My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 967 - 965 Duke’s Business Advise
"Let’s run a few rounds of bidding first, then list the lower-grade items in the store at the same prices as the same grade items in other high-level stores," Kisha suggested. "That way, only the higher-grade products will be up for bidding, making them feel more valuable to the customers."
She continued by organizing the lower-grade crops and items, like Grade D and below. Since the upgrade to her territory space, the grading for her crops and produce had increased, leaving her with the limited lower-grade items from before. Once those sold out, she could focus entirely on her new higher-grade crops.
Kisha applied the same strategy to her seafood, listing them as normal items that didn’t require bidding, but raising their prices tenfold. This allowed customers with limited budgets, who couldn’t compete with big buyers in the auctions, to still purchase something. That way, no one could accuse her store of being unscrupulous.
As soon as she updated the rules in her Sales Channel store, messages began flooding in, one after another. Some even went so far as to leave negative reviews, which made Kisha’s eyebrow twitch in irritation.
She wasn’t surprised; she had expected some backlash whenever she made changes. But to think that people would go this far just because she raised her prices and switched most of the highly sought-after items to bidding? Many were displeased, and their frustration spilled over onto her store.
What frustrated her even more was that the majority of these messages weren’t from ordinary customers; they came from other merchants in the Sales Channel, clearly owners of higher-tier stores.
While some buyers were unhappy, 008 had checked and confirmed that most of the commotion was stirred up by rival merchants who had benefited from her success for a long time. They saw her rule changes and price adjustments as a threat to their own profits and retaliated by leaving scathing reviews. Kisha felt her mood sink further into frustration.
Having negative reviews on her store could seriously impact her ranking, and, by extension, her business. In the Sales Channel, reviews were crucial: most customers checked them before making their first purchase to gauge the merchant’s integrity and confirm that the product met expectations.
After all, refunds were nearly nonexistent, and even when available, the process was so slow and cumbersome that few buyers bothered to use it. The refund system seemed designed more to discourage customers than to help them. Because of this, shoppers relied heavily on reviews to avoid the hassle and frustration of a bad purchase.
Duke, who had just turned away to wash the spiritual fruits, immediately noticed Kisha’s growing coldness. In the brief moment it took him to peel and rinse the fruits, her mood had already shifted, and seeing her so distant and withdrawn left him feeling helpless and worried. He didn’t know how to lift her spirits.
Finally, he spoke softly, trying to reach her. "Wifey, what’s wrong? You can talk to me... maybe I can help. After all, two heads are better than one," he said, looking at her with earnest concern.
Kisha’s eyes drifted up from the review section and met Duke’s worried gaze. Only then did she realize how tightly her brows had creased, and how cold her expression had become, her displeasure nearly impossible to hide.
She considered brushing off his concern, forcing a calm smile, and insisting she was fine. But then she remembered: Duke was a businessman through and through. Before the apocalypse, he had sat at the very top of the pyramid, where everyone bowed before him, hailed as a prodigy in the business world.
If she couldn’t think of a way to handle these merchants, why not ask Duke for his opinion? After all, why exhaust her own mind when the perfect strategist was right beside her?
Besides... he had offered to help anyway.
With a small, playful smile, Kisha looked at Duke and asked, "Hubby, if I remember correctly, you’re a savvy businessman admired by many. So I’m guessing you know quite a bit about how both your online and physical stores operate, right?" she probed.
Hearing Kisha’s compliment, Duke couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. The commanding, domineering CEO of the past was gone; now he looked more like a big, happy puppy, wagging an invisible tail at Kisha, silently asking for more praise.
"Yes, wifey," he said, his eyes sparkling. "I personally check the operations of selected stores, especially the ones that aren’t meeting their quotas or performing poorly. That way, I can see the issues firsthand and come up with solutions before things get worse... That includes the online stores, so I’m fairly familiar with their operations and how to work around the problems."
Duke carefully cut the fruits into bite-sized pieces, arranged them neatly on a platter, and placed it in front of Kisha with a warm, eager smile. Seeing his enthusiasm, Kisha couldn’t help but pop a piece of pineapple into her mouth.
"Why do you ask?" Duke added, leaning over the counter just enough to reach her comfortably, his gaze gentle and curious as he watched her.
Kisha swallowed the sweet, juicy pineapple and grinned at Duke, feeling like she’d just found the answer to her worry. She couldn’t tell him directly about the Sales Channel store, mentioning it would mean unraveling a web of complicated issues, so instead, she framed it as a hypothetical scenario.
"So, what would you do," she asked, leaning slightly forward, "if a competitor came into your store, or even your online store, and left fake reviews to tarnish your products? And then some customers, unaware of the truth, believed it, and your store’s reputation got ruined... what would you do?"
Duke straightened up and fixed Kisha with a steady gaze for several seconds, making her gulp, as if he could see right through her. Then he crossed his arms over his chest, pondering aloud.
"Well, that’s a competitor’s usual tactic, to tarnish a rival’s reputation so customers turn to them instead. Sometimes," he drawled the last words, stretching them out deliberately, "they don’t stop at ruining someone’s image, they even have the audacity to advertise their own products in the reviews for comparison..."
In truth, Duke deliberately drew out his explanation. He enjoyed watching Kisha’s eyes widen in anticipation, her expression so adorably eager that he couldn’t resist teasing her a little.
"Then? What do you do after?" Kisha leaned in closer, eyes bright with anticipation, completely unaware that Duke was teasing her just a little. Duke couldn’t help but chuckle softly, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"Then why do we even have to prove ourselves? By the time all that happens, some customers will have already tried our products, and their experience will speak for itself. There’s no better proof than genuine customer feedback. Those who were swayed by competitors’ claims will eventually realize they were misled, and when they see the truth, they’ll come back."
"The best part? By then, the people who trusted the competitors will have experienced the empty promises firsthand. They’ll be the ones to reveal the truth, and the one who started the false claims will end up taking the brunt of the backlash."
"Meanwhile, we, who were the real victims, won’t just regain our reputation; our returning customers will feel foolish for doubting us, and they’ll likely become our most loyal supporters."
"All we need to do is focus on being the best, on results, packaging, presentation, everything. That’s how we let our work speak for itself."
Duke explained his strategy to Kisha step by step so she could understand how he approached these situations.
After all, Duke dabbled in so many industries that he didn’t have the time, or the luxury, to focus on just one product. He had faced this kind of mudslinging with more than one of his ventures, and if he let it get to him, he’d only stress himself out for no reason.
Instead, he chose to focus on improving his products to be the best in the market and let the customers speak for him. Trying to clean up the mess caused by others would be a waste of time, time that could be better spent on things that actually mattered.
Hearing Duke’s perspective, Kisha felt enlightened. She realized he was right. After all, it wasn’t the first day her store had opened; she already had a solid following of genuine customers who didn’t rely solely on product reviews. Sure, some might be displeased by the sudden price change at first, but they would get used to it over time.
Even if they looked elsewhere, even in higher realms, they wouldn’t easily find anything comparable to what she offered. Maybe something similar existed, but it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Eventually, they’d realize just how valuable her store really was.
And when that happened, price would be the least of their worries. Their focus would shift to demand and the fear that someone with deeper pockets might outbid them. That competitive drive would only push them to pay more, which meant Kisha would ultimately gain more in the long run.
