In the first half of this year, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Guiyang, Guizhou province reached 41.24 billion yuan ($5.83 billion) and the total retail sales of e-commerce reached 4.26 billion yuan. The city's retail sales of online consumer goods in June was 7.7 billion yuan, rising by 19.3 percent year-on year, with the growth rate ranking first in Guizhou province.
The impact that e-commerce has had in Guiyang's retail enterprises is evident at Alibaba's Hema Fresh supermarket in the city. At 10 am, several staff members are checking online orders on cellphone-like devices, picking up goods from shelves and putting them in shopping bags. Every time after an order-picking is completed, the bag is then hung on a hook of a chain that hangs from the supermarket's ceiling, which is then transported to the store's packaging area.
"Online sales accounts for more than half of the totals sales here," said Dai Weitian, Hema Fresh's Guizhou Branch's marketing operation senior manager. "You may see few customers shopping at 10 am in the real supermarket. But in fact, the online orders come continuously. It is estimated that more than 10,000 online and offline customers visit this supermarket everyday on average."
The first Hema Fresh supermarket was launched in Guiyang on Feb 14, 2018. To date, five Hema supermarkets have opened in the city, serving millions of customers.
"We not only provide high quality goods, but also a new shopping experience and lifestyle," said Xiao Hua, the general manager of Hema Fresh's Guizhou Branch. "Hema is popular for its modern and efficient services, such as unmanned checkout, as well as free returns and unconditional refunds. It also keeps the promise to send merchandise to customers' doorsteps in 30 minutes."
Hema Fresh is not the only retailer developing e-commerce in Guiyang. Heli Supermarket Group, a local brand, built its online store in 2016. After three years, the monthly sales have reached one million yuan ($141,912), ten times the figure from three years ago.
Wang Yan, deputy manager of the e-commerce department of Guizhou Heli Supermarkert Group, said, "At first, customers preferred to buy food on the online platform. They have broadened their options now, however, with things such as domestic appliances and infant supplies. Beyond that, the online supermarket promotes the enterprise service and production, since all the comments from customers will be released on the website."
The boost from e-commerce has made it an essential part of retailers' business. Carrefour in Guiyang teamed up with internet platforms including Meituan, JD, and Eleme to establish its online supermarket in 2018, supporting online order and same day delivery in a radius from three to five kilometers. Six Wal-Mart supermarkets in Guiyang reached cooperation with JD last May to provide online order and delivery in an hour within a radius of three km.
Li Hanyi contributed to this story
