the service provider may only provide internet surveying and mapping services within the scope of the certificate. With the technical supports offered by a certain map service provider, users have access to the mapping information to locate nearby pet stores and pet hospitals in the Boqii Pet app offered by Shanghai Guangcheng. Therefore, Shanghai Guangcheng may be required by the competent department of Surveying and Mapping and Geographic Information to obtain a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for such business. However, there are still significant uncertainties relating to the interpretation and implementation of the relevant laws and regulations and we have yet to file any application for the Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate as of the date of this prospectus. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such license when required. Although we have not received any warning or been subject to any penalties due to lack of the Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate, we may be ordered to suspend the mapping function in our Boqii Pet app and the relevant government authorities may impose administrative fines, and confiscate the revenue we derived from such business, if any, our surveying and mapping results, or, in the worst case, our surveying and mapping tools.

Should we be required to obtain additional licenses or approvals, we may not be able to do so in a timely manner or at all. If we fail to obtain or maintain any of the required licenses or approvals or make the necessary filings, or fail to obtain required licenses or approvals in a timely manner, we may be subject to various penalties, such as confiscation of the revenues that were generated through the unlicensed activities, the imposition of fines and the termination or restriction of our operations. Any such penalties may disrupt our business operations or materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The proper functioning of our online platforms is essential to our business. Any disruption to our IT systems could materially affect our ability to maintain the satisfactory performance of our platform and deliver consistent services to our users and customers.

The proper functioning of our online platforms is essential to our business. The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our IT systems are critical to our success, our ability to attract and retain users and customers and our ability to maintain and deliver consistent services to them. However, we may be unable to monitor and ensure high-quality maintenance and upgrade of our IT systems and infrastructure on a real-time basis, and customers may experience service outages or delays in accessing and using our platform to place orders. Specifically, we may experience surges in online traffic and orders associated with promotional activities and generally as we scale, under which our platform may be overloaded and may not be able to function properly. Our technology infrastructure may also fail to keep pace with increased sales and traffic on our online platforms, and as a result, we may be required to incur significant additional costs to upgrade the underlying network infrastructure both in terms of capacity and functionality. We cannot assure you that we will be

 

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successful in executing these system upgrades in a timely manner, or at all, and the failure to do so may affect out user experiences and impede our growth.

We currently use third party cloud services and servers to store our data, to allow us to analyze a large amount of data simultaneously and to update our user and customer database and profiles quickly. Servers may be vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions, which could lead to system interruptions, website or mobile app slowdown or unavailability, delays or errors in transaction processing, loss of data or the inability to accept and fulfill customer orders. We also rely on various Internet service providers and mobile networks to deliver and “push” communications to users and customers and allow them to access our online platforms. Any interruption or delay in the functionality of these cloud service providers, servers or networks may materially and adversely affect the operations of our business. Additionally, the costs and complexities involved in expanding and upgrading our systems may prevent us from doing so in a timely manner and may prevent us from adequately meeting the demand placed on our systems. Given that we exercise little control over these third-party service providers, we are vulnerable to issues with the services they provide.

Furthermore, our technology or infrastructure may not function properly at all times, and may be subject to disruptions caused by natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, acts of terrorism or war, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, or other events or disruptions. Any of such occurrences could lead to the unavailability of our online platforms and mobile apps, interruption of our supply chain and delivery, leakage or permanent loss of customer data, interruptions or decreases in connection speed, or other events which would affect our operations. While we have certain disaster recovery arrangements in place, such as back-up servers and data redundancy plans, our precautionary measures may be inadequate, and our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to cover potential loss. If any IT disruptions were to occur to our business, our reputation or relationships with our customers may be damaged and our customers may switch to our competitors. As a result, our operations could be impaired and our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to provide our customers with a cost-effective platform that is able to respond and adapt to rapid changes in technology.

The number of people who access the Internet through devices other than personal computers, such as mobile phones and tablets, has increased dramatically in recent years. The versions of our website, mobile app and mini-program on WeChat developed for these devices may not be compelling to customers. Adapting our services and/or infrastructure to these devices as well as other new Internet, networking or telecommunications technologies could be time-consuming and could require us to incur substantial expenditures, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Additionally, as new mobile devices and platforms are released, we may need to devote significant time and resources to the creation, support and maintenance of such applications. If we are unable to attract consumers to our website or mobile app through these devices or are slow to develop a version of our website or mobile app that is more compatible with alternative devices, we may fail to capture a significant share of customers in the pet industry and or lose existing customers, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Further, we regularly upgrade our technologies and business applications, and we will continue to implement new technologies or business applications in the future. Technology upgrades and changes require significant investments. Our financial condition and results of operations may be affected by the timing, effectiveness and costs associated with any of these upgrades or changes to our systems and infrastructure. In the event that it is more difficult for our customers to buy products from us on their mobile devices, or if our customers choose not to buy products from us on their mobile devices or to use mobile products that do not offer access to our website, we may not be able to retain our existing customers or attract new customers. As a result,

 

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our customer growth could be harmed and our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We may be subject to liability for placing advertisements with content that is deemed inappropriate or misleading under PRC laws.

We provide online and offline online marketing and information services to our brand partners, helping them design and implement effective marketing strategies. PRC laws and regulations prohibit advertising companies from producing, distributing or publishing any advertisement with content that violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of the PRC, involves designs of the PRC national flag, national emblem or national anthem or the music of the national anthem, is considered reactionary, obscene, superstitious or absurd, is fraudulent, or disparages similar products. We may also be subject to the administrative penalties incurred by the exaggerating or fraudulent advertisement from time to time. For instance, on June 1, 2017, we were fined RMB100,000 because we promoted several pet food on our online stores as the “best” in our advertising slogans in violation of the relevant PRC laws and regulations. Additionally, we may be subject to claims by customers misled by information on our mobile apps, website or other portals where we place advertisements. We may not be able to recover such losses from brand partners by enforcing the indemnification provisions in the contracts, which may result us in diverting our management’s time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these infringement claims. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could be materially and adversely affected.

Our business generates and processes a large amount of data, and we are required to comply with PRC laws relating to cybersecurity. The improper use or disclosure of data could have a material and adverse effect on our business and prospects.

Our business generates and processes a large quantity of data. We face risks inherent in handling and protecting large volume of data. In particular, we face a number of challenges relating to data from transactions and other activities on our platforms, including:

 

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protecting the data in and hosted on our system, including against attacks on our system by outside parties or fraudulent behavior or improper use by our employees or customers;

 

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addressing concerns related to privacy and sharing, safety, security and other factors; and

 

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complying with applicable laws, rules and regulations relating to the collection, use, storage, transfer, disclosure and security of personal information, including any requests from regulatory and government authorities relating to this data.

In addition, some of our third-party service providers such as logistics and delivery service providers have access to our customer data. If the information security efforts of such third-party service providers are compromised, or if they fail to detect and respond to data security breaches, we could be subject to legal or regulatory action, including direct claims by customers or other injured parties, class actions, shareholder derivative suits and governmental action. A data security breach of our third-party service providers may also negatively affect our reputation, increase our insurance costs or result in loss of coverage, and we may need to incur additional significant costs to protect against information security breaches.

The PRC regulatory and enforcement regime with regard to data security and data protection is evolving. We may be required by Chinese governmental authorities to share personal information and data that we collect to comply with PRC laws relating to cybersecurity. All these laws and regulations may result in additional expenses to us and subject us to negative publicity which could harm our reputation and negatively affect the trading price of the ADSs. There are also uncertainties with respect to how these laws will be implemented in practice. PRC regulators have been increasingly focused on regulation in the areas of data security and data protection. See “Regulation—Regulations on Cyber Security and Privacy.” We expect that these areas will

 

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receive greater attention and focus from regulators, as well as attract continued or greater public scrutiny and attention going forward, which could increase our compliance costs and subject us to heightened risks and challenges associated with data security and protection. Although we collect personal information and data only with customers’ prior consent and have adopted measures to protect the data security and minimize the risk of data loss, we cannot assure you that the measures we have taken are always sufficient and effective. If we are unable to manage these risks, we could become subject to penalties, fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, and our reputation and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Failure to protect confidential information of our users and customers and network against security breaches could damage our reputation and brand and substantially harm our business and results of operations.

