Focus on the fundamentals to level up in China’s “new retail”

Brands in China must focus on building seamless shifts between multiple offline and online in order to reap the benefits of the “new retail” movement, according to Bryce Whitwam, Adjunct Instructor, New York University School of Professional Studies.

Why it matters

Seeing the world as having separate offline and online spaces is a view that has become obsolete in China, and traditional retailers and shopping malls should embrace “new retail” to allow consumers to move seamlessly between different retail, commerce and social media formats.

Key insights

• Store environments can be experiential zones for convenient shopping platforms, activated in-store via a mobile device.
• Use technology to improve the customer experience via on-shelf QR codes for product details and reviews to drive the sale.
• Enable customer access to the store inventory while shopping to reduce friction and shorten the in-store customer journey.