Chapter 71: Decoration and Promotion
Chapter 71: Decoration and Promotion
When we arrived at the store, the water and electricity installations had been completed, and Lao Liu was leading the workers in laying the flooring.
Seeing the size of the store Li Yi had rented, Wei Sanpao's expression was filled with astonishment.
He had initially assumed that Li Yi would simply rent a small stall at the night market and take him along to set up shop. However, to his surprise, Li Yi had secured a massive store in the most prosperous area of the city center.
What shocked him even more was when he learned that the annual rent for the store amounted to 80,000 yuan—a figure that left him nearly speechless.
Despite his shock, Wei Sanpao remained silent. He knew that Li Yi was a rational person and must have had solid reasons for making such a decision.
However, when he saw the store's interior design, he was even more amazed. It looked grander and more sophisticated than the clothing stores he had seen in the large shopping malls of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Although he couldn't pinpoint exactly what made it so special, it gave off a unique and high-end feel.
What Wei Sanpao didn't realize was that every aspect of the store had been carefully designed by Li Yi himself.
---
A Visionary Approach to Store Design
As someone who had been reborn with knowledge of future trends, Li Yi understood store aesthetics and layout far better than most.
In the 1990s, most clothing stores were either inside department stores or small standalone shops. Regardless of their location, they all shared a common flaw—limited space.
Upon entering such stores, customers often felt cramped and uncomfortable. Furthermore, store decoration was largely neglected, with most owners simply hanging clothes on walls without much thought.
For many business owners, the cost of renting a store itself consumed most of their budget, leaving little room for interior design.
This is where Li Yi's advantage as a reborn individual came into play.
He knew that the presentation and ambiance of a store were directly linked to pricing and profitability. Thus, he placed immense importance on how his clothing store would capture customers' attention.
To achieve this, he set several rigid requirements for the store:
---
1. Unique and Eye-Catching Decoration
This was Li Yi's top priority.
If he wasn't committed to creating a distinct atmosphere, he wouldn't have bothered renting a dedicated store or hiring a professional renovation team.
In fact, he could have simply used the Xiaowujia Packaging Factory, which had plenty of space. However, Li Yi wasn't just aiming to make money—he wanted to establish a recognizable brand.
In his design plan, he decided to incorporate cultural stones to give the store a refined, European-American style.
Cultural stone, a type of artificial stone, was a popular decorative material in modern interior design. However, Li Yi wasn't planning to build an entire stone wall inside the store—he would use cultural stone veneer to create an elegant and sophisticated look.
Combined with the wide open space, this aesthetic choice would create an eye-catching effect, attracting young customers.
To further enhance the store's atmosphere, he also added flowers and plants. He had personally visited the local flower market and purchased a variety of decorative plants to liven up the space.
In a clothing store with a darker-toned interior, the contrast of greenery and floral elements would create a pleasant and refreshing ambiance.
---
2. Spacious Layout and Customer Experience
Unlike traditional cramped stores, Li Yi's 600-square-meter clothing store would prioritize open space.
Instead of cluttering the store with endless racks of clothing, only one-third of the space would be used for displaying apparel. The remaining two-thirds would be dedicated to aesthetic modeling and customer experience.
Additionally, more than a dozen fitting rooms were installed—a groundbreaking move in Jiangcheng.
Even high-end branded clothing stores in the city lacked fitting rooms, let alone ordinary clothing retailers.
Li Yi firmly believed that these innovative touches would allow his store to stand out and quickly capture the market.
---
3. Strategic Pricing and Market Segmentation
Running a successful clothing store required more than just an attractive interior design. Understanding customer psychology was equally important.
Price points needed to cater to different income levels.
Some customers had limited budgets and sought affordable options.
Others came from wealthier backgrounds and were willing to pay a premium for quality fashion.
Li Yi planned to carefully price his products based on their quality and manufacturing costs, ensuring a balanced approach that catered to all demographics.
For a new store, the first impression was crucial.
Jiangcheng, though not yet a highly developed city, still had a considerable number of affluent individuals.
Among them was a growing group of young people who actively pursued fashion trends.
These individuals were Li Yi's primary target audience.
---
Investing in Promotion: A Game-Changer
After entrusting the store's renovation to Lao Liu, Li Yi shifted his focus to something even more critical—marketing and promotion.
No matter the industry, a business couldn't thrive without proper publicity.
Currently, most stores simply set off a string of firecrackers on their opening day and relied on word-of-mouth.
Li Yi, however, considered this a major mistake.
It wasn't that business owners didn't want to advertise, but rather that they lacked an understanding of its impact. Additionally, advertising required money, which many were unwilling to spend.
But Li Yi knew better.
Once a store's promotion was well-executed, the results could be extraordinary.
---
Choosing the Right Advertising Method
Li Yi evaluated different marketing options:
1. Television commercials – The most effective but too expensive for now.
2. Newspaper ads – A possible option but not direct enough, as many people didn't read newspapers regularly.
3. Flyers – The simplest, most affordable, and most effective method.
Flyers were easy to produce, and the cost was minimal. They could be distributed directly to potential customers, ensuring immediate impact.
Since Wei Sanpao was well-connected in the meat processing district, finding young workers to distribute flyers would be easy.
Moreover, Li Yi was willing to pay them for their efforts—three yuan per day per person.
This small investment would ensure wide coverage and high engagement.
---
Designing the Flyers
Without wasting time, Li Yi grabbed pen and paper and began designing the promotional flyers himself.
The flyer had to be visually appealing, professionally designed, and attention-grabbing.
Key Features of the Flyer:
Background: Stunning images of beautiful European and American models wearing trendy outfits from the store's new collection.
Headline Offer: 20% off on the grand opening day!
Additional Incentive: Customers presenting the flyer at the store would receive an extra discount on top of the sale!
Although this was a common promotional technique in future business models, at this moment in time, it was a powerful and innovative strategy.
With this dual-layered discount approach, customers would feel compelled to visit the store.
---