China is in for a mall (购物中心) boom. With the rise of online shopping, some big companies are moving fast into offline spaces to help remake traditional retailing (零售). They believe there is still plenty of room for malls to gain customers, especially in second- and third-tier cities. But most importantly, companies need to be innovative and provide customers more than just shopping.
This is exactly what some Chinese tech companies are doing. They have reportedly been building their own offline stores as they seek to enrich the real-world shopping experience with technology and convenience. These offline stores have made their offline and online shopping experience as smooth as possible. Whenever customers shop at a store, the store keeps their information and then offers them the option to get the same products delivered to their doorstep in the future. This way, these companies smoothly connect both businesses.
Other e-commerce companies operate their businesses very creatively. For example, some fresh-food supermarkets allow customers not only to buy products but also to get them cooked on the spot. Usually, about 75 percent of the products in these supermarkets are fresh food, and most can be bought online via a specific mobile app and delivered within a short time. Some supermarkets even support payment via facial recognition. Offline fresh-food supermarkets are popular among e-commerce businesses, who can easily handle the changing domestic retail industry by blending online and offline shopping.
Besides, companies are using different tools to attract and retain customers. For example, shoppers can try on clothes and cosmetics (化妆品), get discounts on items they searched online, and receive store discount information and store location on their mobile phones.
These shopping malls also offer customers a wonderful experience by expanding their kids’ section and entertainment options.
While online shopping is popular and consumers become more critical, these steps show that businesses are not afraid to encourage innovation and tryout. Therefore, malls that offer more than just shopping will have a better future; malls that fail to progress, however, will fade away.