Chapter five hundred and twenty seventh, seppuku hurts a bit

There is a thing called the lipstick index, which was proposed by the former president of the Estee Lauder Group. It means that the sales volume of lipsticks will not decrease during the economic recession, but will appear to be selling against the trend.

From an economic point of view, when the economy is in a downturn, consumers will reduce the purchase of bulk commodities, so they will have more spare money than in normal times, just to buy cheap non-essentials such as lipstick.

In fact, this is a substitution effect. Under normal circumstances, when people's income increases, they will buy more commodities, and the demand for bulk commodities and luxury goods will also increase.

When the economy is depressed and income decreases, people's consumption will decrease. When people give up buying houses, cars, and luxury goods, cheap non-essential items like lipstick will replace the original bulk commodities and luxury goods. resulting in a substitution effect.

Of course, this situation will only occur in countries with relatively developed economies. In developing countries, consumers are still satisfied with the necessities of life such as food and clothing. Only developed countries with rich material resources will consider lipstick.

Not only lipsticks, but products such as foundation, perfume, nail polish, stockings, etc., will also sell well during economic depression.

For example, during the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, luxury companies were in a difficult situation, but the sales performance of perfumes was exceptionally impressive. In 2009, the sales growth rate of high-end perfumes priced at more than 100 US dollars in the United States was 7%.

If you look carefully, these so-called cheap non-essentials are actually women's goods.

This is a very interesting phenomenon. Whenever there is an economic depression, women tend to dress themselves up more glamorously, and the sales of various products aimed at women increase instead of falling.

Beauty equipment is obviously this type of product. When the storm of the Asian financial crisis hit Japan, the consumption situation in Japan fell off a cliff, but the sales of beauty equipment were not affected.

Later generations often say that the income of the Japanese has not changed for 30 years, which means that the income of the Japanese 30 years ago is the same as it is now.

Moreover, at that time, Japan had not expanded the scope of employment of temporary workers, and a large number of workers were employed for life. If calculated in this way, the overall salary of the Japanese at that time was actually higher than it is now.

After the Koizumi cabinet took office in the future, the Labor Dispatch Law was amended and passed, expanding the scope of temporary employment of temporary workers.

Although this has reduced labor costs in Japan and increased employment opportunities in name, it has led to a decline in the overall income of corporate employees. Many Japanese who entered the workplace during the Koizumi cabinet were already in their forties by the time of the Tokyo Olympics. Still a temporary worker.

In the 1990s, the income of Japanese people was really high, and after 40 years of rapid development, the savings rate of Japanese households was still acceptable. So even if the new micro-current face-lifting device launched by Puppy Electric is priced at 15,000 yen, it is still within an acceptable range for Japanese women.

More importantly, the financial power of Japanese families is often in the hands of the hostess.

In most Japanese families, women do not have to work after they get married. The typical man dominates the inside and the woman dominates the outside. Men are responsible for making money and women are responsible for spending money.

In the Japanese consumer market, female consumers account for nearly 80% of the proportion, that is to say, nearly 80% of the goods in Japan are bought by women. This ratio is the highest in the world.

It is precisely because women have mastered the financial power of the family, so there is no need to worry about selling products specifically for women.

Specialist Kuwano walked into a chain store of Yamada Denki, which is considered to be a relatively prosperous area in Tokyo, but the store of Yamada Denki was a bit sluggish, with clerks staring at it, and there were no customers at all.

Is it always like this today? Executive Sang Ye asked with a gloomy face.

The store manager next to him immediately replied: This has been the case for more than a month. There are very few customers. Even if many customers come to the store,

Also just took a look, and then left, and didn't look like I wanted to buy it.

Manager Sang Ye took a deep breath with some depression, and then he stood near the door, intending to experience it for himself.

Sure enough, there were many pedestrians coming and going on the road, but no one entered Yamada Denki.

And on the opposite side of the road, there happened to be a drugstore. The situation of this drugstore is much better than that of Yamada Denki. Although it can't be said to be crowded, there are still customers coming in and out.

What made Mr. Kuwano even more jealous was that these customers basically entered the store empty-handed and came out with bags, which means they bought products in the drugstore.

Others can sell things, but I don't have any customers here. Manager Sang Ye has mixed feelings, and he subconsciously walks to the drugstore opposite, intending to find out.

