256: Chapter 256 Even Vanti has hired a personal spokesperson?

The next day, Chen Fan arrived at the Fanti apparel company.

The office here wasn't large, and the decor was not as luxurious as the game company's.

However, Chen Fan usually didn't spend much time here, so he didn't mind.

As long as it was functional; he wasn't here to pamper himself.

Upon arriving at the company, he saw Li Nan and a few employees discussing the upcoming clothing launch. Chen Fan walked over quietly, tapped on the desk, and gestured for her to follow him to his office.

"Mr. Chen."

"Have a seat." Chen Fan pointed to the chair opposite him and got straight to the point. "How is the game crossover with Zhang Tao's side coming along?"

"We have a preliminary plan and are currently refining the details. We've agreed to hold daily online meetings to sync up on progress, and Zhang Tao's side has been very cooperative."

"Good." Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. "I thought about it yesterday. Their game won't go online for another few months, so there's no need to rush the crossover. Let's focus on getting the launch here right first."

Li Nan nodded. "Then should I still give you the crossover plan next week?"

"There's no rush for now." Chen Fan waved his hand. "Focus all your energy on wrapping up the launch first. We can talk about the crossover once sales have stabilized. A few days won't make a difference."

A flicker of understanding crossed Li Nan's eyes. "Understood, Mr. Chen."

She wasn't surprised at all by Chen Fan changing his mind.

After all, wasn't it completely normal for bosses to change their policies constantly?

What they thought of as 'A' today might become 'B' tomorrow, and perhaps revert to 'A' the day after.

It wasn't that the boss hadn't thought it through, but rather that he had too many things on his mind. Today he might think this was important, and tomorrow he might feel that was more urgent.

As a subordinate, there was no need to ask why; just do as told.

She had been in the workforce for several years, so she understood this well.

"By the way, how are the preparations for the launch going?"

Li Nan replied, "The Taobao store page has been fully designed and set up. We've shot six sets of product photos, with seven to eight photos per set. The model we hired is a local girl with a clean look whose vibe fits Fanti's style quite well. The first batch of three thousand pieces, along with the thirty thousand pieces produced last month, were all shipped over recently. We did a random inspection, and the pass rate was ninety-seven percent. The defective ones have been sent back for rework. Sister Su cooperated very well on her end, and the rework was fast, so the schedule wasn't delayed."

"What about logistics?"

"We signed with Shentong. It's four point five yuan per piece. Same price for in-province and out-of-province, with remote areas calculated separately."

"Four point five yuan?" Chen Fan frowned. "Can't we get it any cheaper?"

He remembered that in his past life, shipping fees for Taobao sellers were incredibly cheap.

For those with large volumes sending thousands of orders a day, the cost per item could be pushed down to two-something or even one-something yuan. Some major sellers could even negotiate it down to just over one yuan.

To him, four point five yuan seemed way too high.

Li Nan explained, "We've negotiated this price multiple times. Shentong said that since we're currently a new store and can't guarantee a stable order volume, they aren't willing to offer a lower rate. Once our daily average shipping volume stabilizes at over three hundred orders, we can renegotiate to bring it down to between three point five and four yuan. If we can reach five hundred orders, getting it below three yuan isn't impossible."

"Alright, let's go with this for now. Once sales stabilize, go talk to them again." Chen Fan paused. "How are the promotions coming along?"

Li Nan said, "Just as you instructed, we've reached out to most of the top-tier and mid-tier beauty and fashion bloggers on Weibo. There are forty-seven in total, with follower counts ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands. These bloggers have highly engaged followers and precise target audiences, making them perfect for promoting our products."

After saying this, Li Nan hesitated before continuing, "It's just that hiring so many of them is a bit expensive."

Chen Fan waved his hand. "As long as it's effective, the cost doesn't matter. By the way, don't forget to purchase Taobao's in-platform promotions. That's equally important."

When it came to Fanti's business, Chen Fan had never thought about making a small bet for a big return.

Using a small investment to gain huge returns was a desperate measure for startups lacking funds. Right now, he had injected a full 10 million yuan into Fanti, so he would go with whatever was safest and most effective.

Li Nan nodded. "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. We've already contacted Taobao for promotions. The monthly promotion fee will be around fifty to sixty thousand yuan."

"Fifty to sixty thousand is reasonable. Let's go with that."

This batch of clothes had five categories in total, with three to four styles per category, making over twenty different items. The selling prices ranged from 99 to 199 yuan.

After deducting various promotional expenses, employee salaries, and manufacturing costs, there wouldn't be much profit from the first batch.

However, this was normal. The apparel industry was different from the gaming industry; it required a massive upfront investment to build brand awareness and get consumers to accept the brand.

Once sales volume increased later on, profit margins would naturally rise.

Once sales volume increased later on, profit margins would naturally rise.

"Oh, right," Chen Fan said as if suddenly remembering something. "Let me see the photos of the model you hired."

"The photos are on my computer. Let me go grab my laptop."

"No need, let's just go look at your workstation."

Chen Fan stood up and followed Li Nan out of the office.

The workspace at Fanti wasn't large. Currently, with nearly twenty people in the company, more than half of the desks were occupied.

Desks were piled high with documents, sample clothes, and shipping labels. Compared to the spacious and bright open-plan office of the game company, this place felt quite cramped.

Li Nan's desk was in the innermost corner by the window. Besides her computer, there was a stack of fabric color swatches and sample patterns for several garments.

Chen Fan pulled up a chair and sat next to her. Li Nan turned on her computer, opened the folder containing the model's photos, and flipped through them one by one.

The girl in the photos was in her early twenties with shoulder-length long hair, wearing a Fanti slip dress in front of a white backdrop. Her makeup was subtle, her expression natural, and she lacked that overly staged 'model' feel.

Chen Fan looked at a few and then flipped to the next set—she had changed into a knit cardigan paired with high-waisted jeans, standing by the window. With the light hitting her from the side, she looked clean and comfortable.

The photos were shot decently. They weren't breathtaking, but they were flawless. Her clean look and vibe indeed fit Fanti's style.

Still, he felt like something was missing.

He stared at the screen for a few seconds, his mind racing, and then his eyes lit up. They were missing a spokesperson.

If they put a spokesperson on the homepage banner and the product detail pages, even if it was a new brand, people would feel like it was a brand with some backing.

In his past life, those Taobao stores with money would hire celebrities, those without would hire models, and those who couldn't even afford models would at least put up a few highly-edited photos.

Hanging a photo of a spokesperson on the homepage, accompanied by the words 'Brand Spokesperson XXX', would instantly elevate the entire store's class.

However, there were only a few days left before the launch. Even if they could hire a spokesperson, it would take some time to finish the shoot.

Contacting a celebrity's agent, negotiating the price, and scheduling the shoot—this whole sequence of events would take at least two to three months to wrap up.

Distant water couldn't quench immediate thirst.

Chen Fan rubbed his chin, feeling a bit frustrated.

Should he ask Naza?