Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

Qingxiao glanced at today's data.

According to Business Advisor, there were 1128 real-time visitors, 21 paying buyers, and a total payment amount of over 3400 yuan.

For a new store that has been open for three months and has no promotion budget, this data is already quite good.

But Qingxiao knew that it was far from enough.

His goal is to save up 300,000 yuan and open a Tmall store.

In 2013, Tmall wasn't a place where just anyone could get in.

Official channels require a deposit of 60,000 yuan, with annual fees divided into three tiers, the lowest being 30,000 yuan. However, the real challenge lies in the review process, which involves verifying brand qualifications, company qualifications, and product quality. Going through the entire process, it's considered good if only three out of ten applications are approved.

So many people take another route: buy ready-made.

The market price for transferring a Tmall store is around 150,000 yuan.

With the deposit and annual fee included, 300,000 is just enough.

Three hundred thousand.

Qingxiao checked the balance in his account.

After three months, after deducting the cost of goods and rent, there was still three thousand left.

It's still a long way off, a very, very long way off.

In her previous life, Qingxiao Women's Clothing Shop was nothing special, but in this life, everything is naturally different.

Because he knew what would happen in the next ten years.

In 2013, Taobao women's clothing was still dominated by Taobao brands.

Han Du Yi She has annual sales of 600 million yuan, Inman has annual sales of 600 million yuan, and Liebo has annual sales of 500 million yuan.

Korean style, Japanese style, and Western style – they each dominate the market.

There's also the "cotton and linen literary style" brought by Inman, the "ethnic style" brought by Liebo, and the "retro art style" brought by Aka, each with its own loyal fans.

It looks like a vibrant and diverse scene.

But Qingxiao knew that these trendy shops were doomed to fail.

It won't take more than a few years.

In 2014, Uniqlo began to focus on online sales, and its women's apparel sales surged to second place during Singles' Day.

In 2015, Uniqlo achieved a grand slam in the apparel category, while Taobao brands suffered a complete defeat.

Later, major offline brands such as ZARA, UR, ONLY, and Vero Moda moved in, and Taobao brands disappeared one after another.

Han Du Yi She failed to go public, Liebo faced difficulties in its transformation, and Inman struggled to survive.

Those "Taobao brand giants" that once had annual sales of hundreds of millions of yuan were either acquired or quietly disappeared from the scene.

Why?

Because style can make or break a person.

If you follow the Korean style today, and it's no longer popular tomorrow, you're doomed.

If you produce artsy cotton and linen products today, but consumers' tastes change tomorrow, you're doomed.

But there is one type of shop that will never die.

Basic model.

Black, white, gray, camel, and navy blue.

T-shirts, shirts, knitwear, dress pants, coats. Not following trends, never going out of style, not limited by style.

A 25-year-old working woman can wear it, and a 40-year-old mother can also wear it.

Moreover, the basic model has another advantage: it doesn't require any fancy settings.

Qingxiao knew all too well how greedy those Taobao shop owners were.

In order to achieve a "high-end" feel, they went to trendy cafes, rented villas, and booked hotel rooms.

A scene went viral, and everyone flocked to it.

One year when the "hotel style" was at its peak, the star-rated hotels in Binjiang, Hangzhou, were filled with Taobao models and photographers on weekends, and the lobby managers were numb to it.

It's said that some people book rooms not specifically to stay, but just to take pictures of that floor-to-ceiling window.

The result of this is that click-through rates are getting lower and lower.

You rented a villa for 3,000 yuan, but others have already rented it too. Consumers get tired of it and scroll past it.

Therefore, Qingxiao set a rule from the very beginning: minimalist style, studio shooting.

We don't pursue a specific atmosphere or setting; we only focus on the texture of the fabric and the presentation of the design.

The model—Bai Lu—stands in front of a white background. There are three photos: one from the front, one from the side, one from the back, and three close-up details.

Six pictures for each garment, clean and neat.

Some people say his picture is too plain, it doesn't look like a women's clothing store, but like a garment factory inspection picture.