Orders for products we offer are made through our online sales platforms. Online payments for our products are settled through third-party online payment service providers. We also share certain personal information about our customers with third-party delivery service providers, such as their names, addresses, and phone numbers. In such cases, maintaining complete security for the transmission of confidential information on our platform, such as customer names, personal information and billing addresses, is essential to maintaining customer confidence.

We have adopted security policies and measures, including encryption technology, to protect our proprietary data and customer information. We do not maintain insurance against damages incurred by us resulting from customer identity theft and subsequent fraudulent payments. However, advances in technology, the expertise of hackers, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other events or developments could result in a compromise or breach of the technology that we use to protect confidential information. We may not be able to prevent third parties, especially hackers or other individuals or entities engaging in similar activities, from illegally obtaining such confidential or private information we hold as a result of our customers’ visits on our online platforms. We could therefore be exposed to litigation and regulatory action and possible liability, causing significant legal and financial exposure, adverse publicity and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Such individuals or entities obtaining our users’ and customers’ confidential or private information may further engage in various other illegal activities using such information. In addition, we have limited control or influence over the security policies or measures adopted by third-party providers of online payment services. Our third-party delivery service providers may also violate their confidentiality obligations and disclose or use information about our customers illegally. Any negative publicity on our platform’s safety or privacy protection mechanism and policy could have a material and adverse effect on our public image and reputation. Any compromise of our information security or third-party service providers’ information security measures could require us to expend significant capital and other resources to alleviate the problems and, despite our best remediation efforts, have a material and adverse effect on our reputation, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We do not have material tangible assets and may incur goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges. Significant impairment of our goodwill and intangible assets could materially impact our financial position and results of our operations.

We carry a significant goodwill balance on our balance sheet as a result of the acquisitions of Cuida and Xingmu. We record goodwill in connection with the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the identifiable assets and the liabilities acquired in business combinations. Our goodwill accounted for 0.2%, 8.8% and 5.2% of our total assets as of March 31, 2019 and 2020 and June 30, 2020, respectively, as a result of historical business combinations. We are required to review our goodwill for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate evidence of impairment. The application of a goodwill impairment test requires significant management judgment. If our estimates and judgment are inaccurate, the fair value determined could be inaccurate and the impairment may not be recognized in a timely manner. If the fair value declines, we may need to recognize goodwill impairment in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, we perform valuation of the intangible assets

 

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arising from business combination to determine the relative fair value to be assigned to each asset acquired. The intangible assets are expensed or amortized using the straight-line approach over the estimated economic useful lives of the assets. There can be no assurance that we will not be required to record impairments on goodwill or intangible assets in the future or that such impairments will not be material. Any significant impairment losses charged against our goodwill or intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our lack of material tangible assets may expose us to certain risks, including decreased ability to obtain debt financings or hedge against fluctuations in value of our intangible assets.

We have and may continue to invest in or acquire complementary assets, technologies and businesses, or enter into strategic alliances. Such efforts may fail and have in the past, and may continue to, result in equity or earnings dilution and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We have in the past and may continue to invest in and acquire assets, technologies and businesses, or enter into strategic alliances, that are complementary to our business. These investments may involve minority stakes in other companies, acquisitions of entire companies or acquisitions of selected assets. Acquired businesses or assets may not yield the results we expect. In addition, acquisitions of assets and businesses have in the past, and may continue to, result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired businesses or assets. Also, any future strategic alliances, investments or acquisitions and the subsequent integration of the new assets and businesses obtained or developed from such transactions into our own may divert management from their primary responsibilities and subject us to additional liabilities. In addition, the costs of identifying and consummating investments and acquisitions may be significant. To the extent we fund these investment or acquisition through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interests of our shareholders could be significantly diluted. Moreover, the cost of identifying and consummating acquisitions, and integrating the acquired businesses or assets into ours, may materially exceed our expectations, and the integration of acquired businesses or assets may be disruptive to our business operations. In addition, we may have to obtain approval from the relevant PRC governmental authorities or counterparts elsewhere in the world for the acquisitions and comply with any applicable PRC rules and regulations, which may be costly. For example, the size and complexity of our business has increased following our acquisition of Xingmu. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to manage this expanded business, which will pose substantial challenges for management, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and sales of medical products, which we did not engage in previously, and associated increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that we will realize the expected benefits currently anticipated from our acquisition of Xingmu. In addition, we may not ultimately strengthen our competitive position or achieve our goals from our acquisition of Xingmu, which could be viewed negatively by users, customers, business partners or investors. Moreover, if we fail to integrate successfully such acquisitions, or the business associated with such acquisitions, into our company, the revenues and operating results of the combined company could be adversely affected. Furthermore, we may not be able to successfully retain the customers and key personnel of such acquisitions over the longer term, which could also adversely affect our business. The integration of Xingmu’s business will require significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired business and accurately forecast the financial impact of the acquisition of Xingmu. Our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected by our past and future acquisitions of assets or businesses or strategic alliances.

We may need additional capital, and financing may be not available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

We require additional cash resources to fund our business operations, including any marketing initiatives or investments we may decide to pursue. If these resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to obtain additional credit facilities or sell additional equity or debt securities. The issuance and sale of additional equity securities could result in dilution of our existing shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness

 

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would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. It is uncertain whether financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If financing proves to be unavailable or on unacceptable terms, we may be forced to raise funds on undesirable terms, or we may be unable to maintain or grow our business or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Disruption in the financial markets and economic conditions could affect our ability to raise capital

Global economies could suffer dramatic downturns as the result of a deterioration in the credit markets and related financial crisis as well as a variety of other factors including, extreme volatility in security prices, severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, ratings downgrades of certain investments and declining valuations of others. For example, the current COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant volatility in financial markets across the world. In the past, governments have taken unprecedented actions in an attempt to address and rectify these extreme market and economic conditions by providing liquidity and stability to the financial markets. If these actions are not successful, the return of adverse economic conditions may cause a significant impact on our ability to raise capital, if needed, on a timely basis and on acceptable terms or at all.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our senior management. If we lose their services, we could incur significant costs in finding suitable replacements and our business may be severely disrupted.

Our business operations depend substantially on the continuing efforts of our senior management. If one or more members of our senior management were unable or unwilling to continue their employment with us, we might not be able to replace them in a timely manner, or at all. As qualified individuals are in high demand, we may incur additional expenses to recruit and retain qualified replacements. As a result, our business may be severely disrupted and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, our senior management may join a competitor or form a competing company. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to successfully enforce our contractual rights included in the employment agreements we have entered into with our senior management team, particularly in China, where such individuals reside. As a result, our business may be negatively affected due to the loss of one or more members of our senior management.

Employee misconduct could expose us to monetary loss, legal liability, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational harm.

Our employees and outsourced workers may engage in illegal, fraudulent, corrupt or collusive activities that adversely affect our business. For example, if an employee were to engage in illegal or suspicious activities such as fraud, theft, kickback or bribery, we could suffer direct losses, become subject to regulatory sanctions and suffer serious harm to our financial condition and reputation. There can be no assurance that our internal controls and policies will prevent fraud or illegal activity by our employees or that similar incidents will not occur in the future. Any of such activities could severely damage our brand and reputation, which could drive customers away from our platform, and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on proper operation and maintenance of our platform and internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China. Any deficiencies, malfunction, capacity constraint or operation interruption, any undetected programming errors or flaws or failure to maintain effective customer service could harm our reputation, impair our platform, and may have an adverse impact on our business.

Currently, a majority of our product sales are generated through our online sales platforms. Therefore, the satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our platform are critical to our success and our ability to

 

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attract and retain users and customers. Our business depends on the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure in China. The reliability and availability of our platform depends on telecommunications carriers and other third-party providers for communications and storage capacity, including bandwidth and server storage. If we are unable to enter into and renew agreements with these providers on acceptable terms, or if any of our existing agreements with such providers are terminated as a result of our breach or otherwise, our ability to provide our services to our users and customers could be adversely affected.

Access to internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunications carriers under administrative control, and we obtain access to end-user networks operated by such telecommunications carriers and internet service providers to give customers access to our mobile platform. The failure of telecommunications network operators to provide us with the requisite bandwidth could also interfere with the speed and availability of our platform. Service interruptions prevent customers from accessing our platform and placing orders, and frequent interruptions could frustrate users and customers and discourage them from attempting to place orders or accessing our platform, which could cause us to lose customers and harm our operating results.

