NABC Chapter 184 Booming Business
Chapter 184 Booming Business
The business on the first day of opening was so bad that even the word "dismal" would be an understatement; it was downright appalling.
The official launch of Yuanxian Wardrobe did not bring a stunning start; competitors were overjoyed, and ridicule was inevitable.
However, Lu Yuan was not flustered. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and this situation was within his expectations.
More concerned than the dismal sales on the first day was whether his friends' posts on social media had made a splash.
He knew that in the internet age, discussion was more important than anything else.
As long as everyone is willing to discuss, it can spark the curiosity of more people, like throwing a stone into water.
Once curiosity is piqued, people will inevitably come to find out for themselves.
Sure enough, by the next day, the store's popularity began to rebound significantly, although most of the visitors were Lu Yuan's classmates and friends.
Among them was Lisa Thomas, who had always been very interested in Lu Yuan. She just came to take a look and chat with Lu Yuan; she didn't buy anything, probably because she wouldn't buy such inexpensive items, given her social status.
Everyone was wondering: after finishing the college entrance exam, other people either go on vacation to relax or go to summer jobs, but Lu Yuanjian took a different path and took over a shop to become a clothing store owner.
Logically speaking, Lu Yuan's family is quite wealthy, so why did he start messing around with this?
Or is it simply that he wants to experience what it's like to be a boss?
Initially, everyone did come out of curiosity to watch the spectacle.
But as soon as they stepped into the store, their eyes swept over the price tags and they found that the clothes here were not only stylish but also quite cheap, so they were tempted and picked out a couple of items.
Even more amazing is that the store also launched a "try on clothes, post an update, and get cashback for likes" campaign.
Simply post photos of yourself trying on clothes to QQ Space, community forums, Weibo, or even discount groups and family groups, and you can get a cashback at the store or have it directly deducted from your next purchase by showing a screenshot of the likes.
This completely ignited everyone's desire to share.
Later on, some people posted updates not for the cashback, but purely to compete. They wanted to see who had more likes and who had a wider social circle.
This unexpected competitive mentality has, ironically, brought a viral spread to Farstring Wardrobe.
Just three days later, the store experienced an explosive growth in customer traffic, with women accounting for 70% of them.
Women typically spend three to four times longer shopping than men, tirelessly changing clothes in the fitting room and sometimes spending most of the day trying them on.
Boys, on the other hand, are much more decisive. If they think something is good, they'll just pay for it directly, and most of them won't even try it out.
There are just too many people. The number of like screenshots to process every day is enormous, and Gao Ya simply can't handle it all by herself.
Lu Yuan made a quick decision and brought Gao Zhe and Wang Qingyu in as temporary workers, specifically to review the screenshots.
There are all sorts of birds in a big forest. Some people cheat in order to get cashback, stealing other people's screenshots and photoshopping them to try to fool others.
Gao Zhe and Wang Qingyu had developed a keen eye for detail; once they discovered something, they wouldn't make a fuss about it in public, but would simply offer a subtle reminder.
Those who know what's good for them will understand and pretend nothing happened; but there are always some who won't admit it until they're faced with a real crisis, and they'll keep confronting them, making the shop quite noisy.
Because of the excitement, even passersby who were not originally interested in this street were drawn over to see what was going on.
Lu Yuan has been so busy these past few days that he barely has time to breathe. Even after getting home and having dinner, he still locks himself in his room and fiddles with data.
At first, his parents only knew that their son was running a shop, so they came to take a look and found that the business was indeed booming. Since Lu Yuan was too busy to handle everything, they asked Ye Yixian to come and help.
With Ye Yixian joining the team, the store's management finally became a bit smoother.
Lu Yuan then stepped back from the front lines, mainly responsible for recording the sales of each style.
In less than a week, two styles have already sold out.
These were undoubtedly the most popular products in the market, and Lu Yuan immediately noted them down, preparing to restock in large quantities.
