---
title: "From Hema Fresh to Global Internet Sensation: Communication Marketing in the Internet Era"
description: "If asked which retail enterprise is currently the hottest, it is undoubtedly Hema Fresh. With only a dozen stores, this new retail innovator has become a global sensation within just one and a half years since its first store opened in early 2016, attracting attention from media and retail peers in Japan, the US, and beyond. Its popularity extends beyond retail to government, media, institutions, and manufacturers, with the Xi'an Party Secretary inviting Hema to establish a presence in the city."
author: "鲍跃忠"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2017-07-30"
language: "en"
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# From Hema Fresh to Global Internet Sensation: Communication Marketing in the Internet Era

> If asked which retail enterprise is currently the hottest, it is undoubtedly Hema Fresh. With only a dozen stores, this new retail innovator has become a global sensation within just one and a half years since its first store opened in early 2016, attracting attention from media and retail peers in Japan, the US, and beyond. Its popularity extends beyond retail to government, media, institutions, and manufacturers, with the Xi'an Party Secretary inviting Hema to establish a presence in the city.

If asked which retail enterprise is currently the hottest, it is undoubtedly Hema Fresh.
A new retail innovator with only a dozen stores, Hema Fresh has become a global sensation within just one and a half years since its first store opened in early 2016, attracting attention from media and retail peers in Japan, the US, and beyond.
Its popularity extends beyond retail to government, media, institutions, and manufacturers. The Xi'an Party Secretary issued an invitation: "Welcome Hema to settle in Xi'an." A Sogou search for "Hema Fresh" yields 89 pages of results, including photos, videos, articles, and Zhihu discussions. A WeChat search for "Hema Fresh" returns thousands of results.
Hema has become a household name among consumers, who adore it. Its first store in Beijing, open for nearly two months, still sees bustling customer traffic, with many visiting to savor Hema's seafood feasts and the "Jack Ma set meal."
Hema is indeed a comprehensive new retail innovation model, offering many insights to retailers. However, there are many similar models: Yonghui's Super Species, Xinhua Capital's Seafood Club, Bailian's RISO, and others, all innovating retail + dining models and attempting omnichannel delivery within 30, 60, or 120 minutes. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. But why has Hema become an internet sensation while others lag?
According to Hema Fresh founder Hou Yi: "Since its inception, Hema has not spent a single cent on advertising, yet it has become an internet sensation."
Observing and analyzing Hema's rise reveals the new characteristics and tools of marketing in the internet era—communication. By leveraging internet-based communication and marketing models, Hema, with only a dozen stores, has not only become an internet sensation but also amassed rich customer, product, and social resources.
**The Critical Value of Communication in the Internet Era**
In the internet society, communication has become a vital social feature. People learn about society and information through communication. Everyone communicates, making it more widespread, anytime, anywhere, and fragmented. Communication is deeply influencing society and corporate marketing models.
Online communication is the fastest-growing medium in human history. Experts note that the advent of online communication in China is as significant as the invention of paper.
Online communication offers values such as "information sharing," "persuasion and influence," and "stimulus-response." Participants are both receivers and publishers of information, able to provide feedback at any time.
With the rapid development of the internet, especially mobile internet and social platforms like WeChat and QQ, online communication has grown rapidly. As a new modern communication method, it has distinct features compared to traditional media, providing the fastest and most convenient means, empowering corporate marketing.
Online communication has transformed marketing models that relied on third-party media, making enterprises the main communicators. Companies can effectively create content and use various communication tools to generate valuable communication.
"No communication, no marketing." Communication is now a crucial marketing tool in the internet era. Enterprises and products that cannot generate communication or secondary communication will struggle to create greater market value.
In the internet society, enterprises must be self-sufficient in communication. They must build brands, products, and marketing with strong communication power and have the capability to create compelling content.
In the internet environment, marketing must start with communication. Marketing plans must focus on achieving effective communication, maximizing secondary communication, and generating marketing value through communication. Marketing plans that fail to generate effective communication are doomed.