In addition, our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical and complex, and depend on the ability of such software to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amount of data. The software on which we rely has contained, and may now or in the future contain, undetected programming errors or flaws. Some errors may only be discovered after the code has been released for external or internal use. Errors or other design defects within the software on which we rely may result in a negative experience for customers using our platform, delay introductions of new features or enhancements, result in errors or compromise our ability to support effective customer service and enjoyable customer engagement. Any errors, bugs or defects discovered in the software on which we rely could result in harm to our reputation and loss of users and customers, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial conditions.

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.

We cannot be certain that our operations or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, there may be other third-party intellectual property that is infringed upon by our products, services, the content displayed on our platform or other aspects of our business. There could also be existing patents or other intellectual property rights of which we are not aware that our products or content may inadvertently infringe. We cannot assure you that holders of the relevant intellectual property rights purportedly relating to some aspect of our technology platform or business, if any such holders exist, would not seek to enforce such intellectual property rights against us in China, the United States or any other jurisdictions. For example, the use of Microsoft and Adobe software and systems by our employees are not authorized by their respective proprietary intellectual property holder, and therefore it poses to us the risks of potential intellectual property claim by the proprietors or the administrative penalties or fine, or even criminal liability in extreme cases, by the competent authorities. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received from the proprietors or competent authorities any warning, subpoena, administrative penalties or fine as a result of our unauthorized use of such IT software or systems, but we cannot assure you that such actions will not be taken in the future. In addition, we strive to closely monitor the products offered on our platforms. However, we cannot be certain that these measures would be effective in completely preventing the infringement of trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. Further, the application and interpretation of China’s intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights in China are still evolving and are uncertain, and we cannot assure you that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own,

 

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but such alternative may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition, we may incur significant expenses, and may be forced to divert management’s time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these third-party infringement claims, regardless of their merits. Successful infringement or licensing claims made against us may result in significant monetary liabilities and may materially disrupt our business and operations by restricting or prohibiting our use of the intellectual property in question. These risks have been amplified by the increase in third parties whose sole or primary business is to assert such claims.

We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which could harm our business and competitive position.

We regard our trademarks, copyrights, patents, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies, and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements, including confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements with our employees and others, to protect our proprietary rights. Any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or misappropriated, or such intellectual property may not be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, there can be no assurance that (i) our application for registration of trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property rights will be approved, (ii) any intellectual property rights will be adequately protected, or (iii) such intellectual property rights will not be challenged by third parties or found by a judicial authority to be invalid or unenforceable. Further, because of the rapid pace of technological change in our industry, parts of our business rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties at all or on reasonable terms.

It is often difficult to register, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation. Confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Policing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we take may be inadequate to prevent the infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property. For example, third parties may register trademarks or domain names or purchase internet search engine keywords that are similar to our trademarks, brands or websites, or misappropriate our intellectual property or data and copy our platform, all of which could cause confusion to our users and customers, divert online customers away from our content and products and harm our reputation. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management and financial resources, and could put our intellectual property at risk of being invalidated or narrowed in scope. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation, and even if we do prevail, we may not obtain a meaningful recovery. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. Any failure in maintaining, protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be held liable for information or content displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our platform, or distributed to our users and customers, and PRC authorities may impose legal sanctions on us, including, in serious cases, suspending or revoking the licenses necessary to operate our platforms.

The PRC government has adopted regulations governing internet access and the distribution of news and other information over the internet. Under these regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet content that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China, or is reactionary, obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the revocation of licenses to provide internet content and other licenses, and the closure of the concerned websites. The website operator may also be

 

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held liable for such censored information displayed on or linked to the websites. Our content creators engage in sales promotion activities through interacting and exchanging information with our users and customers and generating and distributing content. It is possible that our users and customers, including our content creators, may engage in illegal, obscene or incendiary conversations or activities, including displaying or publishing information or content that may be deemed unlawful under PRC laws and regulations on our platform. Our Boqii community also allows users to upload user-generated content on our platform, which exposes us to potential disputes and liabilities in connection with third-party copyrights. When users register on our platform, they agree to our standard agreement, under which they agree not to disseminate any content infringing on third-party copyright on our platform. However, if any information or content on our platform is deemed illegal, obscene or incendiary, or if appropriate licenses and third party consents have not been obtained, claims may be brought against us for defamation, libel, negligence, copyright, patent or trademark infringement, other unlawful activities or other theories and claims based on the nature and content of the information delivered on or otherwise accessed through our platform. Defending against any such actions could be costly and involve significant time and attention of our management and other resources.

If our platform or content is found to be in violation of any applicable requirements, we may be penalized by relevant authorities, or, if we are not eligible for the safe harbor exemption, or if it is found that we have not adequately managed the information or content on our platform, we may be subject to joint infringement liability and PRC authorities may impose legal sanctions on us, including, in serious cases, suspending or revoking the licenses necessary to operate our platform and our business and reputation may accordingly be adversely affected.

We may from time to time be subject to claims, controversies, lawsuits and other legal and administrative proceedings, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation.

We are currently not party to any material legal or administrative proceedings. However, in light of the nature of our business, we are susceptible to potential claims or controversies. We have been, and may from time to time in the future be, subject to or involved in various claims, controversies, lawsuits and other legal and administrative proceedings. Lawsuits and other administrative or legal proceedings that may arise in the course of our operations can involve substantial costs, including the costs associated with investigation, litigation and possible settlement, judgment, penalty or fine. In addition, lawsuits and other legal and administrative proceedings may be costly and time consuming and may require a commitment of management and personnel resources that will be diverted from our normal business operations, which will materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have granted, and may continue to grant, share options, restricted shares and other forms of share based incentive awards, which have resulted in and may continue to result in significant share based compensation expenses.

We adopted a share incentive plan in March, 2016, or the 2016 Global Share Plan and a share incentive plan in July 2014, or the 2012 Global Share Plan, to enhance its ability to attract and retain exceptionally qualified individuals and to encourage them to acquire a proprietary interest in the growth and performance of us. We adopted the 2018 Global Share Plan, or the Plan, in August 2018, for the purpose of granting share-based compensation awards to employees, directors and consultants to incentivize their performance and align their interests with ours. The 2016 Global Share Plan and the 2012 Global Share Plan were canceled concurrently upon the adoption of the Plan, and each participant of the 2016 Global Share Plan and the 2012 Global Share Plan is expected to receive corresponding grants under the Plan. In September 1, 2020, we amended and restated the 2018 Global Share Plan, and the amended and restated 2018 Global Share Plan is referred to as the Amended and Restated 2018 Global Share Plan in this prospectus. We account for compensation costs for certain share options granted using a fair value-based method and recognize expenses in our consolidated statement of income in accordance with U.S. GAAP. As of the date of this prospectus, the maximum aggregate number of Class A

 

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ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the Amended and Restated 2018 Global Share Plan is 8,987,836. As of the date of this prospectus, options to purchase 5,867,426 ordinary shares, excluding those having been forfeited, have been issued by us, of which options to purchase 1,299,954 shares have been exercised. Such ordinary shares will be redesignated as Class A ordinary shares on a one-on-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2018 Global Share Plan, the performance condition for options granted thereunder will be satisfied upon completion of this offering; and as a result, we will, upon the date of the completion of this offering, record a significant amount of cumulative share-based compensation expenses for those options for which the vesting conditions have been satisfied as of such date. If such performance condition was satisfied as of June 30, 2020, we would have recognized share-based compensation expenses of RMB44 million (US$6 million) for those options for which service conditions had been satisfied as of such date. We believe the granting of share-based compensation is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation to employees in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

All of the lease agreements of our leased properties have not been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities as required by PRC law and our certain leased properties are for industrial use, which may expose us to potential fines.

Under PRC law, lease agreements of commodity housing tenancy are required to be registered with the local construction (real estate) departments. As of the date of this prospectus, all of our lease agreements for our leased properties in China have not been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities, which may expose us to potential fines if we fail to remediate after receiving any notice from the relevant PRC government authorities. Failure to complete the lease registration will not affect the legal effectiveness of the lease agreements according to PRC law, but the real estate administrative authorities may require the parties to the lease agreements to complete lease registration within a prescribed period of time, and the failure to do so may subject the parties to fines from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 for each of such lease agreements. Our lessor are required to comply with various laws and regulations to enable them to lease effective titles of their properties for our use. For instance, certain of our leased properties used for offices are defined as the properties for industrial use only under the PRC law. We may need to seek for an alternative lease, and our operation of business may be accordingly affected.

Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans and withhold individual income tax on employees’ salaries as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.

In accordance with the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Fund and other relevant laws and regulations, China establishes a social insurance system and other employee benefits including basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, housing fund, and a handicapped employment security fund, or collectively the Employee Benefits. An employer shall pay the Employee Benefits for its employees in accordance with the rates provided under relevant regulations and shall withhold the social insurance and other Employee Benefits that should be assumed by the employees. For example, an employer that has not made social insurance contributions at a rate and based on an amount prescribed by the law, or at all, may be ordered to rectify the non-compliance and pay the required contributions within a stipulated deadline and be subject to a late fee of up to 0.05% or 0.2% per day, as the case may be. If the employer still fails to rectify the failure to make social insurance contributions within the stipulated deadline, it may be subject to a fine ranging from one to three times of the amount overdue.

Under the Social Insurance Law and the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Fund, PRC subsidiaries shall register with local social insurance agencies and register with applicable housing fund management centers and establish a special housing fund account in an entrusted bank. Both PRC subsidiaries and their employees are required to contribute to the Employee Benefits. Companies operating in China are also required to withhold individual income tax on employees’ salaries based on the actual salary of each employee

 

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upon payment. We may be subject to late fees and fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits and under-withheld individual income tax, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Non-compliance with labor-related laws and regulations of the PRC may have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operation.

We have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and childbearing insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law, or the Labor Contract Law, that became effective in January 2008 and was amended in 2012 and its implementing rules that became effective in September 2008 employers are subject to stricter requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees’ probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. We believe our current practice complies with the Labor Contract Law and its amendments. However, the relevant governmental authorities may take a different view and impose fines on us.

As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practice does not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations or prevent fraud.

Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting and financial reporting personnel and other resources with which we address our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended March 31, 2019, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified two material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The material weaknesses identified are our company’s lack of sufficient and competent financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements and lack of sufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures, especially those related to period end logistics expenses cut-off and accruals and vendor rebate accruals. The material weaknesses, if not timely remedied, may lead to material misstatements in our accruals consolidated financial statements in the future. Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm undertook a comprehensive assessment of our internal control for purposes of identifying and reporting material weaknesses and other control deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. Had we performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting or had our independent registered public accounting firm performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting, additional deficiencies may have been identified.

Following the identification of the material weaknesses and other control deficiencies, we have taken measures and plan to continue to take measures to remedy these control deficiencies. We are in the process of implementing a number of remedial measures, including: (i) hiring more qualified resources, equipped with

 

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relevant U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experiences and qualifications, (ii) implementing regular and continuous U.S. GAAP accounting and financial reporting training programs for accounting and financial reporting personnel, (iii) establishing effective oversight and clarifying reporting requirements for non-recurring and complex transactions, and (iv) continuing to enhance accounting policies and closing procedures. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.” However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address these deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remedied. Our failure to correct these control deficiencies or our failure to discover and address any other control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis.

Upon completion of this offering, we will become subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of the ADSs. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements for prior periods.

We are an emerging growth company and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we are an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. We do not plan to “opt out” of such exemptions afforded to an

 

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emerging growth company. As a result, our operating results and financial statements may not be comparable to the operating results and financial statements of other companies who have adopted the new or revised accounting standards.

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company and expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the NYSE, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. We expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

We have limited insurance coverage which could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.

We believe we have obtained a prudent amount of insurance for the insurable risks relating to our business, including the property insurance for some of our warehouses. However, there is no assurance that the insurance policies we maintain are sufficient to cover our business operations. If we were to incur substantial liabilities that were not covered by our insurance, we could incur costs and losses that could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating certain of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

Foreign investment in the value-added telecommunication services industry and certain other businesses is extensively regulated and subject to numerous restrictions. Pursuant to the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2020), published by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce on June 23, 2020 and effective on July 23, 2020, with a few exceptions, foreign investors are not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a value-added telecommunication service provider and any such foreign investor must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record.

We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries are currently considered foreign-invested enterprise. Accordingly, our PRC subsidiaries are not eligible to provide value-added telecommunication services in China or import veterinary drugs. To ensure strict compliance with the PRC laws and regulations, we conduct such business activities through our VIEs, Shanghai Guangcheng and Nanjing Xingmu. Shanghai Xincheng and Xingmu WFOE, our wholly-owned subsidiaries in

 

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China, have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders, which enable us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIEs, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIEs, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have control over and are the primary beneficiary of our VIEs and hence consolidate their financial results as our VIEs under U.S. GAAP. See “Our History and Corporate Structure” for further details.

If the PRC government finds that our contractual arrangements do not comply with its restrictions on foreign investment in the value-added telecommunication services industry or certain other businesses, or if the PRC government otherwise finds that we, our VIEs, or any of their subsidiaries are in violation of PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation or failures, including, without limitation:

 

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revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of such entities;

 

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discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operation through any transactions between our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs;

 

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imposing fines on us, placing restrictions on our right to collect revenues, confiscating the income from our PRC subsidiaries or our VIEs, or imposing other requirements with which we or our VIEs may not be able to comply;

 

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requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our VIEs and deregistering the equity pledges of our VIEs, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over our VIEs;

 

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shutting down our servers or blocking our mobile apps and websites; or

 

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restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our business and operations in China.

Any of these events could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of our VIEs that most significantly impact their economic performance and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from our VIEs, we may not be able to consolidate the entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress of the PRC promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The enacted Foreign Investment Law does not mention concepts such as “actual control” and “controlling PRC companies by contracts or trusts” that were included in the previous drafts, nor did it specify regulation on controlling through contractual arrangements, and thus this regulatory topic remains unclear under the Foreign Investment Law. However, since it is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. For instance, though the Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, it contains a catch-all provision under the definition of “foreign

 

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investment,” which includes investments made by foreign investors in China through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, such as unwinding our existing contractual arrangements and/or disposal of our related business operations, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of any of our VIEs and/or our failure to receive economic benefits from any of them, we may not be able to consolidate their results into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders for our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders to operate our business in China. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our VIEs. For example, our VIEs and their respective shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. If we had direct ownership of our VIEs in China, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIEs, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our VIEs and their respective shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our VIEs. The shareholders of our VIEs may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portions of our business through the contractual arrangements with our VIEs. If any dispute relating to these contracts remain unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIEs may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

Any failure by any of our VIEs or their shareholders to perform their respective obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

If any of our VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may be limited in our ability to enforce the contractual arrangements that give us effective control over our VIEs, and if we are unable to maintain such control, our ability to consolidate the financial results of our VIEs will be affected. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective sufficient or effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of any of our VIEs refuse to transfer their equity interests in such VIEs to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they otherwise act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations. In addition, if any third parties claim any interest in such shareholders’ equity interests in any of our VIEs, our ability to exercise shareholders’ rights or foreclose the share pledge according to the contractual arrangements may be impaired. If these or other disputes between the shareholders of our VIEs and third parties were to impair our control over our VIEs, our ability to consolidate the financial results of our VIEs would be affected, which would in turn result in a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

 

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In addition, the individual shareholders of our VIEs may be involved in personal disputes with third parties or other incidents that may have an adverse effect on their respective equity interests in our VIEs and the validity or enforceability of the contractual arrangements. For instance, in the event that such shareholder divorces his or her spouse, the spouse may claim that the equity interest of our VIEs held by such shareholder is part of their marital or community property and should be divided between such shareholder and his or her spouse. If such claim is supported by the competent court, the relevant equity interest may be obtained by the shareholder’s spouse or another third party who is not bound by our contractual arrangements, which could result in our losing effective control over our VIEs. Even if we receive a consent letter from the spouse of an individual nominee shareholder of our VIEs where such spouse undertakes that he or she would not take any actions to interfere with the contractual arrangements through which we control such VIEs, including by claiming that the equity interest of our VIEs held by such shareholder is part of their marital or community property, we cannot assure you that these undertakings will be complied with or effectively enforced. In the event that any of them is breached or becomes unenforceable and leads to legal proceedings, it could disrupt our business, distract our management’s attention and subject us to substantial uncertainties as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings. Similarly, if any of the equity interests of our VIEs are inherited by a third party on whom the current contractual arrangements are not binding, we could lose our control over our VIEs or have to maintain such control at unpredictable cost, which could cause significant disruption to our business operations and harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law, and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures.

