Jiang Yuexuan turned around and gestured to the waiter inside. The dimpled girl, Li Dong, quickly ran out. She was wearing a Lolita dress and an apron with colorful cartoon ice cream patterns, looking like a character straight out of an anime.
Li Dong received instructions from Jiang Yuexuan in advance and was assigned a persona of someone who loves cats very much. At this moment, she is a shop assistant who "loves kittens so much that she can't help but come out and play with them for a while when the shop is not busy after opening."
Seeing the cute young lady petting the cat, everyone was unsure who to envy more. Who could withstand such a shock? Soon, some bolder individuals stepped forward and asked if they could pet the cat too.
Jiang Yuexuan slightly raised her chin: "You have to ask it if it's willing."
The girl quickly thanked her and squatted down, trying to get closer to the kitten. Xiaoyu just gave her a haughty look, turned around, and walked into the door with her cat-like steps, clearly not agreeing.
"Sigh!" The girl was a little disappointed, but after this experience, she finally decided to go inside and make a purchase. Standing at the door for just a short while, she felt the coolness of the air conditioning inside—it was so comfortable.
Once there's a first, there's a second. Most customers go for the ice cream shop; the milk tea shop, lacking reputation and being an unfamiliar brand, hasn't attracted any customers yet.
Most customers didn't choose seats by the window, as those areas would get some sun and be relatively warmer. This is where the shills Jiang Yuexuan had arranged came in handy, since the customers were all sitting in the back, making it difficult for passersby to see the overall customer flow in the restaurant.
Ye Xu was the first to return. Compared to Han Yingchen, he clearly couldn't stand the scorching sun. Who would want to stay outside when there's air conditioning? Han Yingchen, on the other hand, was quite enjoying himself. He had had enough of the perpetual darkness, the endless overcast skies, and the heavy snowfalls of the Transi Continent.
It was hard to see clearly from the outside, but once inside, the store was quite crowded. Ye Xu was a little surprised, but she calmly went to the cashier, ordered an ice cream, and sat down by the window.
The ice cream Ye Xu ordered was also carefully considered. After examining the appearance of dozens of ice creams, Jiang Yuexuan decided on the four most appealing ones. She asked Ye Xu and Han Yingchen to order another one after they finished theirs. Of course, this additional order was just for show, hoping to slightly encourage some customers to order another ice cream.
"Won't eating too much ice cream give me diarrhea?" Shuangshuang was quite worried about this at the time.
Jiang Yuexuan explained, "Customers who are prone to diarrhea won't order more, and those who will order more aren't particularly sensitive to this. We're not selling poison, so there's no need to be so nervous."
Many people enjoy several ice creams at home in one go; the human stomach isn't that fragile. Jiang Yuexuan deliberately set the ice cream portions smaller so that customers could order more varieties at once while keeping prices lower.
Some customers have difficulty making choices, wanting to try everything. Although allowing them to eat only one thing at a time could make them crave the restaurant and come back often, Jiang Yuexuan felt it was unnecessary.
"Small portions can still whet the appetite, leaving people wanting more and wanting to come back next time. The more varieties you can try at once, the more it will stimulate your collecting instincts."
If you could only eat one thing at a time, some people might just give up when faced with a menu of dozens of items. It's impossible for everyone to eat there every day; even if you come every day or two to try a different dish, you wouldn't be able to finish it all by the end of the summer. And then there are those who have a favorite flavor they want to eat more often, which creates a real dilemma.
To cater to customers who have trouble making choices, Jiang Yuexuan added an ice cream blind box to the menu. The regular ice cream in the store is priced the same, and you get whatever you draw from the blind box, but if you're lucky, you might get an ice cream cake, which is a separate product.
"I plan to launch the ice cream cake a month later."
Jiang Yuexuan created a chat group in the system panel, which was much more convenient than using her mobile phone, and she didn't have to worry about forgetting her phone. The biggest advantage of the system chat group was that text chat could be entered with her mind without using her hands, and voice chat could be initiated with her mind to avoid being overheard by those around her.
At this moment, several shop assistants discussed the follow-up arrangements in the group chat. Jiang Yuexuan said, "Let's add ice cream cakes to the blind boxes first, and give them 6-inch ones."
A 4-inch cake is enough for one person. We'll add this one when it's on the menu later, so it's convenient for girls with smaller appetites. The 6-inch cake, being a hidden item in the blind box, will seem a little more expensive, but not too extravagant—just the kind that will evoke a moderate amount of envy.
