#064 Shop Visit, Difficulty in Creating the Pro Add-On, Winter is Approaching (20/08/2023)

Welcome to a new week's journal! It's time for me to chat with you all again! Let me tell you about some things that happened this week:

Shop

This week, I had to visit shops on two separate days because my colleagues had to cancel work due to unforeseen circumstances. One day I went to Harbour City in North Point, and the other day I went to iSQUARE in Tsim Sha Tsui. I noticed a few things: First, there weren't many people in these two malls before 5 PM on weekdays. It seems that most people only have free time after 5 or 6 PM, and that's when the shops start to get busier. Another thing is that my customers really like the new Pro Add-On. Some customers might not be familiar with us, and when they first saw this pillow, they thought the design of being able to adjust the thickness by zipping up and removing the cover was very clever. Also, because the texture blends very well with the rest of the pillow, you don't feel any part that's hard or sticking out. It feels great. New customers also told me that they felt we put a lot of effort into it, which made me very happy.

Furthermore, chatting with customers is actually a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. These past two days' experiences have made me realize that sometimes I should spend more time in the shops talking to customers. I must admit that I haven't spent enough time in both shops, and there's a lot of room for improvement. However, I firmly believe that our most urgent need right now is to have a wider variety of high-quality products so that more people can see them, and to build our brand, maximizing our potential and surviving in this challenging environment.

The difficulty of creating a Pro Add-On

Speaking of the Re Pillow 3 Pro Add-On, I have to mention how complex its sewing and manufacturing process is, truly testing the seamstress's skills. A colleague once asked if I sewed it myself, and I can honestly say I absolutely couldn't do that job. The measurements require precision, and because the fabric used in the Pro Add-On is elastic, plus the inner latex also has its own elasticity, it makes control even more difficult. It takes very high sewing skills to make the entire product smooth and beautiful; it's really not easy. So, if you manage to buy one, you really need to cherish it. This week, we once spent an entire afternoon making just two, which shows how much time and effort is involved.

Thinking back to my childhood school days, there's a saying, "Who knows the hardship behind every grain of rice on the plate?" This saying is quite apt in describing my situation.

Winter is coming soon

It's almost the end of August, and winter is just around the corner. One of our winter products is almost ready this week. I'm remembering the lesson I learned with Re Quilt 2 in April and May this year. Because the product was developed too late and we lacked urgency in the initial stages, it couldn't be launched when the weather turned warm. This winter, it won't be like that. I believe one of our winter products should be ready by mid-September, definitely in time to be in stock before winter gets cold. I've truly learned my lesson.

I also suddenly remembered something I said last winter about "getting through the economic winter together." It seems like a year has passed, winter is coming again, and the economy is just so-so. It looks like we'll have to go through another economic winter this year. Let's all keep going.