Chao News client reporter Liang Liang correspondent Wang Lizhong
Refrigerator magnets are a new "blue ocean" in the cultural tourism industry, which is popular among young people because of its portability, regional cultural characteristics, and moderate price.
Shen Ji, a female returnee from the 90s in Deqing, Huzhou, has set her sights on this new industry. She resigned from her position as a brand manager and head of e-commerce in Hangzhou, and returned to her hometown of Moganshan to make refrigerator magnets.
After thinking about it for 6 years, she decided to start a new track
"My mother didn't support me leaving my job to start a business, especially the refrigerator magnet as a serious business." Shen Ji admitted frankly that he was indeed a little "unusual". Graduated from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom with a master's degree, worked in Hangzhou for 8 years, and the homestay business run by his mother is also very stable, if Shen Ji is willing, he can take over the homestay and be a "second generation of hostels".
Shen Ji. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
But Shen Ji didn't choose these roads, but started a refrigerator magnet business wholeheartedly.
"My biggest confidence in making refrigerator magnets is that I am a refrigerator magnet lover myself." Shen Ji is a fan of refrigerator magnets, and he must buy local refrigerator magnets when he travels, and the double-door refrigerator at home has been covered with refrigerator magnets of different sizes and shapes, leaving almost no open space. When studying in the United Kingdom, because he liked it, Shen Ji bought more than 100 refrigerator magnets of various colors from more than 20 countries.
Shen Ji's hometown of Moganshan is a well-known tourist attraction in China, one of China's "four major summer resorts", and the homestay industry is hot. "Now the layout of Moganshan's cultural and creative business is a very suitable opportunity, where more fresh cultural and creative products are needed, and refrigerator magnets are one of the products that can represent the integration of culture and tourism." Shen Ji found that there are relatively few businesses that make refrigerator magnets in Moganshan, and as a local, she has a deep perception of her hometown culture. In this way, designing refrigerator magnets for his hometown and creating cultural and creative products with Deqing elements has become Shen Ji's goal.
When he first returned to China in 2018, Shen Ji wanted to do this. But because she was very busy with her work and her family was not supportive, she did not make up her mind for a long time. Until 6 years passed, Shen Ji found that he was still "obsessed" and still worried about the refrigerator magnet business.
Shen Ji decided not to hesitate, she wanted to fulfill her dream.
Shen Ji. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Start from scratch to create trendy cultural and creative products
If you want to make a fridge magnet, the first step is to design a pattern. Shen Ji is not a design major and can't draw. But she has a good helper - her husband.
Shen Ji's husband has a hobby of collecting and is also a person who likes refrigerator magnets. In 2018, the two discussed making local refrigerator magnets, but in the end they couldn't make the trip. However, this time, when Shen Ji decided to devote himself to making refrigerator magnets, her husband immediately decided to help.
"I described my creative plan in thick lines, told my husband what he wanted to express, and he drew a sample with good art skills, and I made adjustments." Every week, Shen Ji and her husband would go to the coffee shop in town with the computer and communicate while drinking coffee.
How can we design a refrigerator magnet that meets the needs of young people and has the regional characteristics of Deqing, so that consumers will smile after purchasing?
"I know too well what Moganshan's fridge magnet will look like! I want my products to look good at first glance and be interesting to think about. Shen Ji is very confident in this. There are many cycling enthusiasts in Moganshan, when someone is tired and can't ride, the leader will often encourage them, just turn a corner, and there are indeed many bends in Moganshan Mountain, Shen Ji created a metal refrigerator magnet called "just turn a corner". And this product with small ideas was really popular when it was launched, and the first batch of 1,000 was sold out.
Fridge magnets launched by Shen Ji. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
The design of the product is there, but the production process is not easy. Shen Ji said that although the graphic design drawings are perfect, the finished products proofed by the factory are affected by the material and color, and the results often do not meet expectations. In order to present a more satisfying product, they had to constantly adjust.
In July this year, Shen Ji officially launched 7 refrigerator magnets with Moganshan characteristics. From July to now, 3,200 units have been sold. Although he has already made some achievements, Shen Ji feels that he still needs to work hard. "For example, my own favorite four-piece ceramic refrigerator magnet in Moganshan needs to improve its sales strategy." Shen Ji said that although consumers liked the hand-painted style of the product, because it was retailed as a single product in the actual sales process, two of the refrigerator magnets that only showed part of the characteristics of Moganshan and had no obvious landmarks were neglected. So she is ready to adjust her strategy and activate the "combination force" of the set.
"I have now been in contact with the cultural tourism and am now preparing for next year's 'refrigerator magnet'." Shen Ji plans to combine Deqing's famous mountains, wetlands, ancient towns, as well as "poetry, porcelain, bridges, tea, dance, silk, beads" and other characteristic cultures with trendy design, and launch a series of cultural and creative souvenirs. Although she will face new challenges, this returnee female master's degree who has opened up a new track is still full of confidence.
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