The beautiful shop owner reveals the secrets of running a store: made 2710 yuan in 7 days

I run an online store on Taobao that sells clothes imported from South Korea. Below, I would like to share my experience of running the store with everyone, hoping it will be helpful to all:

First, take a look at my sales record for this week - hehe, all of it was hard-earned by working until 3-4 in the morning every day. The total sales for 7 days amounted to 2710 yuan. Let me explain why so many clothes were sold at once. Actually, some customers buy a lot at one time, and I could have let them buy each item separately, which would help increase the store's rating. But I was worried about causing inconvenience, so they only bought a few items, and I adjusted the price.

Since NANA had already started selling clothes online while studying abroad, back then it was in foreign forums. Because the quality of the clothes was excellent and I paid great attention to maintaining relationships with customers, I made many loyal friends at that time, which laid a foundation for opening a Taobao store this year.

In the early stage of the small shop, I didn't plan to target the overseas market because I wanted to focus on domestic promotion. Therefore, all my efforts were concentrated on the domestic market. Later, when chatting on QQ, many customers kept asking if there were new arrivals and whether I would return to Singapore, so I gave them the link to my Taobao store. As a result, besides attracting some new domestic customers, the old customers from Singapore also brought quite a bit of business.

From selecting clothes to picking up the goods myself, and then personally taking photos, only I can understand how difficult this process is. Luckily, those hardest days are now over, and the business is gradually improving. No matter how hard or tired I am, it's worth it.

The biggest lesson I've learned is: never be lazy when doing anything. It really is true that you reap what you sow.

When I took pictures of the clothes, it took me more than half a month. Although I started uploading new products at the end of May, even now, half of the clothes haven't been uploaded yet. The reason is simple - I'm not satisfied with the pictures of my clothes. At first, I took hanging shots without real models, but I was worried that buyers might not know how the clothes look when worn. So I retook all the previous hanging pictures, wearing them myself and asking a friend to help take the actual photos during their free time. Because I believe that online shopping relies heavily on pictures, which are your face. If the face doesn't look clean or comfortable, people won't bother to look twice. However, the good pictures I refer to here don't mean heavy PS. It's just about trying to restore the original color of the clothes as much as possible, making them look as close to the real ones as possible, while showing their true beauty at the same time. NANA suggests conducting market research before opening a store. For example:

1. What aspect are you interested in? Only when you're interested in something will you invest more passion into it, increasing the chances of success.

2. After determining your development direction and deciding what to sell, it's time to conduct market research. This includes visiting various places in your city to find the advantages of this market, including sourcing channels. Like NANA, my initial positioning was targeting young girls, college students, and some bourgeois women. The suitable age group was finely divided: girls around 16-26 years old. And the main focus was on Korean-imported clothes. Because I have more channels in this area, I have a relatively greater advantage. Moreover, I personally like Korean-style clothes, possibly because they match my temperament better.

After roughly defining these ranges, it's time for market research. Since NANA had already planned to do this upon returning home while studying abroad, I started engaging in international trade during my spare time at school, importing goods from Korea and China to Singapore for sale. Perhaps due to my keen eye and special channels, the quality of the clothes was guaranteed, so the business was always very good. During the more than a year in Singapore, I accumulated many loyal customers, which provided a good foundation for opening an online store after returning home. Thanks to their strong support, my business was thriving in the early stages.

However, NANA must emphasize: no matter what industry you're in, you need to ensure the quality of your products. People often say that Taobao is a place to find cheap goods, but I don't think so. For some customers who truly pursue a refined lifestyle, Taobao is a place to find cost-effective items. Therefore, we shouldn't always think about price wars and buying cheap goods, as this can only lead to a vicious cycle, getting caught up in the competition with those who have diamonds or crowns. In the end, the sacrifice will be you because as a new seller, you can't compete with them on any level. So what should we do? Don't worry, NANA believes the most important thing is to sell things with little market competition. If you use your brain, you can definitely find such items. For example, the Korean clothes I sell, although they are Korean clothes, you can search on Taobao, and except for those T-shirts I use to boost ratings, most of them are similar. But the real high-end pieces have very few repetitions with Taobao sellers. A bigger advantage is that even if there are repetitions, they reduce risks by being agents, while all my items are in stock, and whenever I have time, I take pictures of real models. There are two purposes:

First, to let everyone know that buying clothes from my store doesn't require waiting 10-15 days.

Second, many clothes are official website pictures, looking very nice, but Korean goods aren't 100% quality assured, and some workmanship is average. To let everyone truly understand the actual situation of the clothes, I take my own pictures to eliminate doubts about the official website pictures. Even if it's the same item, different marketing methods may give you an advantage. After completing market research, the next crucial step is to create a business plan.

It should include the purpose of opening the store and your ideal goals.

Of course, it should include the preliminary market analysis, and then list your goals, including long-term and short-term goals.

For example, NANA's short-term goal is to reach the diamond level within six months and the five-diamond level after one year. Therefore, I have been working hard to achieve this goal.