The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

The shareholders of our VIEs may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The shareholders of our VIEs may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may refuse to sign or breach, or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIEs and receive economic benefits from them. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIEs to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

 

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Contractual arrangements in relation to our VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC VIEs owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the VIE contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm’s length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust income of our VIEs in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing our PRC subsidiaries’ tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our VIEs’ tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

We may lose the ability to use, or otherwise benefit from, the licenses, approvals and assets held by our VIEs, which could severely disrupt our business, render us unable to conduct some or all of our business operations and constrain our growth.

As part of our contractual arrangements with our VIEs, our VIEs hold certain assets, licenses and permits that are material to our business operations, such as the ICP License and Veterinary Drug Distribution License. The contractual arrangements contain terms that specifically obligate VIEs’ shareholders to ensure the valid existence of the VIEs and restrict the disposal of material assets of the VIEs. However, in the event the VIEs’ shareholders breach the terms of these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate our VIEs, or our VIEs declare bankruptcy and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to conduct some or all of our business operations or otherwise benefit from the assets held by the VIEs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if any of our VIEs undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of the assets of such VIE, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business as well as constrain our growth.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Substantially all of our assets and operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continue to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over past decades, growth has slowed down in recent years and has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material

 

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adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to a reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustment, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations depend on the level of consumer confidence and spending in China and may be adversely affected by the downturn in the global or Chinese economy.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that affect consumer spending in China. The retail industry, including the online retail sector, is highly sensitive to general economic changes. Online purchases tend to decline significantly during recessionary periods. Many factors outside of our control, including inflation and deflation, interest rates, volatility of equity and debt securities markets, taxation rates, employment and other government policies can adversely affect consumer confidence and spending. While the economy in China has grown significantly over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing. The online retail industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns, and the macroeconomic environment in China may affect our business and prospects. A prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may lead to a reduced level of online purchasing activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, the domestic and international political environments, including military conflicts and political turmoil or social instability, may also adversely affect consumer confidence and reduce spending, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly, and the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules may contain inconsistencies and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, the regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.

Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all and may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

 

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You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the prospectus based on foreign laws.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and most are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside China. In addition, China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the Cayman Islands and many other countries and regions. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these non-PRC jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible.

It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.

Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.

We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

We are a Cayman Islands holding company and we rely principally on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiaries for our cash requirements, including for services of any debt we may incur. The ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends and other distributions on equity, in turn, depends on the payment they receive from our VIEs as service fees pursuant to certain contractual arrangements among our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and our VIEs’ shareholders entered into to comply with certain restrictions under PRC law on foreign investment. For more information about such contractual arrangements, see “Our History and Corporate Structure—Contractual Arrangements with Our VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders.”

Our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends is based upon its distributable earnings. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their respective shareholders only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. If our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to distribute dividends or other payments to their respective shareholders could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

To address the persistent capital outflow and the Renminbi’s depreciation against the U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter of 2016, the People’s Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE,

 

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have implemented a series of capital control measures in the subsequent months, including stricter vetting procedures for China-based companies to remit foreign currency for overseas acquisitions, dividend payments and shareholder loan repayments. For instance, the Circular on Promoting the Reform of Foreign Exchange Management and Improving Authenticity and Compliance Review, or the SAFE Circular 3, issued on January 26, 2017, provides that the banks shall, when dealing with dividend remittance transactions from domestic enterprise to its offshore shareholders of more than US$50,000, review the relevant board resolutions, original tax filing form and audited financial statements of such domestic enterprise based on the principal of genuine transaction. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls and our PRC subsidiaries’ dividends and other distributions may be subject to tightened scrutiny in the future. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax at a rate of 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless reduced under treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC resident enterprises are tax resident.

The custodians or authorized users of our controlling non-tangible assets, including chops and seals, may fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets.

Under the PRC law, legal documents for corporate transactions, including agreements and contracts are executed using the chop or seal of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with relevant PRC industry and commerce authorities.

In order to secure the use of our chops and seals, we have established internal control procedures and rules for using these chops and seals. In any event that the chops and seals are intended to be used, the responsible personnel will submit the application which will then be verified and approved by authorized employees in accordance with our internal control procedures and rules. In addition, in order to maintain the physical security of our chops, we generally have them stored in secured locations accessible only to authorized employees. Although we monitor such authorized employees, the procedures may not be sufficient to prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. There is a risk that our employees could abuse their authority, for example, by entering into a contract not approved by us or seeking to gain control of one of our subsidiaries or VIEs. If any employee obtains, misuses or misappropriates our chops and seals or other controlling non-tangible assets for whatever reason, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations. We may have to take corporate or legal action, which could involve significant time and resources to resolve and divert management from our operations.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation subsided and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. While appreciating approximately by 7% against the U.S. dollar in 2017, the Renminbi in 2018 depreciated approximately by 5% against the U.S. dollar. In August 2019, Renminbi once plunged to the weakest level against the U.S. dollar in more than a decade, which raised fears of further escalation in the Sino-US trade friction as the United States labeled China as a currency manipulator after such sharp depreciation. Since October 1, 2016, the Renminbi has joined the International Monetary Fund’s basket of

 

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currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and there is no guarantee that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

A majority of our revenue is denominated in Renminbi. Vast majority of our costs are denominated in Renminbi and a portion of them are denominated in U.S. dollars and Hong Kong dollars as we import certain products from overseas. We are a holding company and we rely on dividends paid by our operating subsidiaries in China for our cash needs. Any significant revaluation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial position reported in Renminbi when translated into U.S. dollars, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, the ADSs in U.S. dollars. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any material hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company primarily relies on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.

In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny of major outbound capital movement including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting process are put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions falling under the capital account. See “Regulation— Regulations on Foreign Exchange” and “Regulation—Regulations on Outbound Direct Investment”.

We have notified all PRC entities who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company to complete the overseas direct investment registrations and filings. However, we may not be informed

 

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of the identities of all the PRC entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with overseas direct investment registration or filing requirements as required by SAFE, NDRC and MOC regulations. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners which are PRC entities have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update any applicable overseas direct investment registrations or approvals. If any of our shareholders regulated by such policies fails to satisfy the applicable overseas direct investment filing or approval requirement timely or at all, it may be subject to penalties from the relevant PRC authorities, and our PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be further restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries. The PRC government may at its discretion further restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs. In addition, our shareholders may be required to suspend or stop the investment and complete the registration within a specified time, and may be warned or prosecuted for criminal liability if a crime is constituted. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.

Certain PRC regulations may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.

Among other things, the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. Such regulation requires, among other things, that MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor acquires control of a PRC domestic enterprise or a foreign company with substantial PRC operations, if certain thresholds under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, issued by the State Council in 2008, are triggered. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC which became effective in 2008 requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds must be cleared by MOFCOM before they can be completed. In addition, PRC national security review rules which became effective in September 2011 require acquisitions by foreign investors of PRC companies engaged in military related or certain other industries that are crucial to national security be subject to security review before consummation of any such acquisition. We may pursue potential strategic acquisitions that are complementary to our business and operations. Complying with the requirements of these regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval or clearance from MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries and to make loans to our VIEs, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries, consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, or we may establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, or we may acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in an offshore transaction.

Most of these ways are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example, loans by us to our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. If we decide to finance our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries by means of capital contributions, these capital contributions are subject to the requirement of making necessary filings in the

 

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Foreign Investment Comprehensive Management Information System and registration with other governmental authorities in China. Due to the restrictions imposed on loans in foreign currencies extended to any PRC domestic companies, we are not likely to make such loans to our consolidated affiliated entities, which are PRC domestic company. Further, we are not likely to finance the activities of our consolidated affiliated entities by means of capital contributions due to regulatory restrictions relating to foreign investment in PRC domestic enterprises engaged in value-added telecommunication services and certain other businesses.

SAFE promulgated Circular on the Reforming of the Management Method of the Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective June 2015, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Issues Concerning the Launch of Reforming Trial of the Administration Model of the Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses. According to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for the issuance of Renminbi entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that Renminbi capital converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in China in actual practice. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue Renminbi entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from this offering, to our PRC subsidiaries, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China.

