From Taobao intern to the father of Pinduoduo

Chapter 28 Yang Xiaofang

On the instant messaging platform, the other end sent a link and asked, "Your products are the same, so why does one sell for 21 and the other for 16? Is your product of lower quality?"

Regarding product pricing, Yang Xiaofang had already done the math and ultimately set the price at 16 yuan. She was well-prepared for this issue.

Yang Xiaofang chuckled and typed: 【Don't worry, dear! Our products are sourced from the same factory as other stores, the quality is exactly the same! This is a new store that just opened, and I just want to boost sales and build some reputation. I'm not thinking about making a lot of money, which is why the price is so low. You won't get this price again if you miss it~】

Okay, I'll take the picture then.

Soon, the system showed that the buyer had placed the order, and Yang Xiaofang felt a surge of joy. Although she only earned a little over four yuan from this order, it was her first and only order, giving her a small sense of accomplishment. Then, she glanced at the system and saw that another order had appeared.

Huh? Did that buyer place two orders?

Soon, Yang Xiaofang discovered that the delivery address for the second order was different, indicating that it was placed by another buyer.

Ha! We sold two items within an hour of opening!

Yang Xiaofang was overjoyed, but just as she was about to excitedly pack and ship the goods, she forced herself to calm down. It was evening, and the courier companies had long since closed; even if she packed them up, the goods couldn't be shipped.

Besides, we don't know if there will be any new orders, so it would be more convenient to check all the orders together tomorrow morning, pack them up and send them out at the same time.

After clearing her mind, Yang Xiaofang calmed down and continued reading the novel with great excitement.

Because she was in a good mood today, she even generously gave a monthly pass to a young author.

Time passed slowly, and throughout the entire evening, only one customer came in to inquire, asking, "Won't these stockings get stuck in my crotch?"

Yang Xiaofang replied, "No."

After replying, the customer disappeared without a trace, their profile picture turned gray, and they ultimately didn't place an order. This left Yang Xiaofang completely baffled and full of questions: Since the buyer specifically inquired and asked such detailed questions, they must have shown a high level of interest and should have been able to close the deal. Why did they suddenly stop buying?

Soon, Yang Xiaofang stayed up all night. The next morning at six o'clock, she got up and ran downstairs to the warehouse—actually just a corner on the first floor—to start packing packages. There were only two packages in total, and she finished packing them in no time.

As the excitement of the previous night faded, anxiety gradually welled up in her heart. She kept thinking: the product title had been changed to perfection, and there was basically nothing to optimize. Could it be a problem with the main image?

Did the main image fail to arouse a strong desire to buy in buyers?

Does this have anything to do with the store's decoration?

Would decorating the shop properly make it look more professional and increase the likelihood of buyers placing orders? Or is it just that traffic is low at night and there aren't many buyers visiting?

Oh no!

Yang Xiaofang suddenly remembered something. She had stayed up all night and was probably not very energetic this morning, likely needing to catch up on sleep by noon. This was normal for her before; she was young, and staying up late wasn't a big deal. But now it was different. She had started a business, and noon was the peak time for Taobao traffic. If she slept then, wouldn't she miss out on a lot of orders?

No, no! A sense of regret arose in Yang Xiaofang's heart. She made up her mind that she had to get through this noon, whether she drank tea or coffee, and stay up until night before going to sleep.

Yang Xiaofang delivered the packaged parcel to the courier company, her mind still racing: What if a buyer inquired about it while I was out? Wouldn't that mean I'd miss out on a lot of orders?

With this in mind, after sending the package, Yang Xiaofang hurried home and immediately logged onto her computer to check. However, the Taobao chat interface was completely blank, with no messages or inquiries. She felt a pang of disappointment.

Oh no, is my first business venture going to end in disaster? Are those four hundred pairs of stockings going to be a complete disaster?

Just then, ding-dong—

A crisp notification sound came from the backend, indicating that another buyer had placed an order, reminding her to prepare the goods and ship them as soon as possible.

Huh?

Yang Xiaofang's mood instantly took a turn for the better, and she felt that she could do it again.

The subsequent progress was relatively smooth.

Throughout the morning, three buyers inquired, and Yang Xiaofang successfully closed two of the deals. The third buyer placed an order and paid without asking any questions. Including this morning's order, she closed four deals in one morning. Adding the two orders from last night, she sold six items in less than twelve hours on her first day of business.

Yang Xiaofang secretly hoped that she might be able to close ten deals today.

By noon, even though Yang Xiaofang was young, she couldn't stay awake any longer. Her eyelids kept drooping, and she felt drowsy.

Ding-dong, ding-dong—

Just then, two notifications came from the backend, from two buyers inquiring about specific details. One asked if there could be a discount, and the other asked, "Will the rhinestones on the rhinestone stockings fall off?"

Yang Xiaofang replied to each one carefully.

To buyers who asked if there was a discount, she said: "If you can leave a positive review after receiving the goods, we can give you a one-yuan cashback."

To a buyer who asked if the rhinestones would fall off, she replied: "Dear, this is a European brand-name product. These types of stockings cannot be worn repeatedly or washed. Generally, you should replace them after wearing them once or twice. If you receive a product with quality issues, we offer a full refund or exchange."

Of the two transactions, Yang Xiaofang only closed one deal. The buyer who asked if the diamond fragments would fall off ultimately did not place an order.

Yang Xiaofang secretly regretted it, wondering if she could further optimize her communication skills.

But she knew in her heart that she had personally tried on both types of stockings and worn them for quite some time. They really couldn't be hand-washed; once washed, the quality would deteriorate, and after two washes, they would be basically unwearable. Perhaps, this was a customer destined not to make a sale.

Afterwards, Yang Xiaofang couldn't resist the drowsiness any longer, so she went downstairs to pack all the existing orders, took them to the courier station, filled out the shipping labels, and prepared to send them out. Passing by a coffee shop, she went in and bought an iced Americano, thinking she could rely on the caffeine to stay awake.

But things didn't go as planned. She managed to stay awake for six hours on caffeine, but by 6 PM, Yang Xiaofang couldn't resist any longer. She thought to herself, "Just a little nap, just a little bit." She then slumped onto her computer desk and fell into a deep sleep.

When Yang Xiaofang suddenly woke up, it was already three in the morning.

Yeah!

A sudden chill ran down her spine, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Forgetting that she hadn't brushed her teeth, washed her face, or washed her hair, and ignoring her rumbling stomach, she frantically looked at the computer screen. Sure enough, she had missed several inquiries from buyers on Taobao's messaging platform, Wangwang.