Shopping festival sees new connections between online and offline retail
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Ding Yining / SHINE
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General manager Chen Xucun (right) of Bailian Group's shopping mall business unit tries on sportswear during a livestreaming show today.
Ding Yining / SHINE -
Ding Yining / SHINE -
Shanghai Vice Mayor Xu Kunlin, Shanghai deputy secretary general Shang Yuying, Shanghai Commerce Commission deputy director Liu Min and Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission deputy director Yuan Quan witnessed new product launch ceremonies as the city's time-honored brands push for new business initiatives.
Ti Gong
Shanghai's digital shopping sites, time-honored brands and retailers are exploring new ways to connect with customers as the city’s two-month shopping festival gets into full swing ahead of the Labor Day holiday.
Local retail conglomerate Bailian Group is using its online subsidiary iBailian to connect manufacturers with local shoppers.
"It's a new move for Bailian Group to embrace the online economy and we're also relieved to see bustling crowds returning to some of the central shopping districts in recent days," said Vice President of Bailian Group Pu Jingbo.
“We will fully leverage our brands and suppliers and combine with Taobao's technology expertise to benefit more shoppers," added Pu.
A total of 1.2 billion yuan (US$169 million) worth of discounts will be offered by Bailian for purchases at supermarkets, department stores and shopping malls in the city. It will distribute 80,000 digital coupons through a mini application on Alipay.
Four Bailian shopping malls have also started livestreaming through Taobao, and a Bailian flagship store was recently unveiled on the platform as well.
At least one livestreaming event will be staged from the studio at Bailian's River Mall each month.
A special discount for Hubei-originated crayfish will be offered at 48 locations of Alibaba's Freshippo on May 5 for both offline and online shoppers.
Foreign trade companies and export-oriented manufacturers which were hit hard by the coronavirus have teamed up with retailers to help them capture domestic spending as part of efforts by the city's commerce commission to revitalize the economy.
Pinduoduo said it expects 1,000 domestic companies to join the platform and it stands ready to help them sell to local consumers.
Shanghai Mudoo Textile Co which normally earns 95 percent of its revenue from overseas markets has been quick to launch its sports training apparel on Pinduoduo. Overseas orders dropped by one-third after the coronavirus outbreak and it decided to launch its flagship store on Pinduoduo to compensate for lost income.
A specialty event featuring the city's time-honored brands is also part of the new product launch season amid work to reinforce Shanghai's position as a favored shopping destination.
At a kickoff event at Yuyuan Garden Malls on Thursday, Shanghai Vice Mayor Xu Kunlin, Shanghai Deputy Secretary General Shang Yuying, Shanghai Commerce Commission Deputy Director Liu Min and Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Deputy Director Yuan Quan were on hand for new product-launch ceremonies as time-honored brands push for new business initiatives.
A total of 15 time-honored brands launched their latest products at the event.
Some of these offerings are already available on Taobao.
More than 170 time-honored brands in the city have taken to sites like Tmall, Pinduoduo, JD and Freshippo with more than 2,100 new offerings planned over the next two months.
Suning said more than 10,000 livestreaming shows will be staged in the coming two months, covering both its home appliance retailers and community stores. It will also introduce imported goods from its subsidiary Laox, a Japanese electronics retailer, to supermarkets like Carrefour, of which Suning is also a major shareholder.
