Distributors may hold a seemingly common role within the industry, yet they are essential partners for businesses. It is through their diligent efforts that enterprises and brands attain a degree of accomplishment and market recognition.
The “Zuliz Distributor Series Stories” aim to showcase the exceptional distributors of Zuliz elderly footwear, delving into their entrepreneurial narratives, sharing sales techniques, and collectively exploring promising business prospects. These stories may encompass success secrets, touching anecdotes, and reflections on past challenges, with the hope of inspiring readers and fostering contemplation.
In this installment, the focal point of Zuliz Distributor Story is – Wang Hongxia.
Wang Hongxia, a distributor from Kaifeng, Henan Province, has been part of the Zuliz family since 2019, growing alongside the brand. Starting as a store manager and now owning four stores, her journey has been a mix of challenges and opportunities. She firmly believes in Zuliz’s brand influence and the professionalism and quality of Zuliz elderly footwear. In our conversation, she mentioned, “It’s not me who made Zuliz successful, but Zuliz that empowered me!”
“We’re still young, we can always start afresh.”
Wang Hongxia is a warm and talkative person, and during our interview, we affectionately referred to her as “Sister Wang.” Before joining Zuliz, she spent years caring for her children at home. Despite this, she never stopped learning, trying her hand at online businesses and selling home products. These experiences not only gave her valuable sales skills but also laid the groundwork for her later success with Zuliz.
In 2019, a fortuitous opportunity led Wang, known as Sister Wang, to encounter Zuliz for the first time. At that time, she served as a store manager for a direct-operated store, overseeing operations and inventory management. Reflecting on those days, she remarked, “While Zuliz’s brand influence and visibility were gradually expanding, I foresaw its potential and future growth.” Over the two years managing the self-operated store, she witnessed Zuliz’s brand steadily strengthening. Through comprehensive online and offline marketing efforts, she cultivated a substantial following of loyal elderly customers.
Within this process, Wang discerned a fresh market opportunity and subsequently transitioned into a store partnership role. She was well aware that such a shift entailed a blend of opportunities and risks, transforming her from a salaried employee into a business owner accountable for profits and losses. Moreover, amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic, the sales performance of offline stores appeared bleak.
Nevertheless, undeterred by adversity, Wang, after deliberation with her spouse, arrived at a unanimous conclusion: “Embrace the worst-case scenario; we are still young and can always commence anew!” It was this audacious and resilient spirit, unafraid of setbacks, that laid the foundation for her subsequent achievements.
Most of Wang’s employees followed her from the direct-operated store and had undergone rigorous service training. When customers enter the store, they warmly greet them, offer a glass of water, and help them select three to five pairs of shoes. During the fitting process, they kneel down to assist customers in trying on shoes, checking for any foot deformities to ensure a better fit. This standardized service process and friendly attitude have garnered numerous praises from customers for Wang’s stores!
Furthermore, for elderly customers visiting the store, the staff also take the initiative to clean their shoes, leaving a heartwarming impression. To enhance efficiency in shoe cleaning services, Wang even purchased a shoe washing machine for the store. Initially offering free shoe cleaning cards and later providing complimentary shoe cleaning services to customers who purchase Zuliz shoes, this initiative not only shows care and warmth to customers but also attracts a growing number of loyal patrons. This customer-centric service philosophy has not only earned high praise from local customers for Zuliz but also drawn a significant influx of customers attracted by the store’s reputation.
Some time ago, Sister Wang shared a story about an elderly lady who traveled quite far by bus to visit the store upon recommendation from a loyal customer. Disappointed by the lack of her preferred color, she intended to enjoy a massage before departing. Upon learning that the aunt had a distant journey to catch her bus, Sister Wang arranged for assistance to escort her to the bus station. The aunt was deeply moved and pledged to introduce more individuals to purchase shoes. It is the repeated word-of-mouth recommendations from customers that have enhanced the reputation of Foot Therapy, attracting an increasing number of patrons.
