Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

"Is your Bihua Residence and Bihua Pavilion using a similar business model?"

"Of course." The Third Elder replied very straightforwardly.

You Su wore a look that said ’I told you, you don’t understand, yet you won’t admit it,’ an infuriating expression, and said:

"Firstly, the reason why Bihua Residence was able to succeed is naturally because Third Elder’s wine recipe is good enough. Secondly, it’s because wine itself caters to different tastes and there’s no absolute leader like Qianhua Pavilion."

You Su reasoned convincingly, then continued, "Emerging from a bunch of grass and snatching the resources under a towering tree to grow taller than it, which is easier or harder, Third Elder, you should know better than I do."

The Third Elder’s disdain gradually subsided, and she said solemnly, "Go on."

"Qianhua Pavilion has been able to dominate for so long, their ways of dealing with competitors are endless, so even though their stuff is expensive and they never hold promotions, no one can shake their position. And the reason why they unprecedentedly used promotions to grab customers from Bihua Pavilion, I think firstly it’s related to the old grievances between Third Elder and Venerable Qianhua, and secondly because... Qianhua Pavilion truly sees Bihua Pavilion as a significant threat."

"That’s only natural."

The corners of the Third Elder’s mouth slightly raised, though You Su’s previous words were harsh, the last statement was quite to her liking.

If Qianhua Pavilion wasn’t afraid, why would they target her like this?

"In my view, the reason Bihua Pavilion failed is very simple, it was too trusting in the saying ’Good wine fears not the alley’s depth.’

The Third Elder’s expression was a bit odd since she herself was in the wine business, and she frequently used this saying to educate her disciples.

"What’s wrong with that saying?"

"Of course, good wine does fear the alley’s depth, because Qianhua Pavilion’s wine is even more fragrant, people simply can’t smell Bihua Pavilion’s fragrance. Even if Bihua Pavilion’s wine tastes just as good, why wouldn’t people choose the more fragrant Qianhua Pavilion?"

The Third Elder pondered for a long time, pursed her red lips, and softly said:

"You do have a point... Are you saying that the root of the problem is that I haven’t properly promoted Bihua Pavilion?"

"Third Elder, you truly are perceptive."

The elegant woman felt awkward, thinking it embarrassing to be praised by a junior, so she argued:

"I have indeed thought about this issue, but I’ve already used Wangshu’s portrait as a signboard and even went as far as giving away many pairs of stockings to customers to attract business, but it’s still to no avail."

"There’s nothing wrong with using your senior sister’s portrait, but do you think the ones who rank the Celestial Immortal List are men or women?"

"Of course men, men love to judge women’s appearances." The Third Elder replied disdainfully.

"Since they are men, why did you establish a rule prohibiting men from entering? Even Qianhua Pavilion doesn’t dare, why do you dare?" You Su said while shaking his head helplessly, "You aimed to target women, which is fine, but you forgot men are also significant consumers of women’s clothing. Not only can they consume, but they can also promote, you’re practically cutting your own arms off."

The Third Elder was left speechless for a moment, then defiantly said: "But I even gave away stockings, yet it didn’t help?"

You Su shook his head and sighed:

"Don’t even mention that, your promotional method was bound to have no effect, and was easily turned against you, becoming counterproductive."

"How so?"

"Even if those stockings aren’t selling, you should never give them away for free. How will those who received the gifts think? They’ll surely consider Bihua Pavilion’s stockings as cheap goods. Third Elder might think people would appreciate your generosity, but in reality, it unknowingly lowered the prestige of Bihua Pavilion’s stockings."

The Third Elder instinctively took a step forward, getting closer to You Su, and said excitedly:

"So precisely because of my generous act, malicious individuals used it as evidence of Bihua Pavilion’s poor quality?"

"Exactly. When Qianhua Pavilion saw you giving stockings away, they must have laughed out loud. This act of yours indicated that in terms of grade, you could never compare to Qianhua Pavilion."

The Third Elder felt a bit embarrassed, then said justifiably:

"But I never intended to make high-end stockings, I opened the shop with the initial intention of ensuring all female cultivators could wear stockings."

You Su clapped his hands loudly, and said: "Who would have thought Third Elder has such grand aspirations, You Su admires you immensely!"

The Third Elder crossed her arms, lifting the weight even more impressively, angrily said:

"Enough with the flattery! Continue the analysis!"

"Third Elder has a very clear positioning of her products, so everything becomes much easier."

You Su cleared his throat and then started narrating:

"As mentioned earlier, the main reason Bihua Pavilion failed is naturally due to inadequate promotion, with too few people knowing about it. The good reputation hadn’t spread, yet the bad reputation was already widely known. Besides that, there are three more reasons."

"What reasons?"

"First, lack of distinctiveness, why does Qianhua Pavilion like to embroider paper cranes on its clothes? Why does the Refining Treasure Sect like to engrave hammer patterns on its works? For a product to become ingrained in people’s hearts, a good symbol is indispensable;

Second, Qianhua Pavilion held discount promotions, leveraging its accumulated reputation to snatch customers;

Third, currently on the market there are only two places selling stockings, and Qianhua Pavilion used public opinion to create the perception that their stockings are good, whereas ours are poor."

"The summary sounds simple enough, but how to solve them?" The Third Elder shook her head, sighed softly, "Among these issues, only the second one is relatively easy to address. Discount promotions for Qianhua Pavilion, in terms of both profit and reputation, are a case of hurting the enemy by a thousand and suffering eight hundred themselves, so they can’t possibly hold promotions indefinitely. The other issues, however, are tougher..."