When Specialist Sang Ye walked into the drug store, the clerk immediately bowed and greeted him, and then ignored Specialist Sang Ye.

The clerk obviously thinks that Sang Ye is an old man who is in charge of it, and he doesn't seem like a customer who needs cosmetics, so he should give priority to receiving Obasan who really wants to buy something!

Manager Sang Ye was so happy that no one paid attention to him, he stood aside and quietly observed.

At this time, the clerk was selling a microcurrent face-lifting device to Obasan.

Microcurrent can stimulate the growth of collagen and elastic fibers, making the skin more elastic. It can also make your facial contours more tightened, and the lines of your face will also be improved...

After some introductions, Obasan paid 15,000 yen to buy this face-lifting device.

This little thing, can it sell for 15,000 yen? Executive Sang Ye was already in his mind, he subconsciously walked forward and asked, Can I have a look at this product?

The clerk was a little surprised, and said that it was just a face-lifting device for women, what kind of trouble are you, a greasy old man!

However, based on the service concept of customer first, the clerk still handed the microcurrent face thinner to Mr. Kuwano, and then began to introduce it carefully.

Which company produced this product? Sang Ye asked.

It's a puppy appliance. The clerk replied politely.

Puppy Electric uses the English name puppy in Japan, which also looks a little more foreign. This is also a common method for Chinese companies to expand abroad. Ordinary Japanese people will not think of Chinese brands when they see trademarks with English subtitles.

Executive Sang Ye pondered for a moment, then shook his head: I have never heard of this brand. Where is this company?

There is a description of the place of production here. The clerk had no choice but to pass the manual to the manager of Sang Ye.

Executive Sang Ye took the instructions, looked carefully, and suddenly showed a surprised expression on his face: China? Is this a Chinese brand?

It does say that it is made in China. But don't worry, the quality of this product is still good, and we are also responsible for after-sales service. The clerk quickly explained.

Specialist Kuwano suddenly remembered that Section Chief Kobayashi had mentioned before that he would sell new products, and the so-called new products were Chinese brand beauty equipment that had been sold in drugstores. And I once said that I would rather commit seppuku than sell Chinese brand products.

Thinking of this, Executive Sang Ye asked, How is the sales volume of this product?

The sales volume is still very good, and many customers buy it. And this product is endorsed by Takuya Kimura, so it is very popular with customers! The clerk pointed to the poster of Takuya Kimura next to him.

Manager Kuwano nodded silently: It seems that Section Chief Kobayashi is talking about this product!

In the evening, Executive Sangye dragged his exhausted body back home.

I'm back! Executive Sang Ye shouted from the entrance.

Soon, Mrs. Sangye came out, took the briefcase from Mrs. Sangye, and asked at the same time: Are you back? The meal is ready, and the bath water is also put away. Do you plan to eat first, or Take a shower first?

Take a shower first, and prepare a bottle of beer for me. Executive Sang Ye said.

For the Japanese, taking a bath every day is a necessary homework. After taking a bath, drinking a glass of beer while having a meal is probably the happiest time for many Japanese office workers every day.

After dinner, Executive Sangye watched TV for a while, then went straight into the bedroom and lay down with a tired face.

Soon, Mrs. Sangye came in after finishing the housework, but Mrs. Sangye was not empty-handed. She was holding a face thinner and rolling it around on her chin.

Manager Sang Ye saw this face-lifting device at a glance, and he was shocked. Even his wife bought this face-lifting device, which is enough to show that the sales of this product are very good.

However, my wife bought a product of a Chinese brand, and Mr. Sangye was still very upset. The next second, Mr. Sangye asked coldly, What is that in your hand?

This is a face thinner, a beauty device for women, you don't understand it. Mrs. Sangye replied.

How much did you pay for it? Sang Ye asked again.

It's not expensive, only a few thousand yen. Mrs. Sang Ye replied with a red face. She obviously didn't want to tell her husband the real price, so as not to say that she spent money indiscriminately.

Thousands of yen? Impossible, right? Beauty equipment for women is generally more expensive. Executive Sang Ye suddenly had a questioning tone.

I seem to have misremembered, it was in the early ten thousand. Mrs. Sang Ye said guilty.

15,000 yen, call it over 10,000? Executive Sang Ye said angrily.

