Online offerings optimize experience

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has revamped one-fourth of RT-Mart International Ltd's nearly 400 supermarkets across China, having already synchronized its online and offline resources to merge customers' shopping experience.

Using Alibaba's Hema supermarket chain as a model, RT-Mart has rolled out a series of features aiming to improve the customer experience, including in-store fulfillment of online orders, interactive kiosks, and a selection of popular products from Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce website.

Thanks to a joint purchase agreement covering product sourcing between Hema and RT-Mart, customers can purchase products from Hema's Daily Fresh program. Meat, vegetables and dairy products are brought in and replaced each day to ensure that only the freshest items are available.

"Hema's product offerings complement RT-Mart's existing products, and online delivery also expands our customer base," said Yuan Bin, chief operating officer of RT-Mart's new retail business.

Shoppers can place selected items in a virtual shopping cart, complete transactions with the Alipay digital wallet and receive home deliveries within an hour within a three-kilometer radius.

Orders placed through RT-Mart's mobile app are fulfilled using inventory in the store - the same model Hema applies. The ordered items are placed on conveyor belts that carry the bags of groceries above the shopping floor to a dedicated area for packing and delivery.

As a participant in the June 18 shopping discount festival, RT-Mart supermarkets served as an offline battlefield for Alibaba users to purchase goods in brick-and-mortar stores, while enjoying discount coupons gained from online activities such as lucky draws.

The supermarket chain has also installed smart interactive displays that provide information on infant and maternity-related products from home and abroad. Customers can browse products on the gadget and make their purchases by scanning a QR code with their smartphones.