Chapter 91 Physical Store Farms Begin to Develop at Double Speed
Shi Wan took seriously the pet store cooperation opportunity introduced by Lin Xiaowei.
She immediately informed Su Qing of the situation.
Su Qing had just come down from the debugging site of the new production line, her work clothes cuffs still stained with machine oil. Upon hearing the news, her eyes instantly lit up like searchlights, but she quickly calmed down.
"Physical channels are a lucrative market, but they're also tough to penetrate."
She opened her ever-present tablet, quickly pulled up production capacity data and inventory reports, and frowned slightly.
“Our current customized orders are already taking up most of the capacity of our new production line, and demand for the Presidential Edition and basic series is also very stable. If we take on this channel cooperation, our supply pressure will be enormous.”
Pointing to the numbers on the screen, she said in a professional and calm tone, "Unless we expand another production line or increase efficiency by more than 15%, blindly accepting orders will only ruin our reputation."
Shi Wan nodded; Su Qing's concerns were exactly what she was worried about.
"Production capacity is one aspect, but another is the cooperation model. Is it simply supplying goods or allowing brands to join? How are profits split? Who is responsible for after-sales service?"
“Then let me go and meet this boss first.” Su Qing made a quick decision, her eyes revealing the sharpness of an elite workaholic. “I’ll probe his strengths and see if he’s reliable. I’m good at negotiating business.”
Seeing Su Qing rubbing her hands together, ready to go into battle, Shi Wan couldn't help but smile, and felt much more at ease.
With Su Qing leading the charge, she can learn more about the relevant experience and won't have to force herself to go in headfirst.
“Alright, then the front line is in your hands,” Shi Wan joked. “I’ll be your strong support.”
Su Qing hurriedly contacted the other party and arranged a meeting.
Shi Wan then turned her attention back to the few increasingly miraculous Cat Star Vitality Grasses.
These grass seedlings are growing very well, their emerald-like leaves becoming even more lustrous, and the tranquil and pleasant aura they exude is even more pronounced.
Huanhuan, who can't sit still, always slows down her steps whenever she passes by the hydroponic greenhouse, and sometimes even lies down at the greenhouse entrance for a while.
What surprised Shi Wan even more was that she accidentally discovered that Ju Bao seemed to have a special reaction to the scent of Vitality Grass.
Once, she moved a small pot of vigorous grass near Orange Treasure's cat bed in the main house. Orange Treasure, who was originally a little restless due to fatigue from the exercise, lay down next to the grass for a while and her breathing became steady and long. She soon fell into a deep sleep, and even Tangyuan (the cat's name) took a nap.
"Starfall, have you noticed? Vitality Grass seems to be very effective at calming cats."
Shi Wan felt as if she had discovered a new continent.
"According to existing data records, when Orange Treasure is near Vitality Grass, its heart rate variability and sleep quality are significantly improved." Xinglin confirmed her idea, "Preliminary inference is that it has a positive regulatory effect on the nervous system of felines."
This discovery thrilled Shi Wan.
If Vitality Grass really has such effects, then its application prospects are extremely broad!
It can not only be used as an additive in future high-end customized food, but it may also be developed into cat comfort toys or even environmental fragrances!
She immediately set to work, carefully picking a few leaves and attempting to dry them at a low temperature and grind them into an extremely fine powder.
She wanted to test whether adding this grass powder to cat food would affect palatability and its specific calming effect.
The first batch of mood-soothing sample packs with added trace amounts of vitality grass powder was quickly produced.
Instead of large-scale promotion, Shi Wan sent the cats for quality inspection as usual. After confirming that everything was fine, she sent them to several old customers who had cats that were easily stressed, timid, or had separation anxiety. She also included detailed instructions and feedback forms.
While waiting for feedback, Su Qing also sent a message.
She met with the owner of the chain pet store called Pet Paradise.
"The other party is a shrewd female boss, surnamed Wu, and she's very decisive in her work," Su Qing recounted to Shi Wan upon her return.