Most importantly, while some people can finish a 6-inch ice cream cake in the store, most can't. They'll most likely choose to take it home to share with their families, which will attract more customers.
Some people love to show off and will tell all their relatives and friends about winning the lottery. Other girls who love to share might post it on apps like Weibo.
In short, this is a great opportunity for publicity.
"On the first day, we must do something underhanded so that everyone will immediately discover the cake's existence," Jiang Yuexuan said, then instructed the staff to carry it out.
The blind box draw is done automatically and randomly by the cashier's computer system. There's an animation during the randomization process, which Jiang Yuexuan paid extra to have the system quickly produce. She then installed a huge LCD screen in the store to display it to everyone. Every time someone orders a blind box, many customers turn to look, sharing in the tension and anticipation.
When no one is ordering blind boxes, the screen displays close-up images of various ice creams, making people's mouths water. Many customers simply choose whichever ice cream happens to appear on the screen when they order, maximizing the promotional effect.
Jiang Yuexuan secretly thought that she would have to print out some hanging signs for ice cream and hang them around the ceiling near the window for passersby to see.
The new store opened, and quite a few people were ordering blind boxes. An employee, having received word, quietly pressed a button, and soon, a 6-inch ice cream cake appeared in the blind box animation on the screen.
The lucky customer was taken aback when he saw the cake: "I don't think I've seen this on the menu before?"
"This is an ice cream cake that will be launched later." The shop assistant smiled, revealing sweet dimples. "Congratulations on winning a cake tasting on the first day!"
The guest was quite pleased, but she hadn't yet realized how special the cake was. When the cake was finished and served, she was surprised by its size.
Such a big cake definitely couldn't be bought for the price of a blind box. So she didn't just win a prize, she won a "big prize." In an instant, her happiness doubled.
People around looked at him with envy, clearly wanting to try the cake. Actually, many people have never eaten an ice cream cake before, firstly because it's expensive, and secondly because the portion is too large for them to finish.
But after the waiter brought the cake, he added, "The flavor of the cake in the blind box is also random. This one is a chocolate cake. I hope you like it."
"Huh? Does that mean there are many kinds of cakes?" The lucky customer immediately began to look forward to other flavors of cake.
She originally thought that winning a cake was already great and satisfying, and that she had no regrets since she had tasted it. But now her thoughts have changed.
With so many flavors of cake, how can she only have tried one? She needs to work hard and try to collect all the flavors!
The others were even more excited when they heard there were other flavors available. As the waiter was leaving, someone called out to him, asking when the ice cream cake would be served.
They had just tried the ice cream at the store, and it was indeed delicious, plus the price was relatively cheap. Someone secretly compared it with high-quality ice cream from abroad and found that this store was even cheaper, which made them feel much better.
The ice cream industry is currently severely distorted, with prices inflated. The same product can have a significant price difference between domestic and international markets, even though the actual cost is not much different.
Of course, some people might suspect that the store uses cheap raw materials, which is why the prices are so low.
However, the operations at the kitchen counter are open and transparent; at most, people can't see the ice cream making process. But they do frequently see employees carrying unopened fresh milk and animal cream into the kitchen, presumably delivering raw materials.
To avoid trouble, Jiang Yuexuan directly had the products from this dimension purchased, thus eliminating the need to worry about the brand not being found. After all, if foreigners could use this brand's ingredients to make ice cream at this price, why couldn't they? The profit margin would be absolutely no problem.
"Is there a tax?" Shuangshuang asked uncertainly.
Jiang Yuexuan countered, "Aren't there tariffs on goods from Country F sold in Country M? Then why is ice cream from Country M priced this way?"
Okay, that's a good question. Shuangshuang shut up.
Ye Xu remained silent throughout, because he knew perfectly well that anyone smarter than him could think of the same thing. To question this or that in front of them would only bring him humiliation.
As a person, you must have self-awareness. [Well-behaved.jpg]
Luna, a diligent student, had been eavesdropping for a while. Seizing the opportunity, she eagerly raised her hand to ask a question: "Back in Transi Continent, the shopkeeper said we shouldn't disrupt the market environment, so the prices were set the same as the market prices. Why don't you follow this, Miss Jiang? Aren't you worried about offending your competitors, or about setting prices too low and taking away too much business from them, making it impossible for them to survive?"
