China. The triumph of ‘New Retail’

Featured image of the article China. The triumph of ‘New Retail’
Exciting and frightening, ‘New retail’ is everywhere in Shanghai. Alongside the C.I.R.I.S. conference, Global Retail News met the Vice Presidents of Alibaba at their Hangzhou HQ, together with an array of well-established retailers. We explored how ‘New Retail’ may be infused among traditional retailers and why such technological e-giants are so interested in brick & mortar.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 15 days

In China, the so-called ‘New Retail’ sector is organised around two behemoths. These are Alibaba in Hangzhou and rival Tencent in Shenzhen, the local Silicon Valley. Altogether, they control 75% of China’s total e-commerce market, and 86% if we include China’s B2C online retail market. Such groups are unrivalled in the Western world. These are also the fastest companies in retail to multiply by alliances and partnerships. Faced with such agility, it seems that Facebook, Amazon and Google have m

You are reading this article thanks to your trial period.
Explore new horizons by checking out our other verticals:
You are reading this article thanks to your subscription to Mind Retail.
Explore new horizons by checking out our other verticals:
Do you have information to share with us?
Our other services
mind Research
Strategic Intelligence: Tailored research and market analysis services to power your insights and back your strategic decisions.
See more
mind Days
Networking & Events: Half-day conferences covering key industry topics and open to the entire ecosystem.
See more
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Retail media: Fnac Darty, Klépierre and Médiaperformances accelerate on XXL screens and international expansion
As advertising formats arrive at high speed on LLMs, omnichannel retail media players are strengthening their offerings. While Klépierre has just signed with a new partner for 3D screens...
11 September 2026
Hugues Chanoine (Hygie31 Digital): “The next step is to eliminate filters to move to 100% conversational search”
The Hygie31 retail group, known for the Lafayette Pharmacies, is continuing to transform its websites, driven by Cocooncenter. Thanks to an AI strategy and a fully redesigned IT architecture, it...
ChatGPT: Bureau Vallée’s recipe to capture back-to-school spending
By launching a conversational chatbot with Algolia and a new module converting school lists into e-commerce carts this summer, Bureau Vallée aims to ease the chore of back-to-school supply list...
With Claudeforce, Salesforce opens data to Anthropic and shifts into the conversational AI era
With the announcement of deep integration of the Claude LLM within the Salesforce ecosystem via MCP servers, SaaS software interfaces are fading in favour of AI agents. According to...
9 September 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind Retail
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Electronic shelf labels: why the US regulator threatens rollout
In the USA, the Federal Trade Commission has just required full transparency on the use of pricing algorithms based on personal data, under threat of penalties. In this regulatory framework...
2
E-commerce: click-through rate down by 5.4% since Google AIO launch in France
mind Retail has gained access to exclusive Ahrefs figures on the impact of Google "AI Overviews" responses for the e-commerce sector. Launched on July 22, 2026, in France as part of AI Mode, these...
3
From ChatGPT Ads to Amazon Alexa for Shopping: advertising in LLMs scales up in Europe
This summer, OpenAI successively rolled out its ChatGPT Ads platform in the UK and in 30 European countries. From formats used, CPM levels notably for FMCG products and the new role of GEO...
27 August 2026
4
With Claudeforce, Salesforce opens data to Anthropic and shifts into the conversational AI era
With the announcement of deep integration of the Claude LLM within the Salesforce ecosystem via MCP servers, SaaS software interfaces are fading in favour of AI agents. According to...
9 September 2026
5
Retail media & LLMs: navigating intent-driven and custom experiences
From store aisles to ChatGPT Ads placements, retail media is shifting away from traditional slots, formats and keywords toward intent-based targeting. Driven by lower access costs to LLMs, full...
31 August 2026
6
Facing SharkNinja’s hegemony, Carrefour and Darty gain ground on TikTok Shop
While Sephora follows in Ulta's footsteps on TikTok Shop in the US, mind Retail analyzed sellers performance in Q2 2026. Based on exclusive data from Lengow and Kalodata, this European market...
7 September 2026