Chapter 2577

These car companies could have boosted sales, but they cared more about profit and image. So, they relied on preorders and flash sales, offering coupons or taking advance payments. After that, they deliberately reserved a portion of orders for scalpers or staff working in automobile sales and service shops. Those insiders would then resell the spots at inflated prices. However, consumers these days no longer fall for that trick. Xancent's industrial boom is long over. Who would tolerate price gouging now? If prices went up, no one would buy. Cars that once sold for tens of thousands of dollars above their original value were now being offered at significant discounts. Even so, car companies have adapted. They'd moved away from scarcity marketing and now push deposits instead. Customers must pay 5,000 dollars—or even 10,000 dollars—upfront before production begins, and it can take six months to a year before they receive their cars. Meanwhile, car companies have rolled out mobile a