- Trust in the company, leverage brand effect
Sister Wang described Foot Therapy as a brand that naturally attracts customers, with many patrons specifically seeking out the brand. Foot Therapy enjoys high local recognition, known by approximately ninety percent of the elderly and young alike, earning its status as a “trendy brand” among the elderly. Coupled with Foot Therapy’s high-quality products, positive brand reputation, and credibility, the establishment sees a steady flow of customers. Sister Wang views this as the manifestation of Foot Therapy’s brand effect and a key factor in the offline store’s success.
- Effective management and setting benchmarks
Among the four stores under Sister Wang’s supervision, the Yellow River Road store and the South Lake store were acquired directly from the company’s own stores. Through meticulous operation and expansion, they have become two highly successful stores in Lankao County. With the market expanding, Sister Wang realized that succeeding in a competitive market requires understanding market demands, strategic layout, opening multiple stores, and covering different regions to enhance the brand’s market share. Subsequently, she opened the Yulu Avenue store and the Guyang store.
While Sister Wang began operating Foot Therapy’s offline stores early on, her initial responsibilities were limited to sales performance. She lacked a clear understanding of store costs and profits. Upon becoming the Foot Therapy agent in Lankao County and taking charge of four stores simultaneously, she faced an increased demand for her managerial capabilities.
Sister Wang used the daily operations at the Yellow River Road store as a benchmark, distributing these standards to each store manager to ensure strict adherence. This approach effectively enhanced the operational efficiency of all stores.
Regarding marketing for the branches, Sister Wang leverages the unique features of each store. Despite operating under unified daily standards, she tailors promotional strategies based on the distinct advantages and disadvantages of each store. For instance, the South Lake store, the first Foot Therapy outlet in Lankao County with a loyal customer base but a slightly less favorable location, relies primarily on phone follow-ups for daily promotions. By continually engaging in holiday event notifications through phone calls, the store successfully retains its existing customer base, achieving significant results.
The Yellow River Road store, located in a B-class commercial area with significant geographical advantages and high foot traffic, employs a more assertive marketing approach by calling out to passersby at the storefront. Given the substantial flow of pedestrian traffic in the area, this method effectively attracts customers.
As for the other two new stores, Sister Wang initially promoted them by distributing flyers in high-traffic areas like schools and malls. However, with the recent surge in popularity of short videos, Sister Wang recognized the immense potential of video marketing. She realized that short videos are not only more cost-effective than traditional flyer distribution but also have the potential to yield unexpected promotional results and boost sales. Consequently, she delved into researching the logic and user preferences of short videos, creating video content for the stores in a dialect that resonates with the audience. She ensures daily updates of these videos, showcasing the stores’ premium services, holiday promotions, seasonal introductions, and more.
By presenting a diverse range of promotional content, Sister Wang’s stores have established close interactions with customers, making them feel familiar and naturally drawn to the stores. Through showcasing the stores’ unique features and services, Sister Wang not only enhances the stores’ visibility but also increases customers’ trust in them.
Sister Wang stated: “In recent years, the most effective promotional method has been using TikTok short videos to attract customers. A well-crafted promotional video can garner tens of thousands of views, even reaching one to two thousand people to visit our stores.”
Following the company’s direction, Sister Wang continues to explore live streaming for product sales. The initial success of short videos has opened her eyes to the potential of live streaming sales. While she previously experimented with online live sales, her lack of experience in streaming hindered her consistency in this endeavor. Sister Wang understands that success in live streaming sales requires continuous learning and guidance from professionals to excel in this specialized field.
Sister Wang openly admitted: “Currently, my focus is primarily on short videos. Each store must update promotional content daily, and after learning from professionals, I will continue to explore live streaming for product sales.”
In a concluding statement, Sister Wang expressed: “If you overthink everything, you won’t accomplish anything. Foot Therapy is a brand with significant influence, attracting many people. If you choose this brand, don’t hesitate, especially in these years of rapid market growth. When I first considered joining Foot Therapy, if I had constantly worried about finances and risks, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today.”
Sister Wang’s journey, from a store employee to a store partner, and then to a distributor in Lankao County, reflects her steady progress, seizing market opportunities with boldness and determination. Her resolute steps and relentless spirit of perseverance will undoubtedly lead her further along the path to success.
