The FMCG industry's channel transformation has reached a fever pitch, squeezing traditional distributors' profit margins and gradually replacing their value. They are both confronting e-commerce B2B platforms and attempting to build their own platforms. However, building a platform is easier said than done. Despite their industry expertise, their internet knowledge is nearly zero, and traditional mindsets trap their transformation efforts in a quagmire. Distributors know change is urgent, but how to adapt to the new distribution system remains an unsolved puzzle.

As for traditional mom-and-pop stores, their cumbersome ordering processes lead to inefficiency, while rising rent and labor costs make profitability even harder. It's a tale of two extremes: on the other hand, the new retail wave has made chain convenience stores a capital hotspot, with e-commerce giants like Alibaba, JD.com, and Suning all jumping in. Data shows that in 2016, convenience stores grew rapidly at a rate of 13%, with a market size exceeding 130 billion yuan. As the main offline customer entry point, convenience stores have taken the forefront of the FMCG industry. What's the logic behind this?

How can distributors and convenience stores transform? How can they seize brand manufacturers and collaborate with B2B platforms? Answers can be found at the 2nd "Internet + FMCG" Summit Forum hosted by Tobey.com.

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According to the latest news, the 2nd "Internet + FMCG" Summit Forum will be held in Hangzhou on July 15-16. The conference is strategically guided by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and the B2B Industry Branch of the China Electronic Commerce Association, co-organized by Best Group, Ping An Bank, YunNiao Technology, and JD New Channel, with New Distribution as a special supporter. Themed "Open, Collaborate, Empower," the conference will bring together leading domestic B2B platforms like Alibaba Retail Link and Zhongshang Huimin, well-known brands like Master Kong and Hisense, convenience stores like Lawson and Meiyijia, and numerous service providers to discuss the supply-side issues, solutions, and evolution trends in new retail. World-renowned FMCG research institutions Accenture and Kantar Consulting will also participate.

Relevant data shows that since the first "Internet + FMCG" conference in Beijing on July 16 last year, which declared "716, the festival of China's FMCG," the trend of FMCG integrating with the internet has intensified, further fueled by Ma Yun's "new retail" concept. Massive investments and news of giants entering supermarkets and convenience stores are everywhere. Liu Ningbo, founder of Tobey.com and organizer of the conference, publicly stated that at the first conference in 2016, FMCG e-commerce made its collective debut. The second conference extends from platforms to brand manufacturers, convenience stores, and service providers, making the industry chain more complete. "Platforms talk about services, brands talk about channels, convenience stores talk about new retail, third-party think tanks talk about trends, and all parties in the industry chain will jointly deconstruct the current state of the industry, explore its development direction, and see through the fog to the future."

Liu Ningbo said that Internet + FMCG has reached an era of "not talking about trends, but only about direction." It is crucial for strong players in the retail industry chain to maintain an open mindset. Close collaboration among all nodes of the industry chain, especially between brands and platforms, and between platforms and service providers, is extremely important for improving industry efficiency. The empowerment of the internet to the traditional retail industry chain, the empowerment of platforms to convenience stores, and the empowerment of platform data to brand manufacturers will bring us a truly new retail era.

Liu Ningbo believes that the participation of all parties in the industry chain will bring value to this conference and also to the industry. "Taking the opportunity of 716 to promote the industry, attract high attention and participation from traditional retail formats, and jointly promote the great development of China's FMCG industry is the core purpose of this conference."

It is also understood that the conference will have 1,000 attendees and will present industry awards such as "Top 10 in China's FMCG B2B Industry," "Recommended Service Providers for China's FMCG B2B Industry," "New Retail Pioneers among China's FMCG Brands," and "Outstanding Convenience Store Brands in China's FMCG B2B Industry." The semi-annual "Top 100 Chinese B2B Enterprises" and "Top 100 Emerging Forces in China's B2B Industry" will also be announced on site.

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