Chapter 416 - Fourth Master Swan Is Jealous

Jeanne pursed her lips.

“It’s not just the customers who returned the goods. Many merchants who signed with us are now looking to break their contracts with us,” Forrest continued. “If this goes on, the losses will be serious!”

“What did MUK Group say?” Jeanne asked.

“They are also thinking of ways to settle the merchants first. They probably haven’t had time to think of how to solve the current situation.”

“How long is the in-store bulk-buying campaign going on for?”

“One month.”

One month was enough to kill their e-commerce project.

Jeanne knew full well that the matter was definitely not just a coincidence.

“In fact, I originally planned to report the problems to you on the day itself, but at that time, the general manager came to us and began to assign us work, giving us instructions on what to do. I thought the general manager would be able to think of a solution since he didn’t have us inform you, so I didn’t disturb you on your holiday. However, we didn’t expect that not only would this matter not be resolved under the general manager’s leadership, but it even made the situation worse!” Forrest was a little helpless.

“The general manager isn’t capable. Don’t believe him next time,” Jeanne said bluntly.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault,” Forrest apologized.

Jeanne shook her head. “Now is not the time to look into who’s responsible. Let’s settle this matter first.”

“Yes,” everyone replied respectfully.

Jeanne’s expression turned serious as she began to plan. “First of all, don’t lose confidence. I believe anything can be solved.”

Everyone hurriedly nodded.

“Now, let’s analyze the development of this matter. I personally think that this matter is not as simple as it seems. It can’t be such a coincidence that the local in-store bulk-buying campaign started the same time we started the pilot project. Of course, let’s not exclude the local Chamber of Commerce wanting to support some shops in-store, and that was why they did something to help. Let’s not dwell on this for now. The most important thing is to find the crux of the problem!”

Jeanne paused for a moment before continuing, “In-store bulk-buying campaign, huh? On the surface, the purpose for the Chamber of Commerce to do that is to drive the sales of physical stores. But just now, Forrest told me that their price is lower than the price of our online store. In that case, how much profit do these physical stores get? Excluding the cost of manpower and other expenses, I personally think they won’t get a lot. So, were the merchants willing to participate in this campaign, or was it because it was a request from the Chamber of Commerce that they were forced to participate?”

“In fact, I’ve analyzed it. Take the products of Lawrence Electrical as an example. Through in-store bulk-buying, the profit is so low that not only are the merchants not making any profit, but if the cost of manpower is slightly higher, the sales, installation, assembly, and after-sales will add up to a loss. If this campaign lasts a day or two, it would still be alright. However, if it were to go on for a month, I think those businesses would be screwed! After all, the current sales may be bustling, but when the real money is calculated in the end, they’ll realize there isn’t much profit. The after-sales will definitely not be able to keep up. Once they can’t keep up, the users will definitely make a fuss. Then, the reputation of the businesses will be damaged. The ones who suffer are the businesses themselves,” Forrest replied.

“Hence, these in-store campaigns, which the Chamber of Commerce does, does more harm and good. However, we can’t go and talk to them now. The Chamber of Commerce must know that what they’re doing now is not much help to the physical stores, yet they still did it. It was either they were forced by their superiors to make some achievements, or they were being instructed by someone. However, we don’t have time to delve into this. We need to find the owners of the physical stores now and give them a good analysis of their final gains and losses. Let them go and fight with the Chamber of Commerce themselves. If they make a scene, the in-store campaign will definitely be canceled. Only then will we have the opportunity to continue our online operations.”

“Okay. I’ll contact the local merchants immediately.” Forrest hurriedly nodded.

He truly admired Director Lawrence’s ability to get things done. She could find the crux of the problem at any time and then find the most suitable solution.

“Just look for the top three most influential merchants in the area, but don’t act rashly for now. First, we have to calculate the profits of the three merchants we’ve identified, or they won’t trust us! Moreover, we have to think of giving them benefits. Otherwise, even if they know they won’t earn anything, they won’t be motivated enough to make a scene with the Chamber of Commerce. After all, the Chamber of Commerce still has a certain degree of control over them!”