A storm is approaching and the wind fills the building.
After the "discount package" was ingeniously dismantled and the "supply alliance" began to take shape, Zhang Defa, in a fit of rage and humiliation, finally tore off all his disguises and launched a blatant and almost fierce price offensive.
The news spread like wings throughout the streets and alleys of the prefectural city: Zhang Ji Embroidery Shop is offering a huge discount!
This is not a disguised promotion, nor is it bundled sales. It's a genuine price reduction!
Have you heard? "Zhang Ji's Huzhou silk handkerchiefs, which used to cost 100 cents per piece, are now only 60 cents!" "
Not only handkerchiefs! The most common cotton sweat towel in their family used to cost ten coins each, but now it costs five coins for two!
"Hangzhou silk jackets, for ordinary embroiderers, used to cost at least one tael of silver, but now they can be bought for just eight coins!"
"Crazy!" This note is really crazy! This is just losing money to make a fuss!
For a moment, the front of Zhang Ji Embroidery Shop was once again crowded with people, even more so than during the last "discount promotion". This time, it's a genuine price massacre, straightforward and brutal, directly targeting the most primitive desire for bargains in people's hearts.
Everyone understood that Zhang Ji's fire was aimed at the Splendid Pavilion, with the intention of using their abundant capital to wear out their rivals alive.
Inside the Splendid Pavilion, the atmosphere was suppressed to the extreme.
Looking at the significantly reduced flow of customers in front of their houses and listening to the clamor outside about Zhang Ji's price cuts, the guys all had anxiety written all over their faces.
The embroiderers in the workshop, although encouraged by the training, the sense of stability they had just established in their hearts began to waver in the face of such a fierce attack.
In the small hall at the back of the house, Uncle Wang was holding an abacus, his fingers trembling slightly, and his face was terrifyingly ashen.
"Second Miss..." I can't hold on any longer!
His voice was hoarse and carried a deep sense of powerlessness.
Zhang Ji has really gone all out this time! His reduced prices, many... Many are even lower than our purchase cost! If we follow suit and lower our prices, we'll lose everything in the warehouse within three days!
But if not... All the guests are going to be snatched away by him! There aren't many raw materials left in the warehouse now. The output is limited and no more customers come. We...
Ah Xing was also running around in a panic: "Yes, Second Miss!" I just went ahead and took a look. Many people who used to be our regular customers had come out of Zhang Ji with their belongings! Also said... They also said that the things in our Jinxiu Pavilion are good, but the prices are too high and not as cost-effective as those at Zhang Ji...
Shen Ruoxin stood by the window, with her back to them, looking out at the fragmented tree shadows cut by the sunlight. Her fingertips were slightly pale, revealing extreme restlessness in her heart.
Zhao Baopi's search for information about her and Lin Hai's whereabouts, as well as the money from the gold and silver threads whose whereabouts were unknown, weighed like two huge mountains on her heart.
Nowadays, Zhang Defa has launched this devastating price war again... Internal and external troubles seemed like an invisible net, threatening to strangle her and the Splendid Pavilion completely.
"Price reduction?" After a long while, Shen Ruoxin slowly turned around. There was no color on her face, but her eyes were exceptionally clear, even carrying a hint of almost resolute sharpness. "What can we offer to surrender to him?" How much savings do we have enough for him to spend?
She walked to the table, looked at the cost account calculated by Uncle Wang, and said coldly, "Zhang Defa is just forcing us to follow." Once we follow, we'll play right into his hands.
He has abundant capital and can afford it, but we can't. This price war, from the very beginning, we were doomed not to play according to his rules.
"Well..." Then what shall we do? Uncle Wang asked anxiously, "One can't just stand by and watch the guests leave, waiting to die, can one?"
Of course, one cannot just sit and wait for death. Shen Ruoxin's gaze fell on a freshly embroidered "landscape handkerchief" on the table, which was one of the most popular and best-selling products of Jinxiu Pavilion at present.
If he wants to hurt others with his own money, we have to hold back our sales as if they were gold. He wants to crush us with low prices, and we will counter him with "scarcity" and "extreme".
She raised her head, her eyes shining with wisdom: "Uncle Wang, pass on my words immediately." From now on, all the "Shanshui Pa" series of Jinxiu Pavilion, as well as several other regular embroidery products with moderate prices and good sales, will be subject to "purchase restrictions"!
"Purchase restriction?" Wang Bo and A Xing were both stunned.
"Right, purchase limited!" Shen Ruoxin's tone was resolute. "Each customer is limited to purchasing two pieces of the same type of embroidery per day!" In the most prominent position of the store, a sign is hung up, which reads, "Thank you for your love and support. The supply cannot meet the demand. To benefit more customers, some embroidered items are on sale in limited quantities starting today!"
Uncle Wang was greatly astonished: "Second Miss, this..." Isn't this pushing the guests out? The guests who have come with great difficulty, do we still restrict them from buying things?
"Push?" Shen Ruoxin's lips curved into a cold arc. "Uncle Wang, do you think that the easier something is to obtain, the less people cherish it?" The more restricted something is, the more scarce it seems.
By doing so, on the one hand, we can slow down the consumption of our already limited inventory and buy us time; Secondly, it can create a scene of "supply falling short of demand", suggesting that our products are of good quality and popular, in contrast to the cheap feeling of "selling at a loss" at Zhang Ji's place. Thirdly, it can also screen out those customers who truly appreciate our embroidery works rather than just seeking low prices.
"But..." What if the guests think we are being mysterious and don't come instead? A Xing worriedly said.