On October 23, 2019, the SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting the Convenience of Cross-border Trade and Investment, or the SAFE Circular 28, which, among other things, allows all foreign-invested companies to use Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in China, as long as the equity investment is genuine, does not violate applicable laws, and complies with the negative list on foreign investment. However, since the SAFE Circular 28 is newly promulgated, it is unclear how SAFE and competent banks will carry this out in practice.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we received from our initial public offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

 

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PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

SAFE promulgated the Circular on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing with such PRC residents or entities’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions. According to the Circular of Further Simplifying and Improving the Policies of Foreign Exchange Administration Applicable to Direct Investment released in February 2015 by SAFE, local banks will examine and handle foreign exchange registration for overseas direct investment, including the initial foreign exchange registration and amendment registration, under SAFE Circular 37 from June 2015. See “Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Exchange” and “Regulation—Regulations on Offshore Special Purpose Companies Held by PRC Residents.”

If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE, NDRC or MOC branches, our PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries. In addition, our shareholders may be required to suspend or stop the investment and complete the registration within a specified time, and may be warned or prosecuted for criminal liability if a crime is constituted. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.

We have notified all PRC residents or entities who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company and who are known to us as being PRC residents to complete the foreign exchange registrations. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update any applicable registrations or approvals required by SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiaries, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

 

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Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, replacing earlier rules promulgated in 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas-listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas-entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options will be subject to these regulations when our company becomes an overseas-listed company upon the completion of this offering. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions, there may be additional restrictions on the ability of them to exercise their stock options or remit proceeds gained from sale of their stock into the PRC. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See “Regulation—Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans.”

If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and ADS holders.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China, and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe our company is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that our company is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we will be subject to PRC enterprise income on our worldwide income at the rate of 25%. Furthermore, we will be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares,

 

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if such gain is treated as derived from a PRC source. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% (which, in the case of dividends, may be withheld at source by us). These rates may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty, but it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would, in practice, be able to obtain the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7. SAT Bulletin 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving the transfer of taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Bulletin 7 has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Bulletin 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets.

On October 17, 2017, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. The SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax.

Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Bulletin 7 and/or SAT Bulletin 37. For transfer of shares in our company by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under SAT Bulletin 7 and/or SAT Bulletin 37. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Bulletin 7 and/or SAT Bulletin 37 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor that is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit reports included elsewhere in this prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, as an auditor of

 

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companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with applicable professional standards. Our auditor is located in, and organized under the laws of, the PRC, which is a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities.

On May 24, 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by the PCAOB, the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States and the PRC, respectively. The PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. On April 21, 2020, the Chairman of the SEC, the Chairman of the PCAOB and certain other SEC divisional heads jointly issued a public statement highlighting the significant disclosure, financial reporting and other risks associated with emerging market investments, including the PCAOB’s continued inability to inspect audit work papers in China. The 2018 joint statement and the 2020 public statement reflect a heightened regulatory interest in this issue. In response to the U.S. President Trump’s Memorandum on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies, on August 6, 2020, the U.S. President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (the “PWG”) released a report where it recommends that the SEC take steps to enhanced listing requirements on companies from certain jurisdictions, such as China, that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to audit working papers. The proposed enhanced listing standards require, as a condition to initial and continued exchange listing, unrestricted PCAOB access to work papers of the principal audit firm for the audit of the listed company. Companies that are unable to satisfy this standard as a result of governmental restrictions may satisfy this standard by providing a co-audit from an audit firm with comparable resources and experience where the PCAOB determines it has sufficient access to audit work papers and practices to conduct an appropriate inspection of the co-audit firm. The proposed new listing standards provide for a transition period until January 1, 2022 for currently listed companies. After this transition period, if currently listed companies were unable to meet the enhances listing standards, then they would become subject to securities exchange rules and processes that could lead to possible de-listing if not cured. The measures in the PWG report are presumably subject to the standard SEC rulemaking process before becoming effective. On August 10, 2020, the SEC announced that SEC Chairman Jay Clayton had directed the SEC staff to prepare proposals in response to the PWG report, and that the SEC was soliciting public comments and information with respect to these proposals. The PCAOB’s inspections of other firms outside China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. However, it remains unclear what additional actions the SEC and the stock exchanges will take in response to the PWG report.

This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our independent registered public accounting firm. As a result, we and investors in our ADSs are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our ADSs to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

In addition, as part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress, which if passed, would require the SEC to

 

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maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges such as the NYSE of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed S. 945, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the Kennedy Bill. On July 21, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which contains provisions comparable to the Kennedy Bill. Enactment of this legislation or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the ADSs could be adversely affected.

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain PRC-based accounting firms, including the affiliate of our independent registered public accounting firm, or any related adverse regulatory development in the PRC, could result in our financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In December 2012, the SEC instituted administrative proceedings against the Big Four PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that these firms had violated U.S. securities laws and the SEC’s rules and regulations thereunder by failing to provide to the SEC the firms’ audit work papers with respect to certain PRC-based companies that are publicly traded in the United States.

On January 22, 2014, the administrative law judge presiding over the matter rendered an initial decision that each of the firms had violated the SEC’s rules of practice by failing to produce audit papers and other documents to the SEC. The initial decision censured each of the firms and barred them from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months.

On February 6, 2015, the four China-based accounting firms each agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC and audit U.S.-listed companies. The settlement required the firms to follow detailed procedures and to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four China-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice four years after entry of the settlement. The four-year mark occurred on February 6, 2019.

While we cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four China-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions, if the accounting firms are subject to additional remedial measures, our ability to file our financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could be impacted. A determination that we have not timely filed financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ordinary shares or ADSs or the termination of the registration of our ordinary shares or ADSs under the Exchange Act, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the United States.

Changes in U.S. and international policies, particularly with regard to China, may adversely impact our business and operating results.

The U.S. government has recently made statements and taken certain actions that may lead to potential changes to U.S. and international trade policies, including imposing several rounds of tariffs affecting certain products manufactured in China. In March 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum entering the United States and in June 2018 announced further tariffs targeting goods imported from China. Recently both China and the U.S. have each imposed tariffs indicating the potential

 

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for further trade barriers. It is unknown whether and to what extent new tariffs (or other new laws or regulations) will be adopted, or the effect that any such actions would have on us or our industry. Any unfavorable government policies on international trade, such as capital controls or tariffs, may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any new tariffs, legislation and/or regulations are implemented, or if existing trade agreements are renegotiated or, in particular, if the U.S. government takes retaliatory trade actions due to the recent U.S.-China trade tension, such changes could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition to the proposed U.S. legislation and policies relating to Chinese companies’ compliance with applicable U.S. securities laws, our business and prospect may also be negatively affected by other changes in governmental policies including sanctions and export controls administered by U.S. government authorities, including those imposed as a result of a material deterioration of the political or economic relations between China and the United States and other geopolitical challenges. There is no assurance that the governmental authorities in the United States will not take any such actions against us or affiliates in the event the tensions between China and the United States escalate, which could result in a material and adverse impact on our business and prospect.

Risks Related to the ADSs and This Offering

An active trading market for our ordinary shares or the ADSs may not develop and the trading price for the ADSs may fluctuate significantly.

We intend to list the ADSs on the NYSE. We have no current intention to seek a listing for our ordinary shares on any stock exchange. Prior to the completion of this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares, and we cannot assure you that a liquid public market for the ADSs will develop or if it does develop, will sustain. If an active public market for the ADSs does not develop following the completion of this offering, the market price and liquidity of the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. The initial public offering price for the ADSs was determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based upon several factors, and we can provide no assurance that the trading price of the ADSs after this offering will not decline below the initial public offering price. As a result, investors in our securities may experience a significant decrease in the value of their ADSs.

The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, including the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for the ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

 

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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations, e.g. net revenues, earnings and cash flows;

 

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the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;

 

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announcements of significant technical innovations, new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, results of operations or capital commitments by us or our competitors;

 

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announcements of new offerings, solutions and expansions by us or our competitors;

 

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failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our company, changes in financial estimates or ratings by any securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;

 

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detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services or our industry;

 

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announcements of new regulations, rules or policies relevant to our business;

 

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additions or departures of key personnel;

 

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release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities;

 

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potential litigation or regulatory investigations; and

 

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other events or factors, including those resulting from war, epidemics, incidents of terrorism or responses to these events.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the ADSs will trade.

