Under the night sky, the front plaza of Wanzhong Mall was brightly lit.
In the environnt where light and darkness intertwined, a PVC board over two ters tall stood prominently in the center of the plaza. Its design and color sche were almost identical to the one on the main stage nearby.
However, on this PVC board, the emblem of Linchuan University had been replaced with the logo of Wanzhong Mall, and the advertisent boasted, “Visit Wanzhong Mall, join our group buying event, and enjoy a 40% discount on everything. Delicious food and fun experiences all in one place.”
Led by Linchuan University, students from four major institutions sward into the mall, leaving the passersby in the business district bewildered.
“What’s going on today? Is there a special event?”
“Why are so many young n and won rushing into that mall across the street?”
With these questions, the passersby were drawn into the stream of students, entering the mall with curiosity, only to be taken aback.
“Holy shit, I haven’t been to Wanzhong for a long ti. When did it change like this? Am I missing sothing?”
“Isn’t this place supposed to sell clothes?”
“I feel like I’m strolling down a pedestrian street. There are so many options, even claw machines and photo booths?”
“Look at the floor directory ahead. They have everything for dining and entertainnt. Did they move the pedestrian street here?”
“Hey, there’s a husband drop-off point and a baby care center. Mom, I can finally shop to my heart’s content!”
“What’s in the basent? A supermarket and seafood market? Wow, they even made wedding dresses for mannequins out of toilet paper. Whose idea was that?”
Upon entering the mall, whether they were students who had gathered coupons or just city dwellers joining in on the fun, everyone wore a look of surprise.
To be honest, since the rapid reforms at the beginning of the year, the foot traffic in Wanzhong Mall had dropped off abruptly.
Young urban professionals had gradually beco enamored with online shopping, reducing their visits to physical stores. anwhile, older custors, unable to find what they wanted, also stopped coming.
From bustling to deserted, Wanzhong achieved this transformation in just four months.
Of course, there were many speculations about the changes at Wanzhong Mall.
“How can a mall just stop selling goods?”
So said that the mall, located in the heart of Linchuan City, was struggling with cash flow and was barely surviving.
Others claid that Wanzhong had been sold, and the new owners had no idea how to run it.
There were even rumors that the owner had run away with his mistress and the money right after the New Year, leaving Wanzhong as an empty shell.
In short, everyone thought that Wanzhong Mall was a sinking ship, bound to close sooner or later.
Business was like that. Although the ultimate goal was to make money, reputation and credit were more important intangible assets. As rumors spread, even the remaining trickle of custors could disappear.
But today, with students as a driving force in consumption, revitalizing the business district and creating a cycle, the reford Wanzhong finally returned to the public eye.
Surprise quickly turned into buzz.
These curious visitors might not spend money, leaving with empty hands, but they would rember Wanzhong’s new look and spread the word.
“Hey, did you know? Wanzhong has transford into…”
“Honey, let’s go to Wanzhong Mall. They say you can get everything you need for dining and entertainnt without leaving the building.”
“Let’s walk around Central Street first, then go to Huaxing Road for hotpot? That’s too roundabout. Let’s just go to Wanzhong Mall. You haven’t seen the new Wanzhong, have you?”
Rumors spread fast. Soon, the rejuvenated Wanzhong would beco widely known.
And as the word of Wanzhong’s spectacular transformation spread, the na of the group buying event would also gain traction.
“You win twice, I win twice. That’s not a win-win. But tonight, as traffic converges here, Jiang Qin’s half-year ticulously planned win-win strategy finally takes root.”
“Manager Yue, our hotpot restaurant on the third floor is full, and many people are queuing outside.”
Yue Zhu looked at the throng of people, sowhat dumbfounded. “Aren’t the group buying coupons sold according to the actual capacity of the restaurant?”
The waiter pursed his lips. “Yes, but not all the custors are students. There are also those who ca for the buzz. They pay for their als, and we can’t turn them away.”
“Okay, let them take a number for now. I’ll go find Boss He.”
“Alright, Manager Yue.”
Yue Zhu hurried to the elevator, her expression fluctuating between excitent and nervousness.
After the reforms began, she had been constantly anxious about the decreasing custor traffic.
“What if the reform kills us off?”
“What if the reford mall can’t attract custors?”
But all her worries evaporated tonight, replaced by the excitent of a new era dawning.
