Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

This consumer psychology applies everywhere, even to these simple and honest local residents.

For a moment, a smile involuntarily appeared on Song Chen's lips.

Admittedly, he was very unhappy about Niu Kuang and Murong Jiao's plagiarism.

But it was also within his expectations.

He knew all along that this tactic had low barriers to entry and that it was only a matter of time before it was copied. The core value of the package strategy is not exclusivity, but the "first-mover advantage"—the first person to try something new always gets a few more minutes of exclusive benefit.

Therefore, without a doubt, he has the upper hand in this game!

However, the other two teams didn't come away empty-handed. Quite a few natives, out of distance, curiosity, or simply random choice, went to Niu Kuang and Murong Jiao to make purchases.

After all, it's a competition with similar products. First-mover advantage can win for a while, but it can't win forever.

The three parties quickly reached a new stalemate.

If we want to widen the gap again, we need to come up with more competitive methods.

—Bone Clan stall.

Niu Kuang stood in front of his stall with his arms crossed, a rare look of contemplation appearing on his rugged face.

He copied the package deal strategy, but ultimately fell short. Simply relying on price and free gifts isn't enough to differentiate themselves.

Then leverage your greatest strength – people.

"Tiedan!" Niu Kuang suddenly spoke.

"Here!" Tie Dan's shiny head popped up.

"You two take two men and get some work done at my stall later," Niu Kuang said in a low voice, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes. "Dance, or do something else fancy, get the crowds going!"

Tie Dan was taken aback, and three wrinkles appeared on his shiny forehead: "Boss, what kind of performance are we going to put on later? None of us can dance."

Niu Kuang slapped him on the back of the head and said matter-of-factly, "Just dance around, what's the big deal? Just say it's our traditional dance as magicians! What do these natives know?"

Tie Dan felt as if he had been enlightened, and his eyes lit up: "Okay, boss! Awesome!"

What followed was truly spectacular.

Niu Kuang stood in front of his stall, using his booming, lousy voice as a human megaphone to chat enthusiastically with every native who passed by.

"Brother! Look at you, all burly and strong, you've got to do heavy work! Come on, try our big meat skewers, after you eat them you won't have a problem carrying logs!"

"Hey ma'am, you brought your kid to the market today? Here, let me grill some vegetarian skewers for the child, all-natural and additive-free!"

His江湖气气 (a kind of chivalrous spirit) and outgoing enthusiasm had a magical effect on these locals whose daily interactions were rather simple and unpretentious.

Soon, a crowd gathered around him, some buying kebabs, and others simply amused by his antics.

Taking advantage of the high level of popularity, Niu Kuang suddenly raised his voice, waved his hand in the air, and announced:

"Have a good meal, everyone! In a little while, I'll have my brothers put on a spectacular show for you! A traditional magician dance! I guarantee you've never heard of or seen anything like it before!"

Upon hearing this, the local inhabitants who were watching immediately became very interested and stopped to leave.

Tie Dan and two teammates jumped up and down on the open ground next to the stall, using both their hands and feet.

The movements... how to put it... were like a combination of a monkey with its foot burned and a drunken bear. Completely chaotic, utterly devoid of beauty, yet possessing a strange, captivating charm.

Tie Dan jumped until he was covered in sweat, his shiny forehead reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight. Combined with his grimacing face, it made the onlookers, the natives, laugh uproariously.

"Haha! What kind of dance is this?!"

"Interesting! Very interesting!"

"I want to see more! One more!"

Its popularity skyrocketed.

Some people got hungry from watching the spectacle and bought a few skewers. Others were in a good mood and bought a set meal.

Niu Kuang's strategy is simple and brutal—using popularity to drive consumption.

In contrast, Song Chen's strategy took a different approach.

Refined operation.

When homogeneous competition fails to create a competitive advantage, one should start with the product itself and develop new product categories.

"Make the skewers come out a little faster." Song Chen stood behind the stall, his sharp eyes scanning the entire area.

He had noticed a detail—some of the natives wanted to eat meat, but they only had less than ten points left in their budget. Buying a set meal wasn't enough, and buying just a skewer of meat wasn't satisfying.

This demand is the market he can tap into.

Chapter 224 Disadvantages

"Lin Sen".

"Ok?"

Song Chen lowered his voice and said quickly, "Have them skewer a new batch. Only put a small piece of meat on the very top of the bamboo skewer, not a large piece."

Lin Sen adjusted his glasses, quickly understanding his intention, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "One skewer at a time?"