Content is the foundation of communication. Effective communication relies on content, and secondary communication depends on content value. To achieve ideal communication results and maximize market value, content must generate marketing value. Valuable content is essential. Content creates value, and value influences communication.
To achieve effective communication, enterprises must create content that facilitates sharing. Content without value will not spread. Simple ads and promotions also fail to generate effective communication.
**How to Achieve Effective Communication**
Drawing from Hema Fresh's successful communication case, achieving valuable marketing communication requires the following:
**Brand with Inherent Communication Power:**
Brand is the primary element of communication.
In the internet era, brands must inherently possess communication power. They must accurately target consumer segments and generate value influence within those segments.
The "cute" culture is a key communication feature. Successful communicators like Hema Fresh and Three Squirrels have brands with strong "cute" characteristics.
Compared to Hema Fresh, other new retail innovators have weaker brand communication power. Brands like YOOYA and RISO are difficult to pronounce, hindering rapid communication.
**Stores with Inherent Communication Power:**
Hema's Jinqiao store brought a fresh feel to retail:
- A high-end store with multi-million yuan investment;
- A new retail format combining supermarket and dining;
- A departure from traditional product-centric store organization;
- Fully automated in-store picking systems.
This made the store instantly powerful in communication, becoming a focus of industry and society.
Stores are the main carriers of retail. In the internet era, stores must be designed to communicate, generating more communication value.
**Model with Communication Power:**
"A store that doesn't accept cash," "a supermarket where you can eat," "a supermarket delivering to your door in 30 minutes"—these innovative models give Hema Fresh strong model innovation.
Model innovation brings market vitality, making it a focus of industry, society, and consumers, leading to powerful communication influence.
**Products with Inherent Communication Power:**
While many supermarkets still rely on mass-market product assortments and price promotions on vegetables, fruits, meat, and eggs, Hema offers a product mix targeting mid-to-high-end consumer needs, focusing on food consumption scenarios, small packages guided by "fresh every moment, abandon basket size theory," and promotions featuring Australian lobsters, Russian king crabs, and South American prawns, delivering a fresh product experience and giving products strong communication power.
Products are the essence of retail. Amid consumption upgrades, traditional mass-market products can no longer fully meet upgraded demands. Creating quality product experiences is the main direction for category development, bringing strong product communication power.
**Marketing with Inherent Communication Power:**
The purpose of marketing is communication. In the internet era, it's crucial to create marketing activities that engage customers, encourage interaction, and facilitate sharing.
Official accounts are important marketing tools. Their value lies in creating valuable content. Hema's official account shows superior content creativity and communication power, having amassed millions of followers.
Regular DIY activities are a key marketing format, fostering customer participation, influence, and sharing, which are important directions for marketing communication.
Creating communication value points: Hema creatively coined the concept of "Hema district housing," which has strong communication value.
**Boss with Inherent Communication Power:**
In the internet communication society, the boss is naturally the primary communicator. Bosses must inherently possess communication power.
An internet sensation company cannot exist without an internet sensation boss. If the boss isn't a sensation, the company won't be either. In the communication era, bosses, managers, and store managers must have the ability to become internet sensations. Consumer influence now relies not only on products but more on people. The influence of bosses, managers, store managers, and employees constitutes the comprehensive influence and communication power of an enterprise in the internet era.
Hou Yi is Hema Fresh's primary communicator, whether through public appearances, Moments posts, or WeChat groups.
A boss's communication will inevitably produce different communication effects.
In summary, communication has become a vital marketing tool in the internet era. Enterprises must learn to communicate, use communication tools effectively, and create valuable communication content to generate greater comprehensive value.
**Bao Yuezhong Column:**
- Special contributor to New Distribution
- Senior Economist
- Expert in the Ministry of Commerce's "Ten Thousand Villages, Thousand Towns Market Project"
- Renowned FMCG retail expert
- Director of Bao Yuezhong's New FMCG and New Retail Innovation Practice Studio
This article was originally published by FMCG B2B (ID: dnwlkjyxgs). Please attribute the author and source with ID when reposting; otherwise, it will be reported.
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