Qingxiao said, "That's enough."

Then came his second rule: no stocking.

The last straw that broke the back of so many e-commerce apparel companies in the past was inventory.

If it sells well, we place orders to produce the goods. If the goods don't sell, they pile up in the warehouse, and eventually, all the profits are eaten up.

Many crown-level and gold-crown stores on Taobao appear successful on the surface, but in reality, their accounts are full of inventory, and when you calculate their net profit, they are actually losing money.

Qingxiao's business model is simple: he sells whatever the Sijiqing market has. If the stalls have the goods, he puts them on the shelves; if the stalls run out of stock, he takes them off the shelves. He'd rather not sell than place his own orders to make the goods.

In this way, although the SKUs are unstable, the inventory risk is almost zero.

The price he pays is that he has to make three or four trips to Sijiqing every week.

I get up at 5:30 in the morning, ride my electric bike for 40 minutes to Sijiqing, and weave between rows of stalls.

Choose a style, check the fabric, ask about inventory, bargain, and get a sample garment.

Some stall owners, upon hearing that the customer is buying from an online store, immediately waved their hands and said they wouldn't supply online stores.

Some younger business owners are willing to provide the services, but they require cash payment and no credit or debt.

Qingxiao would always carry a large woven bag, filled with clothes, and ride back to Jiubao.

When I arrived at the rental house, I took photos first, then put the photos on the shelves. After that, I acted as customer service. After receiving orders, I ran back to the stall to get the goods, then checked, ironed, packed, and shipped them out.

He's in charge of operations. He's the graphic designer. He's in charge of customer service. He's in charge of packaging. He's the errand runner.

One person, one shop.

Working until 2 or 3 a.m. every day is the norm.

Once, while I was packing packages, I fell asleep on top of a pile of packages.

But Qingxiao didn't feel tired.

There is no such thing as easy success.

In 2013, Taobao still had opportunities.

Offline big brands haven't fully entered the platform yet, and Taobao brands are still immersed in the illusion of growth. Ordinary people can really make money by opening a store, making products seriously, and serving each customer well.

In just a few years, traffic costs will skyrocket, advertising expenses will eat into profits, and price wars will leave everyone struggling to survive.

By then, it will be too late to enter the market.

"If you want to make money, you'd better hurry."

The phone vibrated on the table.

The name displayed on the screen is: Bai Mengyan.

Qingxiao answered the call.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Bai Lu's voice, trembling with tears.

"Qingxiao, where are you?"

"I'm in the store."

Two more seconds of silence followed.

Then her voice lowered.

"I've been scammed."

Qingxiao found Bai Lu downstairs in the office building in Wulinmen.

Her eyes were red, and her mascara was smudged, indicating that she had clearly been crying.

Upon seeing Qingxiao, Bai Lu stood up, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Then she came over and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"Qingxiao, I need to lean on your shoulder again."

Qingxiao froze for a moment.

This is the first time I've been this close to her since my rebirth.

He had known Bai Lu for over twenty years in his past life. They grew up together in the small city of Changzhou. They were so familiar with each other that they couldn't bring themselves to say certain things.

He laughed when she laughed, handed her tissues when she cried, and saw her off at the train station when she was going to South Korea to become a trainee, waving and saying good luck.

Always been this way.

My friend, my best friend.

They've always been friends who've kept to themselves.

But this life is different.

God gave him a second chance, not so that he could repeat the path of his previous life.

Some things you didn't say in your past life, you have to say in this one.

Some things you didn't do in your past life, you have to do in this life.

Qingxiao raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and no longer stood there woodenly like in his previous life. He gently patted her back.

"It's okay. It's just being fooled once a day, it's all the same."

Bai Lu lifted her head from his shoulder, frowned, and glared at him: "Is that how you comfort someone?"

Qingxiao looked at her and smiled, "You still know how to get angry? That means you still have spirit, so it's not a big problem."

Bai Lu sighed, not wanting to speak.

"Tell me, how much were you scammed this time?"