NEW DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH TOPIC
How is instant retail changing stores, platforms, and supply chains?
Coverage of flash warehouses, front warehouses, discount stores, supermarket transformation, and local commerce platforms in China.
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2996 articles · Page 102 of 125
RT-Mart Chairman Huang Mingduan: Beat All Rivals but Lost to the Times
Huang Mingduan, the chairman of RT-Mart, built a retail empire that defeated all competitors, but his late entry into e-commerce and the rise of new retail forced him to ally with Alibaba. Despite his success, he acknowledged that he had lost to the times.
New DistributionSmart Retail Has Arrived! Amazon Go Cashierless Store Officially Opens to the Public Today
After a 14-month beta test, Amazon's cashierless store Amazon Go has finally opened to the public. Located under Amazon's headquarters in Seattle, the store allows customers to grab items and walk out without waiting in line or paying with cash. The store uses cameras and sensors to track purchases and charges customers' Amazon accounts automatically.
New DistributionJD Convenience Stores Enter Unmanned Shelf Market in First Move of 2018
On January 20, JD Convenience Stores entered the unmanned shelf market and began expanding the business nationwide. The project is led by JD New Channel, which integrates small and medium stores into brand owners' sales terminal system, providing one-stop solutions including warehousing, distribution, ground services, store marketing, and data sharing. Each shelf costs about 500 yuan, with options to purchase or self-make shelves, and products are directly supplied by JD, supported by JD's Zhanggui Bao app.
New DistributionFMCG B2B: A Grand Spectacle
Currently, FMCG B2B internet platforms mainly adopt two business models: self-operated and matchmaking. Each has its own merits, with the fundamental difference lying in the ownership of goods and logistics. Self-operated platforms like JD New Channel, Zhongshang Huimin, and Jinhuobao purchase goods themselves, manage unified warehousing and distribution, and generate revenue through price differences and cost reduction. This model offers pricing power and control over warehousing and logistics, making it easier to gain brand acceptance initially, and with the support of warehousing and logistics systems, it achieves high terminal stickiness, though it may later conflict with local distributors.
赵崇After Auchan, Will Carrefour Also Be Acquired by Alibaba?
Speculation has been rife that Carrefour intends to sell its China business. On January 18, French media reported that Carrefour proposed selling its China operations to Auchan and Alibaba, but Carrefour quickly denied the news. Earlier, on December 21, 2017, French media Capital reported that Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard had authorized three investment banks to study the sale of its China, Argentina, and Poland businesses, though Carrefour also denied this.
New DistributionNew Retail Revelation: How Does Costco Retain 90% of Its Members?
As the world's second-largest retail brand and the largest membership warehouse club, Costco achieves annual sales of nearly $130 billion and a market value of about $82 billion, with 741 warehouses globally. Yet Costco does not focus on sales as its primary profit driver. What is its secret? Especially after the New Retail narrative has been repeated time and again, anxiety plagues not only traditional supermarkets and department stores struggling to survive, but also internet companies facing dwindling online traffic and various capital providers fearing they might miss the next trend. Where is the way out for traditional supermarkets?
七月The Logic of 2C Is the Pitfall of 2B
The logic of 2C is traffic, while the logic of 2B is density. Many 2B companies are influenced by 2C thinking, focusing on traffic at all costs, but without density, delivery costs remain high and problems grow. The key for 2B is to achieve density in local markets to lower delivery costs below traditional channels.
刘春雄The Abandoned 'Madam'
From its inception to the present, over the past 25 years, Madam Oral Liquid has been like a woman in an exquisite and seductive cheongsam, stumbling through the long years, with wrinkles on her face and vicissitudes in her eyes, as if telling us an eternal drama of capital and marketplace changes.
东颖Alibaba Completes Acquisition of RT-Mart Parent, Retail Integration May Be Faster Than Expected!
Alibaba's tender offer for Sun Art Retail has been completed, securing 71.98% of its shares, fully integrating RT-Mart and Auchan into the Alibaba ecosystem. The offer closed on January 12, 2018, with Alibaba and its concert parties holding approximately 71.98% of issued shares.
李又寻欢Yi Jiu Pi's Wang Chaocheng: Will B2B End Up Like B2C with Only JD and Alibaba?
Wang Chaocheng, founder of Yi Jiu Pi, discusses whether B2B is destined for scale, arguing that unlike B2C, B2B users and supply chains are highly differentiated, leading to a fragmented ecosystem with likely one dominant player per niche. He emphasizes the importance of horizontal and vertical scaling, and warns that competing with giants like Alibaba and JD requires building heavy supply chain infrastructure and focusing on niche channels.
王朝成Founder of Unmanned Shelf: I Underestimated Human Greed and Overestimated the Quality of White-Collar Workers!
Some predict that unmanned shelves will become the next 'shared bikes', with massive capital inflows leading to extreme market expansion, but due to low barriers and lack of differentiation, they may easily fall into the same subsidy war, leaving a mess after the battle. Recently, many office buildings in first- and second-tier cities have added an office 'convenience store', with shelves stocked with various snacks, each carrying a QR code for quick payment. Ma Yun...
电商君A Decade of Turmoil: What Has the FMCG Industry Experienced?
This article comes from an industry insider who worked in the FMCG market for ten years, sharing observations and reflections on market changes over the past decade. In 2007, Beijing was steeped in Olympic atmosphere, with FMCG brands dominating sponsorships and a fierce beer war underway. By 2017, the landscape had shifted dramatically with mobile internet reshaping competition, consumer relationships, and channel dynamics.
冷高峰Deep Analysis: Misconceptions in the Development of Unmanned Shelves to Avoid!