His marketing strategy was explosive; young people are naturally drawn to trends, and Yuanxian Wardrobe focuses on affordability, making it accessible to almost everyone.
Once the news spreads, it can easily attract a huge number of consumers.
However, his initial order volume was far too conservative.
Originally, the plan was to test the market for a week, collect the data, and then order new stock. However, in less than seven days, the popular styles were sold out.
Yuanxian Wardrobe, which boasts "a wide variety of styles to choose from," can't just have a few leftover, substandard items on its shelves.
Lu Yuan immediately made the decision and ordered eight popular styles, five thousand pieces of each style.
The wholesalers in the provincial capital didn't take this young man seriously at first, thinking he was just a flash in the pan and would only buy a small batch of goods, which he wouldn't buy again if he couldn't sell them.
But only a few days later, Lu Yuan not only added more items to his cart, but his order volume also increased several times over.
If they can't sell them, who would be so foolish as to spend money to buy more?
The wholesaler then realized he had misjudged the young boss and never dared to underestimate him again.
A few days later, the growth rate of customer traffic at Yuanxian Wardrobe began to stabilize, but it was still a steady stream of customers.
How could the clothing store owners in the vicinity not be envious?
People flocked to learn the secret, eager to see what magic Yuanxian's wardrobe had been enchanted with.
When they learned that QQ Space and Weibo were used for social media viral marketing, they tried to imitate it.
Gao Ya was worried after learning about this and couldn't help but ask, "Lu Yuan, other shops are copying our advertising methods. Won't they steal our customers?"
"No." Lu Yuan shook his head, a confident smile playing on his lips. "I've already done my research. The clothing retailers here source their goods differently than we do, and their main focus isn't on affordable prices and high volume sales. No matter how fancy the advertising is, it's all for nothing if the products themselves can't meet customer expectations."
He paused, then continued his analysis: "We're a new store, small and agile, so we can be flexible with our sales strategies. But they're an established store with a loyal customer base. If we rashly lower prices and change our marketing model, we might not only fail to attract new customers, but our existing customers might also feel that the brand has lost its value and ultimately be abandoned."
After listening to this insightful analysis, Gao Ya finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Subsequent developments completely confirmed Lu Yuan's judgment.
Although those established stores also attracted some people using the same tactics, they never managed to reach the bustling popularity of Far String Wardrobe.
Yuanxian Wardrobe only needs to continuously provide new styles and accurately record popular trends to steadily reap the benefits brought by this wave of popularity.
When others try to find out about sourcing channels and learn about operating models, they will always be a step behind.
Moreover, Lu Yuan also attaches great importance to the IP development of Yuanxian Wardrobe.
He affixed meticulously designed custom stickers to invoices, hang tags, and clothing bags, subtly helping customers remember the store.
Once it gains a reputation, Yuanxian Wardrobe will become the first choice for people buying affordable clothes, which largely builds a moat that can withstand the impact of later imitators.
Two weeks later, Yuanxian Wardrobe finally gained a firm foothold, with a steady stream of customers every day.
Of course, things didn't always go smoothly during this period.
For example, some people regret their purchase after buying it, or they dislike the workmanship or the fabric and come to request a refund.
In such cases, as long as it's not malicious sabotage and the tags are still on, Lu Yuan supports refunds and exchanges.
Today, the division of labor within the Yuanxian Wardrobe team is completely clear:
Lu Yuan is the chief planner and boss, responsible for unified scheduling, style statistics, and inventory arrangements;
Gao Ya is an accountant and salesperson;
Lin Kai is a warehouse manager;
Ye Yixian is a mobile worker; he can be moved wherever he is needed.
Gao Zhe and Wang Qingyu are front desk customer service representatives, specializing in handling various after-sales issues.
Everything is thriving and satisfactory.
Although everyone was exhausted every day, they were overjoyed to see real money coming in.
However, the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind.
All of this was destined to be anything but smooth sailing. In the shadows, someone had already set their sights on Yuanxian Wardrobe, plotting how to completely extinguish this newly ignited flame.