In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Under our proposed dual-class share structure with different voting rights, holders of Class B ordinary shares will have complete control of the outcome of matters put to a vote of shareholders, which will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and the ADSs may view as beneficial. Future issuances or conversion of our Class B ordinary shares could result in dilution to existing holders of our Class A ordinary shares.

We have adopted a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares will consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, which will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 20 votes. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person who is not a Founder or an affiliate of a Founder, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B ordinary share to a person who is not a Founder or an affiliate of a Founder, each of such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into one Class A ordinary share. There is no limit on the circumstances where holders of Class B ordinary shares may transfer or otherwise dispose of their Class B ordinary shares. We will sell Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs in this offering.

Immediately upon the completion of this offering, our Founders will beneficially own all of our issued Class B ordinary shares, and they will in the aggregate hold approximately 19.2% of our total issued and outstanding share capital and 83.7% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option.

As a result of this dual-class share structure, the holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have complete control over the outcome of matters put to a vote of shareholders and have significant influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations, liquidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. Assuming no exercise of the over-allotment options by the underwriters, immediately following the completion of this offering, the holders of Class B ordinary shares will continue to control the outcome of a shareholder vote (i) with respect to matters requiring an ordinary resolution which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of shareholder votes, to the extent that the Class B ordinary shares represent at least 4.8% of our total issued and outstanding share capital; and (ii) with respect to matters requiring a special resolution which requires the affirmative vote of no

 

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less than two-thirds of shareholder votes, to the extent that the Class B ordinary shares represent at least 9.1% of our total issued and outstanding share capital. The holders of Class B ordinary shares may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders or holders of the ADSs. It may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of the ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Future issuances of our Class B ordinary shares, which can be approved by our board of directors, could result in dilution to existing holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Such issuances, or the perception that such issuances may occur, could depress the market price of our ADSs. We may issue additional equity securities from time to time, including Class B ordinary shares. As a result, purchasers of ADSs in this offering bear the risk that future issuances of equity securities may reduce the value of their ADSs and dilute their ownership interests. In addition, any conversion of any Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, at the option of any holder of Class B ordinary shares, would dilute holders of Class A ordinary shares in terms of voting power and beneficial ownership and as a result, the market price of our ADSs could be adversely affected. Furthermore, the conversion of Class B ordinary shares to Class A ordinary shares, while increasing the absolute voting power of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, may have the effect of increasing the relative voting power of the holders of Class B ordinary shares who retain their shares in the long term. As a result, the relative voting power of holders of Class A ordinary shares may remain limited for a significant period of time.

The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our ADSs.

S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have recently announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our ADSs.

Because our initial public offering price is substantially higher than our net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay more for your ADSs than the amount paid by our existing shareholders for their ordinary shares on a per ADS basis. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately US$10.61 per ADS, representing the difference between the initial public offering price of US$11.00 per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range shown on the front cover of this prospectus, and our net tangible book value per ADS as of June 30, 2020, after giving effect to the net proceeds we receive from this offering. See “Dilution” for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in the ADSs will be diluted upon the completion of this offering.

We have broad discretion to determine how to use the funds we receive from this offering, and may use them in ways that may not enhance our operating results or the price of our common stock.

Our discretion over the use of proceeds we receive from this offering, and we could spend the proceeds we receive from this offering in ways our ADS holders may not agree with or that do not yield a favorable return, or no return at all. We currently expect to use the net proceeds to further invest in research and development, including big data technology, develop and market our private label brands, improve our fulfillment and warehousing capabilities, seek for potential merger and acquisition opportunities and satisfy other general corporate purposes. However, our use of these proceeds may differ substantially from our current plans. If we do

 

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not invest or apply the proceeds we receive from this offering in ways that improve our operating results, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause the price of ADSs to decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade the ADSs or change their opinion on the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.

The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

Sales of substantial amounts of ADSs in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. There will be 7,000,000 ADSs (representing 5,250,000 Class A ordinary shares) issued and outstanding immediately after this offering, or 8,050,000 ADSs (representing 6,037,500 Class A ordinary shares) if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full. In connection with this offering, we, our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders holding over 87% of all of our issued and outstanding shares as of the date of this prospectus, certain warrant holders and certain of our option holders have agreed, subject to certain customary exceptions, not to sell any ordinary shares or ADSs for 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the representative of the underwriters. However, the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of the ADSs. See “Underwriting” and “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.

Techniques employed by short sellers may drive down the market price of the ADSs.

Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is in the short seller’s interest for the price of the security to decline, many short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a security short. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market.

Public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of short selling. Much of the scrutiny and negative publicity has centered on allegations of a lack of effective internal control over financial reporting resulting in financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result, many of these companies are now conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations and, in the interim, are subject to shareholder lawsuits and/or SEC enforcement actions.

It is not clear what effect such negative publicity could have on us. If we were to become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we could have to expend a significant amount of resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend ourselves. While we would strongly defend against any such short seller attacks, we may be constrained in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law or issues of commercial

 

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confidentiality. Such a situation could be costly and time-consuming, and could distract our management from growing our business. Even if such allegations are ultimately proven to be groundless, allegations against us could severely impact our business operations, and any investment in the ADSs could be greatly reduced or even rendered worthless.

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you must rely on a price appreciation of the ADSs for a return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

Our Board of Directors has discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our Board of Directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under PRC law.

The M&A Rules purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals and that have been formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain CSRC approval prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear. If CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether it would be possible for us to obtain the approval, and any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for this offering would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies.

Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our PRC legal counsel, has advised us that, based on its understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, we will not be required to submit an application to the CSRC for the approval of this offering and the listing and trading of our ADSs on the NYSE because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to this regulation, (ii) we established the WFOEs by means of direct investment and not through a merger or acquisition of the equity or assets of a “PRC domestic company” as such term is defined under the M&A Rules; and (iii) no provision in the M&A Rules classifies the contractual arrangements under the VIE Agreements as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules.

However, our PRC legal counsel has further advised us that there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering, and its opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC legal counsel, and hence we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of

 

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China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered hereby. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (2020 Revision) (the “Companies Law”) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England and Wales, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of association) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to completion of this offering to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. If we choose to follow home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management or members of the board of directors than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations

 

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are conducted in China. In addition, all of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.” However, the deposit agreement gives you the right to submit claims against us to binding arbitration, and arbitration awards may be enforceable against us and our assets in China even when court judgments are not.

ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial for any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.

If we or the depositary were to oppose a jury trial based on this waiver, the court would have to determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of the case in accordance with applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, or by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this would be the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before investing in the ADSs.

If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs, including purchasers of ADSs in secondary market transactions, bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of increasing the cost of bringing a claim and limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against either or both of us and the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have, including outcomes that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or the ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to direct the voting of the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs.

As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we may, but are not obliged by the Companies Law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our Post-IPO MAA provide that we may (but are

 

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not obliged to) each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting. As a holder of ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights which attach to the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you may vote only by giving voting instructions to the depositary, as holder of the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary may try to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. If we ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with those instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise any right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares unless you withdraw the shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to enable you to withdraw the shares underlying your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our Post-IPO MAA that will become effective immediately prior to completion of this offering, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. Where any matter is to be put to a vote at a general meeting, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and to deliver our voting materials to you, if we ask it to. We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting material in time to ensure you can direct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the shares underlying your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

You may experience dilution of your holdings due to the inability to participate in rights offerings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. However, we cannot make such rights available to you in the United States unless we register both the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of the ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

You may be subject to limitations on the transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems it expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our register of members or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any

 

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requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we remain an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.

Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

 

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the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;

 

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the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

 

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the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and

 

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the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the NYSE. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the NYSE corporate governance listing standards.

As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and listed on the NYSE, we are subject to corporate governance listing standards of the NYSE. However, the NYSE rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. We currently intend to follow Cayman Islands corporate governance practices in lieu of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE that listed companies must (i) have a majority of independent directors, (ii) have a minimum of three members at its audit committee, (iii) have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors, and (iv) have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. To the extent that we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under the NYSE corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

 

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There can be no assurance that we will not be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for the current or any future taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in the ADSs or our Class A ordinary shares.