Since the second half of 2017, unmanned shelves have entered a period of rapid development. Currently, various companies are exploring their models. Based on observations, some viewpoints are one-sided and some paths may have problems. This article analyzes common misconceptions such as occupying locations, relying on simple shelves, standard products, single-shelf output, others' supply chains, scattered layout, and treating capital as the service target, arguing that success requires focusing on supply chain innovation, product differentiation, and treating it as a real retail business.
鲍跃忠When Young People All Go to Deliver Packages and Food, Who Will Do the Distributor's Work?
On December 28, major members of the Cainiao Alliance held their annual meeting in Tonglu, Zhejiang, known as China's express delivery hometown. The meeting issued an initiative for 2018 to improve courier treatment and dignity, and enhance delivery service capabilities to ease end-point pressure. While pay raises for couriers are good, the question arises: when couriers and food delivery riders earn more than sales representatives, can distributors still recruit sales staff? This is not speculation but a real problem troubling distributors in recent years.
新经销团队Big News: Uni-President to Launch Unmanned Convenience Stores, Why Are FMCG Giants Entering This Field?
Uni-President Group announced it will launch its first unmanned convenience store in Taipei by the first half of next year, as revealed at its 50th anniversary celebration. This move follows similar initiatives by Wahaha, Yili, and Mengniu, reflecting a trend among traditional FMCG giants to embrace unmanned retail as a response to changing consumer behavior and declining traditional channels.
新经销团队From Scenic Spots to Residential Areas: Will Vending Machines Explode in the Chinese Market in 2018?
In Shaanxi's Taibai Mountain National Forest Park, visitors encounter Nongfu Spring vending machines selling water and beverages at reasonable prices. Meanwhile, in the ancient city of Xi'an, automated vending machines are just beginning to emerge. Despite their introduction to China in 2000, vending machines have not gained widespread attention until recently, with the market poised for potential growth in 2018.
New DistributionMaster Kong's 8 Billion Fewer Packets Sold in 3 Years Isn't the Worst; This Industry Faces Even Greater Risk!
The rapid growth of the food delivery industry has hit not the physical restaurant business hardest, but FMCG products like instant noodles and dried noodles. According to reports, instant noodle sales have declined for three consecutive years since 2013, dropping to 38 billion packets in 2016, 8 billion fewer than the peak. Under the dual pressure of delivery and instant noodles, the traditional handmade dried noodle industry is even more burdened.
悠悠JD New Distribution Positions 2018 as a 'Key Development Year', Targeting Coverage of 1 Million Small Stores!
As 2017 draws to a close and 2018 approaches, JD New Distribution, a leading FMCG B2B platform, marks its second anniversary. After two years of exploration, the company has laid a solid foundation and refined its model. For 2018, it aims to cover 1 million small and medium-sized stores, including 50,000 JD convenience stores, by focusing on brand partnerships, value-added services, and B2B logistics upgrades.
袁来Convenience Store Landscape Reshuffling Again? 1,500 Suning Xiaodian Stores Coming in 2018! (With Convenience Store Power List)
Driven by the new retail concept, small retail formats like convenience stores are seeing new opportunities, with major players entering the field. Suning Xiaodian, launched by Suning Commerce Group, targets campus and community services, offering FMCG and fresh products. As of end-2016, 13 stores were open, mainly in Nanjing. Recently, media learned from Suning that 1,500 Suning Xiaodian stores will enter the domestic convenience store market in 2018.
New DistributionHow to Avoid Being Fooled in Negotiations with Retail Chains?
Many new salespeople fear negotiations with retail chains and worry about being deceived. To avoid this, suppliers should prepare thoroughly before negotiations, observe carefully during negotiations, and review and supervise after negotiations.
黄静One Product, 82 Years, Priced at 2.2 Yuan, Selling Over 5 Million Bottles Daily in China...
Yakult's founder, Minoru Shirota, understood market dynamics and created a probiotic market without direct confrontation. While competitors rushed to develop new products and expand channels, he stuck to his production method: one bottle, one team, one limited market. This 'simple' approach, embodying solid commercial spirit, has not only kept Yakult alive for 82 years but also made its 100ml red bottle one of the world's most successful products, selling over 5 million bottles daily in China alone.
New DistributionHema's Ambition for Its Own Brand Fresh Milk: Breaking Through with a 'Mega Product'
Since the Yunqi Conference last year, Alibaba has accelerated its offline acquisition spree, from Suning, Intime, Sanjiang, Bailian, Xinhua, to RT-Mart, showing its determination to integrate online and offline retail. As Alibaba's new retail sample, Hema Fresh has drawn industry attention. Recently, Hema founder Hou Yi and Fonterra's Cao Hui announced the official appointment of Hema's CMO (Chief Milking Officer), jointly launching the 'Hema-Anchor' Daily Fresh milk.
王某Online is Image, Offline is Sales
In the traditional marketing era, online and offline were clearly separated: online was for brand building, offline for sales. Later, Lei Jun claimed that offline could be abandoned, but when traffic disappeared, he admitted his biggest mistake was neglecting offline. The article argues that attention is the scarcest resource, and that both online and offline should be integrated, with the concept of "4P are all communication".
刘春雄Ride-Hailing, Taxis, and Buses Turn into Mini Convenience Stores? In-Car Convenience Stores Are About to Boom!
2017 seems to be the most turbulent year for retail formats, with convenience stores being hailed as the 'next big thing.' Their booming development has attracted innovative elements, such as in-car convenience stores. For instance, in the US, New York startup Cargo has introduced a new business model by setting up convenience stores in Uber drivers' cars. They persuade drivers to place a small box next to the driver's seat, typically where cups and other items are stored. The box contains various small items like gum, energy bars, and chocolate...
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