Reborn: I'll Never Fail My Childhood Sweetheart Again

Chapter 623 - 230: Within Two Years, You’ll Own a Home in Lin’an!

Dingsheng Mansion, headquarters of New Century Digital.

Su Zelin leaned back in the large office chair, browsing the news.

He kept an eye on both domestic and international events, big and small, every day.

Because some things could possibly affect the economy and market trends.

And today, May 10, 2003, a major event quietly occurred which would completely change the market landscape of Xia Country, that is, the founding of Gold Rush Network.

After several rounds of financing, Ah Li’s C2C trading site finally went online.

But there was no uproar as anticipated; it was so quietly launched that many netizens who saw this news didn’t pay much attention because they hadn’t anticipated how drastically this thing would change their lifestyle in the future.

Many netizens even questioned the security of this shopping method, thinking what if they bought something expensive and the other party didn’t deliver or sent a brick instead? How would they get their money back then?

Su Zelin, however, was filled with emotions.

The era of e-commerce and online shopping was finally about to start!

Even though Gold Rush Network seemed silently launched now, its development was like it was on steroids; released in ’03, it became Asia’s largest online shopping center by ’06, which was quite terrifying.

In his previous life, Su Zelin was one of the earliest to try online shopping because he liked to experience new things. Shortly after the establishment of Gold Rush Network, he started online shopping. At that time, the people in his dorm didn’t know how to play along and asked him to help buy whatever they liked.

But around ’06, more and more people around him started to understand online shopping, and it was from that time onward that many brick-and-mortar stores saw their profits significantly squeezed; the digital industry was one of the heavily impacted sectors.

Previously, a mobile phone that sold for seven or eight hundred yuan online could sell for double the price in physical stores, highlighting just how exaggerated the profit margins were. This resulted in computer and mobile phone shops popping up everywhere in every city, but from ’06 onwards, many of these shops that thrived on huge profits couldn’t sustain themselves and began to close down, leading to a reshuffling of the physical economy.

However, Taobao’s influence took a few years to become evident, gradually being accepted by more and more people and changing the market landscape. Before that, New Era still had some time.

This is why Su Zelin was desperately expanding his territory. He was racing against time, striving to make New Era one of the most influential professional digital channels in the country before the big waves of the era hit. Just like the later generations of the big blue and green factories, riding against the tide, opening many stores in every big and small city both domestically and internationally.

With such channels in hand, you could negotiate conditions with manufacturers. It didn’t matter if the profits from physical stores were compressed; you could strive to get purchasing subsidies from the manufacturers.

In this way, New Era’s stores would demonstrate a profit advantage over other small, unreliable shops.

By that time, only the incompetent and unsupported small stores would collapse.

New Era, however, could survive the natural selection of the market, standing firm regardless of how the market changed or how it hit.

But unlike the big blue and green factories’ strategy of opening many stores, New Era only set up large-scale stores, with each store presented as a flagship.

Reputation for quality and service must be firmly grasped. If, like the big blue and green factories, many franchise stores were recruited, the stores would become a mix, uneven in quality, significantly impacting the brand image and reputation.

"Knock, knock..."

The office door was knocked on, and then Song Yuwei walked in.

A knee-length black business skirt, paired with a small white shirt, a typical commuting office lady outfit.

Song MM had honed her skills in the Shida store for over a year and then was transferred by Su Zelin to the headquarters to serve as his assistant in the operations department.

In the previous life, she was his secretary, very capable, a strong woman without a doubt. In this life, having recruited her to his team, Su Zelin was also full of expectations for her, intending to cultivate her vigorously.

Staying by his side and learning from him, Song Yuwei’s growth speed would undoubtedly be faster.

When he proposed this, Song MM readily agreed.

At present, the salary and commission of a store manager might be higher than that of an operations director’s assistant, but Song Yuwei understood two things.

First, that was just a single store of New Era, merely one among many directly operated stores, and the status of a store manager could not compare to a key member of the headquarters.

Secondly, and more importantly, sticking with the boss was definitely the right move!

Being the boss’s cherished confidante, what he did must have been well-intentioned for her.

Moreover, having become Su Zelin’s assistant, she could practically see him every day, and in terms of personal relations, this position held an enormous charm that Song Yuwei could not resist.

In fact, having been transferred to headquarters, Song Yuwei was very happy every day, as an assistant, she could interact with Su Zelin at any time, like sending documents or arranging schedules, or even making tea.

Placing a cup of tea on the desk, Song Yuwei naturally leaned close to the loafer.

There was no one else present at the moment, so she wasn’t really avoiding anything.

Song MM was quite bold, and in the previous life, when things got craziest, she even crawled under the office desk.

Su Zelin coughed lightly: "Yuwei, we are at the company."

Song Yuwei’s charming eyes swirled like autumn water, covering her mouth, she laughed: "Boss, what are you afraid of? There’s no one else here, and besides, we’re not doing anything."

Su Zelin thought to himself, not doing anything now, but afraid you’ll take an inch and demand a mile later, so it’s best to guide this early on.