Mrs. Sangye didn't expect her husband to know the price of the face thinner. After a short panic, she immediately changed the topic.

Mrs. Sangye showed a smile for a moment, and then pulled down the collar of her pajamas, trying to expose herself as much as possible, and then approached Mr. Sangye, and asked, Honey, look, is my face Much smaller?

In the meeting room of Yamada Denki, a board meeting is being held.

Mr. Noboru Yamada, the founder of Yamada Denki and also the president of Yamada Denki, sits in the middle, next to him is another founder, Mr. Koji Miyazaki.

Gong Koji is the brother-in-law of Noboru Yamada and the vice chairman of Yamada Denki.

These two are the core of Yamada Denki's power, and other people in the board of directors are the only ones who follow the lead.

Yamada Denki was founded in the early 1970s. It was Noboru Yamada and Koji Miyazaki who dominated the world at the earliest. Later, after Yamada Denki became bigger, it began to boldly recruit new people to enter the board of directors and management. It was at that time that Mr. Kuwano entered Yamada motor.

In the administrative structure of Yamada Denki, Mr. Kuwano is considered to be the person who holds the most power under the president, but in the board of directors, Mr. Kuwano does not have much right to speak.

Now the people sitting in the meeting room are all the bosses of Sang Ye, and Sang Ye also needs to report to them.

Due to the outbreak of the financial crisis, Yamada Denki's sales data is not good, and its profit is far less than last year.

When such data is reported to the board of directors, the other directors are naturally very dissatisfied.

Ever since, a series of questioning voices sounded, and even the president Yamada Noboru, who has always trusted him, also cast some questioning eyes.

Fortunately, Noboru Yamada still gave the commercial executive a chance to explain, and he said: In recent years, the work of the executive Kuwano has been very good, and the profit of our Yamada Denki has also greatly improved.

But this year our sales are not good, and our profits have dropped sharply. Mr. Kuwano, do you have anything to explain to the board of directors?

Mr. Kuwano immediately said: Dear directors, this year's sales fell off a cliff, and it happened in the last two months, which was caused by the sluggish Japanese economy.

In the past two months, several securities companies and banks in Japan have closed down, and the securities companies and banks that have not failed are also considered to be potential risks. This has led to a recession in the entire Japanese economy.

This downturn will inevitably affect the consumption of home appliances. Consumers who originally wanted to buy home appliances are in a wait-and-see state due to the economic downturn, which has led to a sharp drop in our sales!

Noboru Yamada nodded slightly: The economic downturn is a real phenomenon. As far as I know, the sales of other home appliance chain companies are also falling, so we can't blame Mr. Sangye for the decline in profits this year.

Noboru Yamada's words made Executive Kuwano heave a sigh of relief. It seems that he has worked hard all these years and still won the trust of the president.

Gong Haoji, the vice-chairman next to him, said: The economic downturn has affected the sales. It is true that you can't blame Mr. Sangye, but in the face of this sluggish economy, Mr. Sangye should also come up with some countermeasures. ?

If there is no countermeasure, won't our sales next year be so bad? Manager Sang Ye, the board invites you to solve the problem, not to shirk your responsibility!

Hi! Executive Sang Ye hurriedly responded.

However, Mr. Sangye didn't prepare any solution at all. Faced with the board's pressing, in desperation, Mr. Sangye suddenly remembered the suggestion of Section Chief Kobayashi.

So Executive Sang Ye hurriedly said, I've made a plan to solve the problem.

What plan? Gong Haoer asked.

The current economic outlook is not optimistic, and it is difficult for traditional home appliances to recover in a short period of time, so I think we should look for new growth points. Mr. Kuwano directly repeated the words of Mr. Kobayashi.

What's the new growth point? Gong Haoer continued to ask.

The new growth point is new types of home appliances. Recently, I have been doing market research and found that there are several beauty instruments in the market. Even in the current economic downturn, sales are still very good.

Specialist Kuwano continued to repeat the words of Section Chief Kobayashi: The profits of beauty products are generally relatively large. Therefore, I think that Yamada Denki should also introduce these beauty equipment to make up for the losses in the field of traditional home appliances.

Executive Sang Ye said while secretly touching his stomach, thinking to himself:

Sepra-kiri is still a bit painful. Forget it, let's not cut it. Chinese brands are Chinese brands. If you bear it, you will sell it!

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