"She was mainly attracted by our customized pet food concept and Panghu's success story. Her store targets the mid-to-high-end market, and her customers place great importance on pet health management. The cooperation model she proposed is a brand counter format, where we supply the products, she provides the space and sales, and the profits are split proportionally."
"Sounds like a pretty good offer?"
"On the surface, yes." Su Qing took a sip of water, her eyes sharp. "But I learned from other sources that she has a long payment cycle for suppliers and extremely high requirements for the freshness of goods. She rejects all products within one month of their expiration date, which is a test for our inventory management and cash flow."
Sure enough, there's no easy way out in business.
Shi Wan pondered for a moment, then asked, "So, what are your thoughts?"
“Let’s talk!” Su Qing said decisively. “But we can’t follow her pace completely. We can start by testing the waters with small batches of specific products, with a six-month cooperation period to see the market response and actual operation. At the same time, we need to immediately start optimizing internal processes, establishing a more accurate sales forecasting model and an intelligent inventory management system to reduce the risk of unsold inventory.”
“Then I will inform Xinglin.” Shi Wan nodded.
"Great!" Su Qing clapped her hands. "Then it's settled! I'll go and work on the contract details with Boss Wu, while you focus on new product development and production capacity assurance. We'll work on two fronts simultaneously!"
With a clear direction, the farm started operating efficiently again.
Su Qing transforms into a negotiation expert, negotiating and holding meetings with Boss Wu online every day.
Shi Wan was immersed in the R&D kitchen and greenhouse, following up on the test feedback of the Vitality Grass Powder while coordinating the order scheduling of Zone 2 based on the optimized production plan of Xinglin.
A few days later, feedback from the first batch of customers who received the mood-soothing trial packs began to come in.
"Oh my god! Shop owner, your new product is amazing! My cat, who's usually such a coward when we go out, actually relaxed and fell asleep in his carrier yesterday!"
"My cat was a bit stressed from moving recently and wouldn't eat or drink. I gave him this on a whim, and he actually started eating! Although he doesn't eat much, it's a huge improvement!"
"The taste seems to have remained the same, and my cat seems to really enjoy it. The best part is that it didn't scratch the sofa after finishing its meal! I'm so touched!"
Shi Wan was both happy and excited as she looked at the messages filled with surprise.
She immediately shared this good news with Su Qing.
"That's fantastic!" Su Qing's voice rose eight octaves on the other end of the communicator. "This is definitely another trump card for us! We can make this the main selling point for our high-end custom line!"
Xinglin also offered professional advice: "Based on feedback data, we recommend controlling the amount of herbal powder added between 0.5% and 1% to ensure a balance between effectiveness and safety."
With a bright future ahead, Shi Wan was full of enthusiasm.
However, just as she was engrossed in her research, she suddenly received a message from Su Qing, asking her to come to the Second District office.
Shi Wan immediately put down her work and, with a hint of doubt and curiosity, quickly walked towards Zone Two.
Su Qing was deep in thought, staring at the draft cooperation terms on the screen, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the table.
"What's wrong?" Shi Wan asked as she pushed open the door, her voice filled with concern.
Su Qing looked up, her expression a mix of excitement and unease.
"The basic framework of our negotiations with Boss Wu is almost complete. She agreed to our six-month trial plan, but she has raised new requirements for the types and quantities of goods to be supplied in the first batch, which is 30% more than we estimated. I am currently calculating our maximum production capacity..." She rubbed her temples, "The pressure is considerable."
Shi Wan walked to her side, looked at the dense data and terms on the screen, and felt the heavy weight of it all.
The appetite of physical channels is indeed much bigger than we imagined.
"Wouldn't the pressure be less if we had a display and sales window that was entirely our own?"
Shi Wan looked at the numbers and suddenly remembered something.
"Our own window?" Su Qing was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. "Wanwan, where do we have the energy and manpower to investigate physical stores right now? Just dealing with online and this new channel is already..."