So, merely having purchase restrictions is not enough. Shen Ruoxin's gaze turned to the direction of the workshop, where a work that embodies the efforts of Li Molan, Wang Xiuniang and several top embroiderers was about to be completed. "We are also going to introduce the true 'store treasure', a 'high-priced unique item' that will amaze everyone!"
She took a deep breath and said, "Zhang Ji's price reduction is an attempt to drag everyone into the quagmire of low-end competition." We simply won't! We aim to create several truly collectible artworks with the ultimate craftsmanship, unique design, and even cost-free materials!
These things do not aim for high sales volume, but only to enhance our reputation and elevate the style of our Jinxiu Pavilion! Tell everyone that the Jinxiu Pavilion cannot be insulted at will with low prices!
"High-priced unique item?" What did Uncle Wang think of? "Second Miss" refers to... The "Phoenix Wearing Peonies" screen that Coach Li and the others have been embroidering recently?
Exactly!
A glimmer of anticipation flashed in Shen Ruoxin's eyes. "That screen not only uses the few and best quality gold and silver threads we have left, but also integrates various complex stitching techniques such as random stitch, seed stitch and flat embroidery. It is the result of the hard work of the two instructors and their apprentices working day and night."
When it's completed, we'll set a "sky-high price" for it! "Let the wind out! This is the only one of its kind and will never be replicated!"
"Sky-high price?" Uncle Wang was astonished. "Then..." Can it be sold?
Whether it can be sold or not is secondary. Shen Ruoxin said, "What's important is to make it a 'symbol', a 'benchmark'!"
Let those truly knowledgeable, tasteful and well-off distinguished guests know that Jinxiu Pavilion has great things, things worth their spending a fortune on! This is called "reverse stimulus".
The "unavailability" of high-priced unique items is used to set off the "worth getting" of limited-purchase items.
Wang Bo and A Xing seemed to understand, but looking at Shen Ruoxin's determined eyes, they knew that this was the only risky move they could make at present.
Soon, a prominent "Purchase Limit" sign was hung up at the entrance of the Jinxiu Pavilion.
The news spread and indeed caused an uproar.
What? Is there still a purchase restriction on the landscape napkins of Jinxiu Pavilion? Can one person only buy two cubic meters a day?
What's the point? "Zhang Ji's side is almost giving it away for free, but they still start to put on AIRS?" "
I think they can't hold on any longer. They must be out of stock!
"Not necessarily. I think the items at Jinxiu Pavilion are indeed good. Does the purchase restriction mean they don't have to worry about selling?" "
For a moment, there was a lot of discussion. Some customers who originally just wanted to follow the trend and watch the excitement were provoked by this "purchase restriction", and instead developed the thought of "having to buy it".
And those loyal customers, although they also find it somewhat inconvenient, have more understanding and a hidden sense of superiority - look, the things I bought need to be snatched!
A few days later, the Jinxiu Pavilion grandly launched that double-sided embroidered screen with a price tag of up to three hundred taels of silver, titled "Phoenix and Peony".
As soon as the screen was on display, it immediately attracted countless onlookers. The elegance and grandeur of the peony and the vividness of the phoenix, especially the use of gold and silver threads, create dazzling hues under the light. Coupled with the fine stitches as fine as hair and the exquisite composition, all the viewers hold their breath.
"TSK TSK TSK, this handicraft is truly amazing!"
Three hundred taels! Oh my God! This is enough to buy several acres of good land in the countryside!
"This is no embroidery at all. It's clearly a family heirloom!"
"I heard there's only this one. No matter how expensive it is, it's worth it!" "
Although the sky-high price of 300 taels deterred the vast majority of people, this unique item successfully elevated the brand image of Jinxiu Pavilion once again and ingeniously diverted some people's dissatisfaction with the "purchase restriction" policy. The focus of people's discussion has shifted from "Why does Jinxiu Pavilion impose purchase restrictions?" to "How could Jinxiu Pavilion actually create such an amazing product?"
Inside the Zhang Mansion.
Zhang Defa listened to his subordinates' report on the "purchase restrictions" and "sky-high unique items" of Jinxiu Pavilion, and was so angry that he almost overturned the table.
"Purchase restriction?" Did Shen Ruoxin think she was selling imperial tributes? ! Return the three hundred taels of screen? ! She must be crazy about money! Zhang Defa burst into curses, "I almost lost all my underpants when I cut the price, but she's even playing tricks on me!"
Zhao Babapi sat aside, sipping tea leisurely, but a cold and gloomy light flickered in his eyes.
"Boss Zhang, don't be angry." He put down the teacup, a sneer playing at the corner of his mouth. "This girl from the Shen family is quite interesting." She is learning the art of making rare goods valuable from those antique dealers.
Purchase restrictions are like hanging ordinary customers, making them feel that the items are precious. High-priced unique items are meant to boost one's status and attract those self-important and wealthy families. It seems like a blunder, but in fact... It's competing with us for "hearts" and "brands".
"Human heart?" Brand? Can it be eaten as a meal? Zhang Defa disdainfully said, "I just don't believe it. How long can her meager inventory last!" When she runs out, I'll see what she can use to limit the purchase! What can be used to make a facade?"
"Not bad." Zhao Babapi nodded. "The price war still has to go on, and it has to be fought even more fiercely!" Make sure she can't even get a good price for those limited-purchase items! Meanwhile... He lowered his voice and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "It's time for the City Fox and the Social rat to move around too." Since she values that screen so much, let's let it... It will never be sold! Or, let something unexpected happen to her herself and she won't have the energy to deal with the affairs of these shops anymore...