Hunterfang

Idle, I cheated two hundred yuan start-up capital from my good friend and shareholder, and prepared to set up a stall to sell sausages. However, it is difficult for us to sell non-standard products, especially those related to catering. There are several aspects to consider: food safety, inventory management, stall costs, etc. Then, out of my own fantasy, I decided to team up with two friends to set up a shelf and sell alcohol. The business model is very simple, just buy and sell, mainly focusing on different types of beer.

The first time, we set up the stall for more than three hours and sold nearly two-thirds of the forty bottles of alcohol. We almost broke even. Here are some thoughts I recorded:

1. Setting up a stall is not as awkward and wonderful as I imagined. It was indeed awkward when we first set it up. The goal of doing something will make us doubt, no, even at the beginning, we didn't have a goal. We can't approach it with a playful attitude. We need to have a sense of urgency. You have to earn some money or at least break even. If you don't sell products for long-term sales, it's like cutting leeks for a few days. You have to carefully calculate the costs and income from the beginning. You will adjust your stall and prices based on the flow of people. As you calculate, you won't feel embarrassed anymore. Your goal is to sell it. Once you get used to it, it's fine. Selling out the inventory is the real victory.

2. The story of selling different types of alcohol is actually about tapping into the interests of these people. There are not many types of alcohol available at the stores near the school gate. The variety is concentrated in the large supermarkets downhill or in the bars. Almost all of last night's customers were not familiar with the types of alcohol we were selling. They were more willing to try new types of alcohol. Rio was really difficult to sell last night. I am a fake alcohol enthusiast, but I can still distinguish between different types and flavors, as well as things made with different techniques. The key is to tell stories about the alcohol, rather than listen to the customers' demands. Most students don't know much about alcohol, so you should give them options directly and let them make choices. This will lead to more transactions. Students have a stronger sense of shame, so after they listen to you for a while, they will feel embarrassed. You can tell them more stories and let them listen more. Then they will stay and the transaction will happen.

3. If our imaginary competitors fail, then we should create real competitors. We thought there would be some alcohol enthusiasts in the school who would come out of the campus on Saturday night to find something to eat. But it's not like that. We didn't choose the right location. The real alcohol enthusiasts are hiding in their dorms, drinking alone, or in fancy bars, picking and choosing their drinks. But strangely enough, we still sold nearly twenty bottles (maybe it's related to the source of customer flow). The imaginary competitors have become people who want to try something new. In that case, we can change our sales packaging and activate them to become drinkers, creating demand for them. For example, trying something new, relaxing on weekends, or having a light drink during gatherings. Sometimes, we don't sell because they need us, but because they don't know they need us. We can sell to them and let them know they need it.

4. Girls prefer a classy attitude, while it's difficult to sell to loser guys. Last night, most of the transactions were with girls, not guys. Guys are too much of losers. Imported alcohol, beautiful glass bottles, mixed flavors, all in English letters, steam punk elements, etc., are more appealing to girls. Compared to guys, girls pay more attention to the sense of ceremony. Similar to bubble tea, guys focus on practicality, while girls may consume due to decorative and emotional value. The sense of ceremony after owning something can also be a new opportunity for future sales. Of course, girls buy more, which may also be related to the types of alcohol we imported.

5. Since we chose a classy approach, it's not very elegant to just carry glass bottles and sell them. We can change to smaller packaging. A classic example is coffee. The cost of coffee is very low, mainly in packaging and brand style. You may not like drinking coffee, but you can order a cup to show off. For most people, it's much less elegant to walk and drink directly from a bottle of alcohol than to hold a cup of bubble tea or coffee. It's also easy to give others the wrong impression and make them think you're some kind of street drunk. For these people, we can provide them with packaging that is exquisite and elegant, which they will be more accepting of.

6. Lower prices for standard products are more suspicious than lower prices for non-standard products. Some people were curious last night and asked if the alcohol was fake or expired because it was so cheap. There were indeed some doubts, so it's important to tell the true story and convince people in order to make transactions happen.

7. Selling to individuals has poor results, while selling to a group is more effective. Alcohol is not a good thing, and most of our customers last night were freshmen to juniors. To be honest, their mindset about trying dangerous products, as mentioned by their parents, is not yet obvious. This also calls for the packaging mentioned in point 5. Dangerous things need packaging and sales stories. Similarly, dangerous things also need a group of people to encourage each other, just like drug users don't start alone. This becomes a new proposition: how to package and sell, and distribute the so-called danger among several customers. They make mistakes together, which is actually the main marketing method we are exploring.

8. Selling at a low price is more about creating an atmosphere than selling a product. Learn to package value. For most people who try alcohol, they think it's a shitty thing that is difficult to drink and burns their throats. How to attract new customers and activate them is very important. For example, creating an atmosphere, like the streets of Renmin Road and Yeyu Road in Dali, where a lot of alcohol is sold every night to people who don't usually drink. However, the atmosphere is greatly influenced by the surrounding environment. We set up our stall on a decadent street, mainly selling snacks, and emmm, the hygiene is very poor. We can't sit on the ground, let alone chat with strangers and tell them stories to keep them as customers. So, we need to think about what kind of atmosphere we can create. Perhaps we need a new low-cost hormone and a suitable venue to support the atmosphere we want to create.

9. We need to think about what kind of person the customer will become after buying the product. Just like making a product, whether the user will become a better version of themselves after using the product. Alcohol is a sensitive topic, and most people have the stereotype that it's not good to touch it. No, it seems to be a fact, not a stereotype. But our goal is to sell the product. Can we shift the customer's mindset? We are not selling alcohol, we are selling something else. We are selling loneliness, revelry, or stories with alcohol as a gift. It's better to change the main selling point. They are not buying just alcohol, but more of the emotions behind it. Refer to point 7.

10. I'm still thinking about what else we can do while running a stall. Will setting up a stall to sell alcohol at the school gate be an unexpected disturbance or a pleasant surprise for students? Our conversion rate is quite high, and I started to question the value of this product. If you are also interested, feel free to communicate with me, or even join me in selling alcohol~

(I wanted to write some short fragmented articles, not just long ones. Rambling is also a way of thinking, respect.)