She didn't finish her sentence because she saw that Shi Wan's expression didn't seem like she was joking.
“Actually…” Shi Wan paused, organizing her thoughts. She couldn’t reveal the existence of the system, but the store itself was a real asset. “Our farm has a store that is entirely its own.”
"What?!" Su Qing sat up abruptly, her eyes wide with surprise. "We have our own shop? Where is it? How come you've never mentioned it before?"
It's no wonder Su Qing was surprised.
Since she joined the farm, all the business has revolved around the online store and production in the second district; Shi Wan has never mentioned any physical businesses.
Shi Wan smiled a little embarrassedly and explained, "It was taken over when I took over the farm. It's right next to the cultural and creative park in the city, and the location is pretty good. But I've been busy managing the farm and the online store, so it's been vacant for a long time. I almost forgot about it myself."
This was the most reasonable explanation she could think of.
Su Qing processed this sudden information, her expression slowly shifting from shock to ecstasy, followed by a hint of heartache at the waste of such a precious resource.
"My boss! You actually forgot about a store?! And it's in a great location right next to the cultural and creative park?!"
For a moment, Su Qing really wanted to crack open Shi Wan's head to see what was inside. "Do you know how hard it is to find a good shop location these days? How expensive are the rents? And you just let it sit empty and grow mold?!"
Shi Wan felt even more guilty after hearing that, and touched her nose, "I just don't have much energy, the online store and the farm are enough to keep me busy..."
“Things are different now!” Su Qing slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and paced back and forth in the office, her eyes burning with determination, as if she could already see the forgotten store transformed. “With our own store, many problems will be easily solved!”
She began her analysis at breakneck speed.
"First, it can become our best brand image display center! It can vividly showcase our farm's philosophy, the stories of our feline employees, and the product production process!"
"Secondly, it can serve as a testing ground for our high-end custom lines and new product launches! For example, the Soothing and Reassuring series can be tested and promoted on a small scale in our own stores first!"
"Third, when it comes to cooperating with external channels like PetWorld, our own store is a powerful bargaining chip and a strong support base! We can control the pace and don't have to be completely at the mercy of others!"
"Fourth, it can also absorb some of the production capacity, especially those products with small production volume but very distinctive features, which are perfect for selling in our own store!"
Su Qing became more and more excited as she spoke.
“However,” Shi Wan said more calmly, raising a practical issue, “opening a shop requires manpower, renovation, and management. Do we have the manpower available right now? Besides, the shop has been vacant for so long, we don’t even know what it looks like now.”
"We can hire people!" Su Qing waved her hand. "Business expansion is inevitable, and we need to hire people anyway. It's perfect to have some people in charge of the stores! We can start with simple design and layout for the decoration, highlighting the natural warmth of our farm, and keeping costs under control. The key is that it's our own property, so there's no rent pressure, and we can refine it gradually!"
She walked up to Shi Wan, placed her hands on Shi Wan's shoulders, and looked at her with utmost seriousness.
"Mr. Shi, this is an opportunity, a fantastic opportunity that we've completely overlooked! If we take advantage of it, our entire business model will be revitalized!"
Seeing the burning passion for her career in Su Qing's eyes and listening to her clear and enthusiastic analysis, Shi Wan was also inspired.
Yes, why must we place all our hopes on external cooperation?
Having your own offline location undoubtedly gives farms greater autonomy and flexibility.
"You're right." Shi Wan took a deep breath and nodded. "Then let's find some time to go and check out the current situation of that shop?"
"Absolutely! Tomorrow!" Su Qing made the decision quickly. "I'll adjust my work schedule for tomorrow first. Send me the shop's address and property information so I can familiarize myself with the surrounding area."
"Okay." Shi Wan agreed, already imagining what the long-dormant shop would look like in the future.
Perhaps, that place will become another warm haven connecting more cat lovers with Meow Meow Mimi Farm.
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