sinovels Chapter 25 Focusing on B-end Development
Chapter 25 Focusing on B-end Development
She suddenly remembered mentioning these trendy pearlescent stockings to her mother a few days ago, and was eager to tell her about this rare business opportunity. However, her mother just frowned and dismissed her thoughts with a few light words: "Things on the internet are all fake and unreliable. Don't think about these crooked ways all day. Hurry up and come back to take over my wholesale business. It's the right path for a girl to be stable."
Yang Xiaofang didn't want to go back to take over the business—her mother's wholesale business was tough and tiring, she had to smile at everyone, and she didn't earn much. Where was the freedom she had now?
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind: since there's a manufacturer behind these stockings, could she directly find the manufacturer to wholesale them and sell them herself? She didn't want to sell them offline; it was too much work and not cool enough. If she was going to sell, she'd sell them online! Luckily, these stockings were already quite popular online, so she could ride on that existing traffic.
However, would manufacturers agree to such a lucrative business?
Thinking is no substitute for action, and Yang Xiaofang is always incredibly proactive. She immediately grabbed Nangong Xiaoxiao and asked, "Sisters, I'm thinking of trying to sell these stockings online. Could you help me contact the factory manager and ask if I can become an online distributor? I have a little savings, enough to buy in bulk, and ask him for a wholesale price!"
Nangong Xiaoxiao said, "Okay, I'll ask for you."
After some time, she called Factory Director Mao and was told, "Sister, I asked for you. The factory director said he has opened a factory supply channel on Alibaba. You can check it out on the computer."
Yang Xiaofang was utterly surprised. Was the factory manager really willing to let everyone make money together? She quickly said, "Thank you, sister. Your expenses are on me today!"
Nangong Xiaoxiao waved her hand: "No, no, no, that's too embarrassing."
After several refusals, she accepted the offer and said, "How about this, I'll give you the factory manager's phone number. If you want to cooperate more deeply, just call him directly."
Yang Xiaofang exclaimed happily, "Really? Thank you so much!"
Yang Xiaofang returned home and logged onto Alibaba on her computer. She quickly found the source manufacturer of Spring Diary. When she clicked into the store, she was instantly shocked—the wholesale price offered by the factory manager was lower than she had expected: 10 pairs of socks for a minimum order of 12 yuan each; 50 pairs for an additional 1 yuan off, 11 yuan each; 100 pairs for only 10 yuan, with free shipping.
It's worth noting that Spring Diary's stockings sell for 20 yuan a pair on Taobao, which represents a 100% profit margin.
Yang Xiaofang's family runs a wholesale business, and she's used to ordering in quantities of 100 pairs or more at a time. When a product becomes a bestseller, ordering in quantities of several thousand pairs is also common. However, for a Taobao store, shipping costs are a key expense. For small sellers like her, the shipping cost per item is 3 to 5 yuan, and Yang Xiaofang wants to save on this cost.
Having grown up in a merchant family, she knew all too well that in wholesale, profits are made by saving money; the devil is in the details.
Yang Xiaofang called Director Mao directly.
The call connected, and Director Mao's voice came from the other end: "Hello, who is this?"
Yang Xiaofang quickly introduced herself: "Hello boss, I was introduced by Sister Nangong. She talked to you on the phone before. I want to become your distributor and sell your stockings online."
"Oh, hello, hello," Factory Director Mao quickly responded, asking, "What's wrong? Have you encountered any difficulties?"
Factory Director Mao kept Lin Mu's instructions firmly in mind: proactively cultivate several C-end sellers, and don't be afraid of others stealing business. The market size of the pearlescent stockings niche market is enormous; one factory simply cannot dominate it. As long as we cultivate dozens of Taobao sellers who can make a profit every month, we can completely squeeze out the survival space of our competitors.
Yang Xiaofang explained her purpose: "Factory Manager, I saw your shop on Alibaba. I'd like to order 100 pieces each of your new pearlescent stockings and rhinestone stockings. I have a concern: I'm new to Taobao and can't negotiate affordable shipping rates. I'd like to affiliate with you first, using your shipping resources, and then I can handle my own shipping once my business grows. Is that alright?"
"Wow," Factory Director Mao thought to himself, impressed. Just a few hours earlier, Nangong Xiaoxiao had called him. This young woman was not only efficient but also willing to invest real money to secure goods; she was truly rare.
"Sure," Factory Director Mao readily agreed. "If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me. I'll definitely help if I can."
"Oh, sister, you're such a kind person! No wonder your business is so successful!" Yang Xiaofang quickly complimented.
The next day, Yang Xiaofang went directly to Factory Manager Mao's factory. After inspecting the goods and confirming that the quality was fine, she consulted Factory Manager Mao about a lot of operational experience. Factory Manager Mao didn't hold back and shared everything he knew, from finding models and doing promotions to the tricks of creating headlines, explaining everything in detail.
After receiving the goods, Yang Xiaofang immediately began preparing to open the store.
First, she found a photography team through Factory Manager Mao's connections. In 2008, there weren't any established photography teams specifically for Taobao; merchants either relied on introductions from acquaintances or did it themselves. Factory Manager Mao introduced Yang Xiaofang to two teams, one small and one medium-sized, both quite professional, and both photographers came from Jinhua District, Yiwu.
As we all know, Yiwu's e-commerce industry is incredibly strong. Leveraging its strong foundation in small commodity wholesale markets, it has incubated tens of thousands of e-commerce sellers, creating a huge demand for photography. The competition among photographers in Yiwu is so intense that some who can't keep up have ventured elsewhere, as exemplified by the two companies Director Mao introduced.
Yang Xiaofang pondered that although she was just testing the waters, since she had already started, she should use the best supporting resources to avoid any regrets.
The two teams have different fees: the small team has only two people, a photographer and a lighting technician, and charges 200 yuan; the medium-sized team has four people, a photographer, an assistant, a stylist, and post-production, and charges three times as much, 600 yuan.
Yang Xiaofang thought to herself, "I already spent 4000 yuan just on the goods, so a few hundred yuan more for the filming fee won't make a difference."
As for models, Taobao's "Taobao Girls" were not yet a mature industry in 2008. Excellent models were booked up for a month in advance, while the quality of ordinary Taobao Girls varied greatly, with many simply having pretty faces but having never received professional training.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Yang Xiaofang felt that her looks and figure were not bad, so she decided to become a model.
In the afternoon, Yang Xiaofang met with the filming team and directly stated her ideas: "I mainly want to shoot two products, rhinestone stockings and pearlescent stockings. My idea is to shoot on location in a nightclub. What do you think?"
This photography team from Yiwu is highly professional, having handled countless main image shoots for Taobao stores, and is already very skilled. For many novice store owners, their immature composition ideas are far less reliable than listening to the professional advice of the photography team.