In general, a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year in which (i) 50% or more of the average value of its assets (generally determined on a quarterly basis) consists of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income, or (ii) 75% or more of its gross income consists of passive income. For purposes of the above calculations, a non-U.S. corporation that owns, directly or indirectly, at least 25% by value of the shares of another corporation is treated as if it held its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and received directly its proportionate share of the income of the other corporation. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents, royalties and certain gains. Cash is a passive asset for these purposes. Goodwill is generally characterized as an active asset if it is associated with business activities that produce active income.

Based on the manner in which we conduct our business, the expected composition of our income and assets, and the value of our assets (including goodwill, which is based on the expected price of the ADSs in this offering), we do not expect to be a PFIC for our current taxable year or in the reasonably foreseeable future. However, our PFIC status for any taxable year is an annual determination that can be made only after the end of that year. Our PFIC status for any taxable year will depend on the composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets from time to time (which may be determined, in part, by reference to the market price of the ADSs, which could be volatile). We will hold a substantial amount of cash following this offering and therefore may become a PFIC if our market capitalization declines significantly. Moreover, it is not entirely clear how the contractual arrangements between us, our VIEs and their nominal shareholders will be treated for purposes of the PFIC rules, and we may be or become a PFIC if our VIEs are not treated as owned by us for these purposes. In addition, the extent to which our goodwill should be characterized as an active asset is not entirely clear. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for our current or any future taxable year. If we were a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. taxpayer held ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. taxpayer generally would be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, including increased tax liability on disposition gains and “excess distributions” and additional reporting requirements. See “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate” and “potential,” among others.

Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this prospectus and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to of various factors, including, but not limited to, those identified under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. These risks and uncertainties include factors relating to:

 

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our mission and strategies;

 

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our future business development, financial conditions and results of operations;

 

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the expected growth of the online retail and pet industries in China;

 

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our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our products and services;

 

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our expectations regarding keeping and strengthening our relationships with customers, users, KOLs, brand partners, manufacturers, strategic partners, offline pet stores and pet hospitals and other stakeholders;

 

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competition in our industry;

 

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general economic and business condition in China

 

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our proposed use of proceeds; and

 

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relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry.

This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. Our industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of this market to grow at the projected rate may have a material and adverse effect on our business and the market price of our ADSs. In addition, the rapidly changing nature of pet industry results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to release publicly any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We expect to receive total estimated net proceeds from this offering of approximately US$66.0 million, or approximately US$76.8 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full, based on the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the front cover of this prospectus, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us. A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of US$11.00 per ADS would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately US$6.5 million, assuming the number of ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the front cover of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for the following purposes:

 

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35% to further invest in content innovation, membership system development and research and development, including big data technology;

 

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20% to develop and market our private label brands;

 

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15% to improve our fulfillment and warehousing capabilities;

 

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15% to seek for potential merger and acquisition opportunities; and

 

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15% to satisfy other general corporate purposes.

The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the ADSs and This Offering—We have broad discretion to determine how to use the funds we receive from this offering, and may use them in ways that may not enhance our operating results or the price of our common stock.”

In utilizing the proceeds from this offering, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions, and to our VIEs only through loans, and only if we satisfy the applicable government registration and approval requirements. The relevant filing and registration processes for capital contributions typically take approximately eight weeks to complete. The filing and registration processes for loans typically take approximately four weeks or longer to complete. While we currently see no material obstacles to completing the filing and registration procedures with respect to future capital contributions and loans to our PRC subsidiaries or loans to our VIEs, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete these filings and registrations on a timely basis, or at all. For more information about such requirements, see “Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Exchange” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries and to make loans to our VIEs, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.” We expect that the net proceeds from this offering to be used in the PRC will be in the form of Renminbi and, therefore, our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs will need to convert any capital contributions or loans from U.S. dollars into Renminbi in accordance with applicable PRC laws and regulations. All of the net proceeds from this offering would be available for investment in our operations in the PRC, subject to the foregoing statutory limits on the amount of loans provided to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs in the PRC and the laws and regulations on the conversion from U.S. dollars into Renminbi.

Pending use of the net proceeds, we intend to hold our net proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing, financial instruments or demand deposits.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not previously declared or paid any cash dividend or dividend in kind and we have no plan to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future on our shares or the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We rely principally on dividends from our PRC subsidiaries for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See “Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Exchange” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.”

Our board of directors has discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant. If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends which are payable in respect of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such Class A ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to the ADS holders in proportion to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares.”

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The table below sets forth our capitalization as of June 30, 2020:

 

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on an actual basis;

 

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on a pro forma basis to give effect to the (i) the redesignation of 12,204,604 ordinary shares held by Merchant Tycoon Limited and beneficially owned by Hao (Louis) Liang, Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang and Di (Jackie) Chen into Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (ii) the automatic conversion and redesignation of 833,125 Series C preferred shares held by Merchant Tycoon Limited and beneficially owned by Hao (Louis) Liang, Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang and Di (Jackie) Chen into Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (iii) the redesignation of all of the remaining ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (iv) the automatic conversion of 10,340,000 Series A preferred shares into 7,844,137 ordinary shares on a 1: 0.76 basis, and redesignation of such as-converted ordinary shares into 7,844,137 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (v) the automatic conversion of 9,067,384 Series B preferred shares into 8,557,980 ordinary shares on a 1:0.94 basis, and redesignation of such as-converted ordinary shares into 8,557,980 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, and (vi) the automatic conversion and redesignation of all of the remaining issued and outstanding preferred shares into Class A 16,457,545 ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and

 

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on a pro forma as adjusted basis to give effect to (i) the redesignation of 12,204,604 ordinary shares held by Merchant Tycoon Limited and beneficially owned by Hao (Louis) Liang, Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang and Di (Jackie) Chen into Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (ii) the automatic conversion and redesignation of 833,125 Series C preferred shares held by Merchant Tycoon Limited and beneficially owned by Hao (Louis) Liang, Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang and Di (Jackie) Chen into Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (iii) the redesignation of all of the remaining ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (iv) the automatic conversion of 10,340,000 Series A preferred shares into 7,844,137 ordinary shares on a 1: 0.76 basis, and redesignation of such as-converted ordinary shares into 7,844,137 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (v) the automatic conversion of 9,067,384 Series B preferred shares into 8,557,980 ordinary shares on a 1:0.94 basis, and redesignation of such as-converted ordinary shares into 8,557,980 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (vi) the automatic conversion of 6,734,459 Series C+ preferred shares (issued upon exercise of the CMB Warrant in August 2020) into 6,883,520 ordinary shares on a 1:1.02 basis, and redesignation of such as-converted ordinary shares into 6,883,520 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (vii) the automatic conversion and redesignation of all of the remaining issued and outstanding preferred shares into 16,457,545 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering, and (viii) the issuance and sale of 5,250,000 Class A ordinary shares in the form of 7,000,000 ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$11.00 per ADS (the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range shown on the front cover of this prospectus), after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs.

 

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You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

		As of June 30, 2020
		Actual								Pro forma								Pro forma as adjusted(1)(2)
		RMB				US$				RMB				US$				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
		(unaudited)								(unaudited)								(unaudited)
Other debts, current			76,773				10,867				76,773				10,867				76,773				10,867
Operating lease liabilities, current			9,365				1,326				9,365				1,326				9,365				1,326
Operating lease liabilities, non-current			25,305				3,582				25,305				3,582				25,305				3,582
Other debts, non-current(3)			169,401				23,977				169,401				23,977				472,626				66,896
Long-term borrowings			47,113				6,668				47,113				6,668				47,113				6,668
Mezzanine equity:
Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 11,000,000 shares authorized, 10,340,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020; and nil outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2020)			494,338				69,969				—				—				—				—
Series B convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized, 9,067,384 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020; and nil outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2020)			537,370				76,060				—				—				—				—
Series C convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 6,000,000 shares authorized, 5,518,101 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020; and nil outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2020)			425,800				60,268				—				—				—				—
Series D convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 3,000,000 shares authorized, 2,526,026 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020; and nil outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2020)			191,041				27,040				—				—				—				—
Series D-1 convertible redeemable preferred shares (US$0.001 par value; 3,000,000 shares authorized, 2,178,530 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020; and nil outstanding on a pro-forma basis as of June 30, 2020)			165,807				23,468				—				—				—				—

 

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