NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Scarcity Marketing and Small Profits, Quick Returns
Chapter 40: Scarcity Marketing and Small Profits, Quick Returns
The long-legged girl waited until Joseph's carriage had driven away. Then, she swiftly moved to the back entrance of the Paris Angel store. After confirming that no one was around, she crouched down and peeked through the keyhole. Inside, she saw an elderly doorman sitting listlessly by the entrance, his eyes barely staying open as he watched the door.
She carefully observed the room's layout, bit her red lip in concentration, and moved to a nearby window. Pulling a thin wire from her hair, she inserted it through the window's latch and fiddled with it for a moment. With a soft click, the latch opened silently.
Pushing the window open just a bit, she gracefully slipped inside. The doorman, who was just three meters away, remained completely unaware.
The girl picked up a small stone and tossed it lightly against the back door, creating a soft "clack" sound. The doorman frowned, got up to check, and walked away. Taking advantage of this, the girl quickly and quietly slipped past him, her movements as smooth as a cat, disappearing into the depths of the hallway.
The doorman glanced back, feeling a faint breeze, but all he saw was the empty entryway.
After passing through a storage room, the long-legged girl skillfully avoided several clerks and soon found herself in the sales area on the first floor of Paris Angel.
The store was crowded, though not overly so, as the staff had been carefully managing the number of customers allowed inside.
She glanced at the throngs of people packed like sardines outside the glass walls, allowing herself a triumphant smile before turning her attention to the store that had piqued her curiosity for so long.
Near the entrance were two life-sized oil paintings of a beautiful young woman. The two portraits were nearly identical, except the woman on the left had dull skin and a few pimples on her forehead, accompanied by the words "Before Use." In contrast, the woman on the right had smooth, radiant skin and looked strikingly beautiful, with the words "After Use" beside her.
The long-legged girl leisurely strolled through the store, surprised to find that there were no traditional display counters. Instead, there were about ten chest-high, tiered glass platforms arranged throughout the space.
On these glass platforms were various beautifully packaged cosmetics, with small wooden signs displaying the product names and prices. The crystal chandeliers overhead made everything gleam brilliantly.
Soft piano music played in the background, giving the store an elegant, dreamlike atmosphere. Simply wandering around the store felt like a luxurious experience.
"Face masks?" The girl stopped in front of a display of cloth-like masks. "What are these?"
A tall, handsome clerk immediately approached, bowing politely as he explained, "Miss, these are our store's new skincare products, face masks. They are highly effective at..."
As she listened to his deep, magnetic voice, her eyes couldn't help but wander to his strong, upright neck, causing her cheeks to flush slightly.
Before long, her small bag was filled with Angel Water, face masks, hand cream, and a variety of other products.
The store's policy was unusual: you picked out all your items first and then paid for them all at once. She looked down at her now-full bag and sighed. She had originally only planned to buy one bottle of Angel Water, but she couldn't resist buying so much more. However, these products were just too tempting...
A lady walked past her, carrying three bags stuffed so full of cosmetics that they were nearly overflowing. The woman muttered to herself, "I can't believe I can just buy them without any markup. My God!"
The long-legged girl instantly felt better. See? No one can resist these amazing products!
She spent nearly an hour exploring the store before finally heading to the checkout, completely satisfied. The handsome clerk then informed her that she could apply for a VIP card, which offered free delivery, free gift cards, and other services. The silver and gold cards even offered 5% and 10% discounts, respectively.
Curious, she asked, "What kind of people qualify for a gold card?"
"Oh, anyone can apply, ma'am," the clerk replied with a smile. "You just need to prepay 1,000 livres, but that money is still yours—you can use it to shop later."
The girl was startled by the 1,000-livre requirement and quickly asked, "And the silver card?"
"You only need to prepay 500 livres, dear lady."
As the girl squeezed through the crowd and turned back to look at the Paris Angel sign, she suddenly stomped her foot in frustration. Damn it, she couldn't resist in the end!
The VIP card had cost her a whopping 200 livres, which meant no operas or new shoes next month or the month after that!
She muttered to herself in frustration, "I should've accepted Mr. Weston's offer last time..."
She trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly pausing to sternly address her reflection in the glass, "Soleil! What are you thinking? You're not doing this for money—you're doing this for freedom and justice! Don't let money consume your ideals!"
The next day, the general manager of Paris Angel and the store manager arrived early at Versailles to report the previous day's sales figures to Joseph in his reception room.
The elderly man with glasses, who had previously managed the largest jewelry store in Paris and had been lured to Paris Angel with a high salary, read from his ledger with clear articulation:
"We sold 2,206 bottles of Angel Water, hand cream, and other products, and 2,110 face masks.
"There were 71 regular VIP cards, 35 silver cards, and 40 gold cards."
He paused, put away his ledger, and continued, "The total revenue was 126,562 livres."
Even though Joseph had been mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he heard the figure. This wasn't just opening a store—it was like robbing a bank! He blurted out, "126,000? Are you sure?"
"Yes, 126,000..." The elderly man glanced nervously to his side.
The flat-nosed, slightly limping middle-aged man beside him quickly bowed his head and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, this was my mistake! I underestimated the demand, and we ran out of stock after 5:30 PM, so our revenue might have been a bit lower..."
Joseph cleared his throat and silently gave the man a thumbs-up in his mind. This was the former general manager of the Plymouth Shipyard that Emon had highly recommended—he only ever worried about not making enough money for his boss.
Joseph nodded and said, "Mr. Brent, actually, this isn't a bad thing. Scarcity marketing can increase customer enthusiasm for purchasing. In the future, only stock 95% of the estimated sales volume."
Scarcity marketing? Although Brent didn't understand the term, he quickly nodded and jotted down the Prince's instructions.
Joseph knew that it would be difficult to achieve such high daily sales figures of 126,000 livres again, given that a large portion of that revenue came from VIP card prepayments, and those customers wouldn't spend money again for a while. Additionally, after this initial rush, customers would need some time to use up the products they had purchased.
However, maintaining daily sales of seven to eight thousand livres shouldn't be difficult, and the most important thing was that the Paris Angel brand was now well established.
This was something that needed to be fully utilized!
He thought for a moment, then said to Brent, "When you return, please contact the top workshops in Paris and commission a batch of jewelry, hats, and shoes. They should use the best materials, the finest craftsmanship, and the most fashionable designs, without worrying about the cost.
"Also, sign a contract with the workshops stating that they cannot produce the same designs for anyone else without the company's permission."
"Yes, Your Highness." Brent nodded and took notes, then cautiously asked, "And your plan is?"
"Brand these items with the Paris Angel mark and sell them in the store at three to five times the cost price. These secondary products will focus on small profits and quick returns."
(Chapter End)
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