“When market prices are normal and healthy, of course we can’t jump out and deliberately disrupt them by engaging in malicious price cuts,” Jiang Yuexuan explained earnestly. “But right now, the price of ice cream in China is obviously inflated, by a lot. At this time, setting a reasonable price cannot be considered disrupting the market environment.”
As for offending competitors, their store is only open for a few months, what's there to be afraid of? If any trouble arises, it's her responsibility. She'll make sure Manager Ye handles it perfectly and doesn't have to worry about it.
The last point that made it impossible for competitors to do business is ridiculous. Putting aside how big the Chinese market is, who can a small shop like theirs influence? There are actually countless shops with reasonable pricing and not such outrageous profits, but they are all small shops that haven't done any marketing or become popular, so they have never been known to the public.
Putting everything else aside, Jiang Yuexuan knew of a small cake shop run by an elderly couple that used animal-based cream as its main ingredient. The shop was tiny, and an eight-inch cake there cost only 80 yuan. A similarly sized animal-based cream cake from a large, well-known brand store just two blocks away would cost 300 yuan or more.
Did this shop face retaliation? No, because it's too small to be considered a threat by larger stores. Even if customers who visit once never go to the larger stores again and become repeat customers of the smaller ones, the larger stores don't care. It can attract a large number of unsuspecting customers simply by relying on its signboard and decor.
“A fragile market is easily disrupted; a complex and powerful market has its own self-regulating ability. Don’t overestimate your own insignificant strength, and don’t be misled by the exaggerated plots in novels,” Jiang Yuexuan said earnestly.
Luna realized: "The basic commerce on the Transi Continent is very weak, and it was even more vulnerable during the Cold Wave Era. So a newly emerging popular store is enough to have a significant impact on the entire Biyue City. The modern world is different, so there is no need to worry about these issues."
“That’s right.” Ye Xu jumped in to agree. “We’ll at most make it onto the trending topics once, and we might not even make it to the top. We’ll be lucky if we can get to the bottom of the list. We need to get the top three posts sorted out before it gets too popular, otherwise we won’t be able to fully capitalize on this wave of popularity.”
Luna: "..."
Store manager, you're so cunning!
A note from the author:
What goes around comes around. I use novels to nag others, and others use novels to nag me.
Several articles I've been reading lately have been increasingly verbose, with unnecessary explanations repeated over and over again, as if I'm seeing another version of myself (a mask of pain).
I was wrong, and I deeply regret it. You've been so patient with me, you're such wonderful little angels!
Chapter 31 Appetite
“If you want to maximize the exposure and buzz,” Jiang Yuexuan said slowly, “you can actually create sharing accounts on platforms like Weibo in advance, and it would be best to launch one or two good-looking shop assistants as internet celebrities.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Yuexuan glanced at everyone and suddenly changed her mind: "I can't count on any of you. I'd better go and train the robot waiter."
Ye Xu and the others, who felt disliked, were speechless.
In reality, robot waiters also have their rigidities. While they're indistinguishable from real people, they're not really suitable as public figures, lacking much personal character and independent thought. If they were actually launched, Jiang Yuexuan would probably have to constantly oversee and advise them, which would be quite troublesome.
Jiang Yuexuan pondered for a moment, then abandoned the idea of a human internet celebrity and decided to utilize the existing resources of her cat, Little Fur Ball, to create a "cat shop manager." No, it should be called a "cat building manager"? That sounds odd, but anyway, it's the boss of the entire mall.
“Xiaoyu is so smart, she’s definitely a good match.” Jiang Yuexuan tapped Xiaoyu’s nose and played with it for a while.
Ye Xu offered suggestions: "Why not call him President Yu? It sounds more impressive."
Shuangshuang... never mind, Shuangshuang is already indifferent, she doesn't want to comment on the way the shop manager addresses her.
Jiang Yuexuan quickly immersed herself in creating the internet celebrity cat, having no time to deal with the extras. Ye Xu was still a little resentful; he knew he didn't have the talent to be an internet celebrity, but Han Yingchen was different—he was amazing at mukbang.
Without the harassment from those guys on the Transi Continent, and with the modern era of mukbang (eating broadcasts) flourishing, it couldn't be more perfect for Han Yingchen's development. Ye Xu decided to pick up the mukbang plan from before and see if he could make Han Yingchen a star.