“That’s right.” A shrewd glint flashed in Song Chen’s eyes. “The price is three skewers for one point. The selling point is—one bite at a time, satisfying and delicious, and great value for money.”

Lin Sen quickly calculated in his mind.

A normal skewer of meat uses enough meat to make at least fourteen to fifteen of these "one-bite skewers".

If sold normally, a skewer of meat can only be sold for three points.

But if you make it into a single skewer, one point is for three skewers, so fifteen skewers would be five points.

With the same amount of meat, the profit nearly doubled.

"Excellent," Lin Sen commented succinctly.

At the same time, he thought to himself, "Song Chen is indeed quite capable; he's definitely not an ordinary spoiled brat."

Soon, a batch of brand-new "one-bite skewers" were placed on the Shizu grill.

Each bamboo skewer is slender, with only a small piece of meat attached to the top. It is grilled over charcoal until it turns golden brown and oozes oil, making it small, exquisite, and giving off an enticing aroma.

"New product launch!" The team member assigned by Song Chen to handle the reception immediately began promoting, "One bite at a time! Absolutely amazing! Three skewers for one point!"

Several natives who were initially hesitant about which house to go to were immediately drawn to this.

"One integral and three strings?"

"Yes! You see, each skewer can be finished in one bite, it's convenient and affordable, no need to spend half a day gnawing on it!"

This rhetoric struck a chord precisely with the indigenous people who had limited budgets.

One point for three strings of coins—sounds like a great deal!

So, several natives who didn't have many points immediately took out their points and bought a few sets to try it out.

"Mmm! Delicious!"

Although the amount of meat on a single piece is pitifully small, the satisfaction of eating them one bite at a time is quite good. Moreover, the price is low, so there's less psychological burden and you don't feel bad about buying them.

Soon, these "one-bite skewers" became a hot-selling new product at Song Chen's stall.

—Although in reality, to truly feel full, you'd need to buy at least fourteen or fifteen of these skewers to equal the price of a normal skewer of meat. But they look cheap and are convenient to eat.

Consumption is never just about rational calculation.

Looking at the points pouring in like water, Song Chen finally showed his first genuine smile of the day.

His team members were also visibly invigorated, and their work efficiency increased significantly.

This time, Song Chen didn't repeat the mistakes he made with Locke Miners. He remained calm, steadyed his pace, and used his intelligence rather than brute force to gradually erode the market.

--However.

While the two teams were using their unique strategies and fighting fiercely, the atmosphere at the Wood Clan's booth gradually became somewhat tense.

The problem isn't with your grilling skills.

With Mo Fan's guidance, Fang Xu had already mastered the basic technique of grilling meat skewers to a crispy exterior and tender interior. Murong Sha was in charge of skewering and preparing the ingredients; her movements weren't fast, but they were steady. Murong Jiao, on the other hand, was fully responsible for calling out to customers and serving them; her voice was just as loud as Niu Kuang's.

Their weakness lies in people.

A team of four.

And there was also an alibi.

Only three people were actually on duty.

This means that skewering, grilling, and serving customers are all three tasks falling on the shoulders of three people at the same time.

Fang Xu was juggling grilling skewers and watching the heat, his hands were trembling with exhaustion. Murong Sha's skewer-making speed couldn't keep up with the demand. And even Murong Jiao's loud voice couldn't change one fact—

Their food preparation speed was less than half that of the other two teams.

"One set meal, please!"

"Okay, okay, just a moment—"

Murong Jiao turned to look at the grill. Fang Xu still had three skewers left to grill, while Murong Sha had just finished grilling two new skewers on the bamboo sticks in front of her.

The waiting natives rubbed their hands impatiently and peeked to the side—Niu Kuang's side was bustling with activity, while Song Chen's side was serving food at lightning speed.

"Never mind, I'll go take a look over there."

After saying that, the native turned and left.

Murong Jiao's smile froze on her face.

This isn't the first time.

During that half hour, at least four or five customers couldn't wait and ended up going to two other restaurants.

"What do we do?" Murong Jiao finally couldn't hold back anymore. She paced back and forth, her yellow pigtails swinging anxiously. "At this rate, no matter who gets the most points in this competition, it definitely won't be us!"

She was so anxious that she stomped her feet, her voice rising several octaves.

"We need to think of something quick! At this rate, we're going to be at the bottom!"

Fang Xu was flipping the skewers in his hands, his forehead covered in sweat. Hearing Murong Jiao's anxious voice, his movements became unsteady, and he almost flipped a skewer of meat into the charcoal ash.

"Big sister, don't worry, if you're in a hurry, I'll be in a hurry too..." he said with a bitter face.