Online fresh food trend sweeps farmers' markets

Alibaba's Freshippo is leading the way in reshaping offline markets by serving consumers who live within a 3 km radius.

In the store, workers can be seen moving around picking from shelves, filling reusable bags they clip to a conveyor belt that runs across the ceiling to where orders are collated and packaged up. Scooter drivers then get the orders to consumers within 30 minutes.

Zhao Ping, an expert with the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said nowadays Chinese farmers' markets are making themselves more attractive due to external challenges mainly caused by online groceries.

Farmers' markets in the eastern city of Nanjing, for instance, are promoting mobile payment, quality control and store refurbishment, with every stall attached with a QR code, through which consumers can know exactly the source and date of food and even the social credit record of the vendor.

"Traditional farmers' markets may still have a place in the huge fresh food market by improving customer experience and ensuring quality. Selling online is also a smart choice," Zhao said.