Also, you must be prepared to endure hardship because running an online store is extremely demanding. You need to spend a lot of time posting on various large forums, sending useful posts, and increasing your visibility. I used to not know the benefits of this, thinking only about how to advertise through Taobao Express. Later, I accidentally browsed the Taobao forum and posted a few threads. One day, I noticed that my store's browsing volume suddenly increased to over 300. This discovery made me realize that if you want others to know about your store, you need to post on forums and create soft advertisements. Therefore, you need to take the initiative. Ever since NANA's personal physical photos appeared on Taobao Ladies and Expert Pavilion, my store's browsing volume has steadily remained between 200-300, reaching up to 500 at its peak. Although it's far from the big sellers, don't rush. Progress is a gradual process; every small step adds up to a big leap eventually.

The last step is what many people consider the most traditional method - recommending to classmates and friends.

However, NANA does it differently. I recommend to my customers in Singapore because many of my previous customers continue to like NANA's style, so even though I've returned, they still support me, which is very beneficial for my online store. This month, NANA's sales amount to less than 3000 RMB, but I'm already very satisfied. I believe next month will be even better. Besides recommending to classmates around me, NANA teaches you a better method. Design a beautiful business card, print plenty, carry them with you, and whenever you see a nicely dressed woman whose style matches yours, hand her the card. Don't be shy or worry about rejection. If your items are truly good, you're actually helping her because everyone wants good things. Sharing what you think is good with others is also a form of assistance. Let me explain why so many clothes were sold at once. Actually, some ladies bought a lot at once, and I could have let them buy each item separately, which would help increase the store's rating. But I was worried about causing inconvenience, so they only bought a few items, and I adjusted the prices. Below, I will specifically introduce some experiences from starting a business abroad and analyzing the domestic market, hoping it will be helpful to everyone:

Since the QQ group was established, many people have joined. However, it feels like not everyone's intentions are pure, which makes me a bit angry. Some join purely to advertise, while others don't say a word. Actually, the reason I created the group was to encourage mutual exchange and support. We are all inexperienced in society, full of entrepreneurial passion, but lacking sufficient experience, and have many doubts and confusions about opening stores and entrepreneurship. NANA sincerely wants to share some of my small experiences with everyone.

Below, I summarize the common concerns of the group members over the past two days:

Q1: Supply Chain Issues

Many people are most concerned about the supply chain and ask what sells well on Taobao?

I think this question shows a lack of thought. If everyone knew what sells well, we'd all be rich and wouldn't need to study daily.

To be honest, I personally think that what you sell isn't important. If you have skills and innovation, you can sell fresh ideas or items. Because most Taobao users are from the post-80s and post-90s generations, their common characteristic is a strong curiosity about new things, like the currently popular "selling remaining time," which is a very fresh idea. The content isn't necessarily new, but the name gives a refreshing impression, so it became popular.

Let me talk about myself. Although I've been on Taobao for not too long, and the items have only been fully listed for two weeks, I already have 20 hearts. A few buyers have purchased and paid, but asked me to ship later, so they haven't reviewed yet. One buyer bought clothes in bulk to sell in a physical store. She initially ordered 16 pieces to check the samples. The goods arrived at her house last night, and she immediately praised them. Tonight, she replied positively and said she would send payment soon for another 24 pieces. Another buyer reviewed tonight, and after receiving the goods in the afternoon, she immediately messaged me via QQ saying her colleagues were rushing to try on the clothes, finding them particularly nice, and promised to visit again soon. I'll share the chat records with you.

Personally, I despise those who artificially inflate their ratings, so please believe me when I say, with my integrity, each review is genuine.

Why did I just start, without asking friends or classmates to help purchase, and despite my store's prices being generally higher, manage to achieve such results?

This is mainly due to my own efforts. Every day, I persistently post on various forums, read others' premium posts, learn from their experiences, and compare them to find my shortcomings. Making progress every day, however small, accumulates into significant improvement over time. Additionally, I have a good habit: regardless of the type of post, if I enter someone else's thread, no matter how many replies it already has, I reply seriously without missing any. If you haven't developed this habit, I suggest you try it. Don't be lazy—it absolutely works. Also, promote your posts in communities outside Taobao. These days, I've been promoting on Ruili Women's Network forum, some Tieba, and campus networks. I actively participate and post in these platforms. As long as the product is good and people know about it, naturally, it will attract attention. To make a sale, you must first be seen. Some people ask if they should also artificially inflate their ratings when starting a store?

I think this question is pretty stupid. I don't know what others think, but I've always believed that running a store is about cultivating personal integrity and honesty. Artificially inflating ratings is a shameful act in my opinion. If someone inflates ratings for traffic or rankings, their character is questionable, and such people can't accomplish great things. I believe in the concept of aura—like attracts like. Good people naturally attract good customers, and because of who you are, you will attract the right crowd, creating a virtuous cycle that leads to continuous improvement. Those who rely on artificial inflation may temporarily succeed, but I believe that today they inflate ratings, tomorrow they'll come up with worse ideas to operate, and the day after, they might substitute inferior goods to deceive consumers for profit. Such people will ultimately hurt themselves. Therefore, whether we are individuals or in business, we must be honest and trustworthy and avoid malicious intentions.