Of course, the consent of the parties involved must be obtained before taking any action.
Han Yingchen didn't quite understand what live streaming was all about, but considering it would benefit the store, he nodded without much hesitation. Since both the store manager and the assistant store manager thought it was feasible to create an online influencer, he naturally cooperated without a second thought.
Ye Xu himself had never done live streaming before, and he felt that live streaming was a bit too much for someone like Han Yingchen who had a quiet and reserved personality. Fortunately, food vlogging doesn't necessarily have to be live-streamed; there are many pre-recorded videos as well. While Han Yingchen was still in the restaurant pretending to be a customer, he went and got a set of filming equipment.
Equipment is easy to get; if you have the money, just buy it from the surrounding area. There are all sorts of shops near the university town. After consulting with Tong Die about what specific items to buy, what brands to choose, and what price range to look for, Ye Xu set off.
The two accomplices deviated from the plan, but Jiang Yuexuan didn't care and let them be. It didn't matter whether the shop's business was good or bad at the beginning; she had only been giving everyone something to do so that they could at least feel involved.
Han Yingchen and Ye Xu met outside and went to buy everything together. Since it was their first time shopping and they didn't know anything about it, they spent the whole morning there and didn't get back until almost lunchtime.
"Should I bring you some food back?" Ye Xu asked in the group chat.
The shop only offered milk tea and ice cream, and even the ice cream cakes weren't very filling. The food street was filled with delicious aromas at noon, and Ye Xu was getting restless, wanting to try everything, but unfortunately, she couldn't eat any more.
However, the store responded to him with a mouthwatering video.
The cold rice noodles looked so smooth and chewy, with the snow-white noodles coated in a light brown sauce. Bright green scallions, bright red chili flakes, and slightly yellowed sesame seeds, stir-fried until fragrant, were evenly sprinkled on top. The person filming the video was so clever; they added a spoonful of pickled mustard greens and a spoonful of diced radish, gently stirring with chopsticks for a few moments to thoroughly mix the rice noodles, toppings, and sauce. You could almost smell the mouthwatering aroma through the screen.
Ye Xu took a deep breath and then realized that the fragrance he had just smelled was not an illusion; he had indeed smelled it.
The system silently guided Ye Xu to look at the small print below the video title: Holographic recording, olfactory sense open (100%), gustatory sense not open.
Ye Xu: "!!"
Damn it! This was intentional! This was definitely intentional! Using the system's black technology to tempt him, it's too much!
If you can only smell it but can't taste it, all the food outside instantly loses its appeal. No matter how good the food in the surrounding shops is, can it compare to the deliciousness of this dimensional shop made with 95-point ingredients? Besides, judging by this, the sauce for the mixed noodles must be exceptional, and the overall taste must be truly amazing.
"Let's go back quickly." Ye Xu turned to Han Yingchen and said, "Hurry up and try this mixed rice noodle. I guess Sister Xuan is planning to open a cold noodle and rice noodle shop on the second floor. This is really suitable for summer."
The shop hasn't even opened yet, and they're already among the first to try it. It's amazing to be able to eat delicious food before everyone else, but unfortunately, they can't find anyone to brag about it to.
In modern society, surveillance is everywhere, so Ye Xu can't use the dragon's cloud-riding ability to fly back like he does in the Western fantasy world. Not only him, Han Yingchen was also ordered to walk properly, and even when running, he couldn't go too fast; he had to keep it within the range of an ordinary person.
The two had to walk for more than ten minutes under the scorching sun before finally returning to the "mall". As expected, the second floor was not yet open, so they avoided the pedestrians and entered through the back door, then went directly up the staff stairs to the second floor.
The second floor had been completely transformed. Following Ye Xu's plan, Jiang Yuexuan had arranged and renovated all the shops on the second floor, and even assigned staff. The robots were just enough, but fortunately, business wouldn't be too busy since it was just opening, so they should be able to handle it.
Jiang Yuexuan didn't say anything, but directly placed the two bowls of mixed rice noodles that she had prepared in advance in front of the two of them: "Eat quickly, we've been waiting for you, we haven't eaten yet."
They did film the tempting video, but that was just Sister Xuan's mischievous fun; they didn't actually eat it all beforehand. Right now, every intelligent employee and pet has a plate of mixed noodles in front of them, chopsticks or forks in hand, eagerly awaiting the manager's order.