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Sunday, January 13, 2019, 18:11
International retail giants go digital to woo consumers
By Xinhua
Sunday, January 13, 2019, 18:11 By Xinhua

This undated photo shows Carrefour, a French multinational retailer with more than 230 hypermarkets in China.  (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

SHANGHAI - Retail giants like Carrefour and Walmart have accelerated their digitalization by offering more shopper-friendly services to help guests shop conveniently this upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year.

The penetration rate of mobile payment in Carrefour stores in China has surpassed 50 percent, and the rate of smart cashiers has reached 38 percent

Nathalie Yu,

Vice-President, Carrefour China

At a Carrefour supermarket in Shanghai's Changning district, shoppers can use a Wechat mini-app called "Scan and Go" to scan barcodes on groceries and pay the bills. There is no need to queue upon checkout.

The market also provides guide robots, smart carts, and scan-to-pay smart screens to improve vistiors' shopping.

"The penetration rate of mobile payment in Carrefour stores in China has surpassed 50 percent, and the rate of smart cashiers has reached 38 percent," said Nathalie Yu, vice-president of Carrefour China.

China's vast and fast-changing consumer market has driven retail companies to innovate. Carrefour has worked with China's internet giants of Meituan, JDand Ele.me in its digitalization of retail service and logistics, said Yu.

Carrefour's delivery service expanded with a year-on-year growth rate of 293 percent in 2018.

Digitalization helped Carrefour get in on China's online Singles' Day shopping bonanza on Nov 11, 2018, when it made over 120,000 delivery orders. One of its outlets set a record of over 3,000 delivery orders on that day.

READ MORE: Tencent, Yonghui to invest in Carrefour unit 

US-based retail giant Walmart has sped up its digitalization in the China market, said Ben Hassing, senior vice president of e-commerce and technology, Walmart China.

The "Scan and Go" service has been implemented in Walmart's 350 supermarkets across China, and the company has launched a new online-map for customers to locate goods faster and easier, he said.

"We will upgrade our supermarkets in a more digital and smart way, to provide better and more innovative solutions," Hassing said. "We will also strengthen cooperation with more technology companies."

According to the 42nd China Statistical Report on Internet Development, as of June 2018, there were 802 million internet users in China, 98 percent of them being mobile internet users.

Online and offline shopping channels have become more and more integrated. There are three trends in the retail industry: more technology-driven innovation, faster business model changes, and more internationalization in retail, said Michael Mao, a partner and advisor for digital and consumer industry with KPMG.

ALSO READ: Walmart, JD back online grocer

Global sports goods retailer Decathlon has established a partnership with Instant Shopping, a fast delivery arm of the Chinese internet firm Meituan.

Decathlon said it offers over 100 varieties of goods from fitness and skiing categories for fast delivery service. Customers in Beijing can enjoy goods delivered to their home within 30 minutes.

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