Mag didn't even turn his head as he heard the burst of knocking on the door. He said, "The restaurant isn't open yet; please come back later."
"Mr. Mag, it's me. I have some things that I want to consult you about." Gloria's voice sounded outside.
"Ms. Gloria?" Mag opened the door and looked at Gloria with a hint of surprise and puzzlement on his face.
"Sorry for disturbing you so early." Gloria looked at Mag with an apologetic expression before offering up the designs in her hands as she said, "I had some questions about the dress designs, and I knew you'd be busy once the restaurant opened for business, so I came early. Do you have some free time now?"
"Come on in. We're partners collaborating on the same project, so you can ask me anything." Mag nodded with a smile as he stepped aside to allow Gloria into the restaurant.
"Thank you." A relieved and joyful look appeared on Gloria's face. The warm smile on Mag's face soothed her nerves significantly, and she made her way into the restaurant with the designs in her arms.
"What would you like to ask about the designs, Ms. Gloria? Were the annotations unclear, or was the seamstress unable to understand something?" Mag asked with a smile.
"No, no, your annotations are impeccable, and the seamstress can understand everything. It's just that these two designs..." Gloria pulled out the two dress designs, and a faint blush appeared on her face as she looked at Mag. She bit down on her lower lip, and didn't know how to explain the situation euphemistically.
Mag looked at the designs for the strapless dress and the open back dress, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Your concern is that the two dresses are too revealing, right?"
"No, in my opinion, both dresses are very luxurious and beautiful. I've never seen such beautiful dresses before, but..." Gloria hurriedly waved her hands, and hesitated momentarily before continuing, "It's just that these two dresses might be difficult to accept for the majority of women out there. In that case, they may not sell very well... We only have about 20 days left, and these dress designs are my only hope."
"So what you want me to do is alter the designs and make them more common and normal, is that right?" Mag asked calmly.
"I respect your designs, Mr. Mag, but I also have to be responsible for all of the Blue Suede Textiles Shop's employees." Gloria looked into Mag's eyes and was a little flustered, but she still stood her ground.
"Ms. Gloria, I really admire your imagination and creativity. In my opinion, selling ready-made clothes will be a business model that will reap you resounding success on the Norland Continent." Mag looked at Gloria with a smile, and asked, "But I have to ask you a question now. Let's say you had the choice of getting an item of clothing custom-made for you so everything fits perfectly, or you could get the same item of clothing ready-made, but it only has a few sizes to choose from, one of which will be slightly too large, while the next size down will be slightly too small. Which one will you choose?"
Gloria contemplated the choices for a moment before replying, "I'd choose the custom-made one."
"In that case, what makes you think everyone would storm to your shop to buy your clothes if you release the same designs that they can get elsewhere? What makes you think they'll throw their money to you and make your business a profitable one in 20 days when they can get the same product that is a better fit from a seamstress?" Mag asked.
Gloria's eyes immediately widened upon hearing that. Mag's question was like a clap of thunder exploding in her mind.
"For the open back dress, I suggest you make it a limited edition item with four dresses per color and per size at most. The targeted demographic for this dress will be noble young mistresses like you, and they want only the best for themselves. To them, price is merely a number, so the price of this dress has to be very expensive. Only then would they feel like it's worthy to be worn by them.
"The best way to advertise the dress and draw interest to it would be for someone to wear it in front of them. For example, if a beautiful young woman were to turn up to a certain ball in that dress, all of the women at that ball would be curious where she had gotten such a stunning dress from," Mag continued
Gloria's eyes slowly lit up as she listened.
"As for the strapless dress, the target demographic will be closer to the middle-class population, but don't set the price too low, either. Set it at a price where the middle-class husbands would only buy it after an internal struggle; don't make it too affordable, but also don't make it so far beyond their budget that they wouldn't even consider it. This is a very fine balancing act which you'll have to get right. This dress will be very popular and somewhat affordable, so don't put a limit on the number of dresses of this style released, and make sure to prepare sufficient stock. The middle-class women won't be attending as many balls and parties, so they won't have to worry about other women wearing the same dress as them during the events they attend, yet the dress will ensure that they'll stand out," Mag continued as he pointed to the other design.
Gloria nodded eagerly, and it was as if stars were twinkling in her eyes as she stared at Mag.
She had thought that Mag was an exceptional chef who just so happened to design clothes as a hobby, but only now did she realize that he was also a brilliant market analyst. He was extremely well-versed in consumer psychology, and could explain the concepts in a very eloquent way, making the information easy for Gloria to absorb. This was an eye-opening feeling that she didn't even get from Mars. The only person in her mind that could compare was her grandfather, the legendary man who had revolutionized the business sector in Chaos City.
She could sense that Mag's words were going to effect a very profound change within her, and that a door was slowly being opened up in front of her.
"Lastly, that chiffon dress will be the cheapest of the three, the kind that women can buy for themselves if they just saved up for a while. This will be something that they can wear when going out or attending events. Even though the price will be lower than that of the other two, you have to make sure that the quality does not slip, as the demographic being targeted here will be the most important one for your business in the future. However, this dress is not very different from the dresses commonly seen on the market, so the most important thing is to make your business known through the use of the other two dresses as advertisement. When that time comes, the concept of forging a brand will be very important," Mag continued.
"A brand?" Gloria was perplexed.
"A brand is a rather abstract concept. Put it this way: when we refer to a bank, the first thing we think of is Buffett Banks. That's what a brand is, in essence. After a brand is established, brand loyalty can slowly be forged, which will draw more and more customers to you, just like how virtually all people looking to store money would go to Buffett Banks," Mag explained.
"So what you're saying is, we should forge a brand for the Blue Suede Textiles Shop, and people will buy from us for our renowned brand even though the clothing we sell may not be too different from the other styles of clothing out there. Is that right?" Gloria's eyes lit up even further as she looked at Mag.
"You can interpret it that way. I personally would suggest getting rid of the 'textiles shop' part of the name. Blue Suede sounds like a very elegant and high-class brand, whereas 'Blue Suede Textiles Shop' sounds a lot more lackluster." Mag was very pleased with Gloria's ability to absorb information, but he still had to offer some advice in specific areas.
"I understand now. Thank you, Mr. Mag." Gloria bowed deeply to Mag before packing up her designs and departing.
Perhaps she can become the queen of the fashion industry in the future. I hope this basket of eggs grows more quickly. Mag looked on at Gloria's departing figure until she disappeared into the square before entering the kitchen.