She used to be in charge of sales in the mall and knew how difficult it was to direct custor traffic. But everything tonight ca so suddenly, almost catching her off guard.
It was as if Jiang Qin had carelessly thrown a cigarette butt, landing it in a pile of cotton. The tiny spark instantly ignited into a raging fire, transforming into a fearso inferno.
At that mont, the elevator reached the top floor. Yue Zhu stepped out and headed towards He Yijun’s office, knocking gently on the door.
“Co in.”
“Boss He, the food court is at full capacity, and there’s a continuous stream of custors still coming in.”
He Yijun’s eyes widened slightly. “Has the online marketing for the group buying event already started showing results?”
“More than just results,” Yue Zhu replied with a mix of laughter and tears. “We’ve exceeded the actual serving capacity of the third-floor restaurants.”
“Don’t panic. I rember the manual ntioning sothing about this. Let check.”
He Yijun opened the detailed manual prepared by Jiang Qin and peered closely at the screen for a while. “Here it is. Prepare so snacks, fruits, and tea for those waiting for tables, and give them so toys for their children. Also, distribute our printed promotional flyers to them.”
Yue Zhu opened her mouth in surprise. “But they haven’t spent any money yet. What if they just eat and leave?”
“That’s what Jiang’s manual says. We’ll just follow it. Oh, and call over the staff from the nail salon on the ground floor to offer basic manicures for the waiting guests, free of charge.”
“Understood, Boss He.”
Despite her confusion, Yue Zhu imdiately started making calls to gather staff, instructing so to fetch the newly printed promotional flyers from the warehouse and others to bring snacks and fruits from the supermarket on the basent level.
Within minutes, rows of snacks and small fruit plates were brought to the third floor. The waiting custors were astonished. “I haven’t even spent any money, and I’m already eating snacks and fruit and drinking tea. Is this really okay?”
Soon after, the promotional flyers were handed out, and the topics of conversation among the strangers began to converge.
“There’s a gaming center in the mall?”
“Hey, the second floor sells these things? The variety is quite rich.”
“The baby care area is actually a children’s playground. That’s pretty nice.”
“Miss, can I take this flyer ho to show my colleagues?”
Yue Zhu nodded with a smile, then her eyes widened in realization. Jiang Qin’s strategy of offering snacks and fruits to custors who hadn’t spent money was actually a form of marketing to the human heart.
The old saying goes, “One who accepts a favor is obliged to return it.” These custors might beco informal promoters of Wanzhong Mall, spreading effective word-of-mouth recomndations.
One tells ten, ten tell a hundred, a hundred tell a thousand…
Yes, their promotional flyers were beautifully printed, but if handed out on the streets, passersby might just throw them away. However, these potential custors, having consud the mall’s hospitality, thoroughly read the content.
Even if they didn’t take the flyers, a simple comnt like, “I was waiting for a table at Wanzhong Mall’s hotpot restaurant and they gave free snacks and tea, and even did my nails. Guess what? I didn’t spend a di and left full!” would ensure a steady stream of custors for Wanzhong.
But…
This was the manual Jiang Qin created during the winter vacation when Wanzhong had just confird the direction of its reform, without even a clear starting point.
Businesspeople are accustod to thinking a few steps ahead, but thinking hundreds or thousands of steps ahead was almost frightening.
Yue Zhu, who had been doing marketing for the mall for a long ti, felt like her previous efforts were child’s play compared to Jiang Qin’s strategies.
anwhile, He Yijun also arrived on the third floor. Seeing the full house and the chattering bystanders, he couldn’t calm his heart for a long ti.
Since last New Year’s Day, when he first encountered Jiang Qin, he realized that Jiang always seed to be one step ahead of him. But now, he understood that Jiang had been leading him to win, first against the tides of ti, and then winning people’s hearts during the mall’s negative phase.
Jiang might not have told him what he was doing, but the effects were evident.
He Yijun crossed his arms, realizing what it ant to have a godsend.
Wanzhong Mall had a counterpart, Fuxing Mall on Nanshan Avenue. According to its owner, their pure sales volu had severely declined this year, and despite various attempts to explore new custor channels, they were unaware of the changing consur habits.
What would have happened to Wanzhong without Jiang Qin? Perhaps it could have struggled for three or four more years before being acquired due to bankruptcy.
It takes courage to make a bold move. He Yijun suddenly realized that the courage to abandon a mature pure sales business was also sothing Jiang Qin had given him.
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