Mobile shopping apps: the next paradigm in O2O development

Transcription

1 China Retail / China E-Commerce Mobile shopping apps: the next paradigm in O2O development Cases: Miaojie app of Alibaba / Feifan app of Wanda, Tencent and Baidu November 2015 Asia Distribution and Retail Fung Business Intelligence Centre

2 Introduction In today s O2O era, mobile apps have become a popular shopping channel for customers. Retailers are putting more efforts in devising their mobile strategies. One recent O2O trend is the application of shopping apps in selected shopping malls and department stores. Thanks to new retail technologies such as location-based beacon technology, retail operators in China can leverage mobile shopping apps to understand consumer in-app behavior and provide better shopping experience. These shopping apps provide one-stop-shop services including in-store navigation, promotions and events notification, mobile payment, restaurant booking services, reward programs, to name just a few. Some retail operators in China have started to launch shopping apps and test new technologies that may revolutionize the entire retail eco-system. Currently, there are two common ways to do so lining up with third-party shopping app developers, or developing the shopping app for its own retail chain. Alibaba s Miaojie app ( 喵 街 ) and Wanda s Feifan app ( 飞 凡 ) can best illustrate the two models respectively. The Fung Business Intelligence Centre (FBIC) visited some department stores and shopping malls in Beijing in October 2015 and tried out both the Miaojie app and Feifan app. This newsletter highlights the major features and functionalities of mobile shopping apps and summarizes our experiences with the shopping apps. 2

3 Mobile shopping apps revolutionize the retail experience With the advent of beacons, which are Bluetooth-powered sensors that can monitor user activity and send messages to consumer smartphones, retailers are able to create mobile apps that can deliver location-specific information, such as current deals and coupons, and other personalized services. Mobile shopping is popular in China, so is shopping app. Chinese consumers, particular the tech-savvy younger generation, like to use app that provides a plethora of services and functionalities. They not only use mobile app to look for product information and receive location-specific discounts, but also use it as a payment tool to buy products in-store, purchase movie tickets, etc. Over recent years, increasing numbers of retailers in China are adopting innovative technologies to better engage with their mobile customers and enhance customer experience. Many are launching shopping app equipped with beacons technology to create individualized, in-store experience for customers. At the same time, they are using the app to collect customer information and carry our data analytics. Once customers access the app via retail operator s WiFi-network, the retailer can have instant visibility to what is happening in the store, how many customers are there in the store and where they are. Such real-time big data allow the retailer to carry out personalized target marketing campaigns and attentive services that can help elevate customer experience. This also helps increase conversion rates and drive up sales of the malls or departments stores. 3

4 Common in-app features and services offered by mobile shopping apps Thanks to built-in geolocation technology, consumers can download the shopping apps on their smartphones, and can enjoy both in-store and out-of store benefits at their fingertips. Common features and major functions of the shopping apps: Using in-store WiFi Receiving events and current deals in-store Supporting mobile payment such as Alipay Wallet and WeChat Payment Redeeming presents with reward points Showing the shopping malls and department stores nearby with respective distance based on user s location. Showing events, promotions and discount information of each shopping mall and department store Showing the parking information of participating shopping malls Allow customers to follow favourite shops and receiving latest promotion activities from the shops In-store navigation function Store finder function Restaurant booking function Movie tickets purchasing function Source: Fung Business Intelligence Centre 4

5 Miaojie App of Alibaba What is Miaojie app? Alibaba launched the Miaojie app on May 30, It works as a third-party shopping app incorporated with beacon and WiFi technologies, linking together shopping malls, department stores and consumers. In September 2015, Alibaba partnered with Beijing Capital Retailing Group (Beijing Capital) to roll out the Miaojie app in selected shopping malls and department stores under Beijing Capital 1. As of October 2015, 40 shopping malls and department stores have partnered with the Miaojie platform, including major department stores in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Ningbo, Beijing, Shaoxing, Shenzhen, and Huzhou. During the Golden Week national holiday (October 1-7) in 2015, the Miaojie app offered a number of promotion activities to lure consumers to download the app, and to receive cash coupons and the app-specific discounts. During the period, more than 690,000 users used the app and over 3,000 brands offered discounts to consumers via the app. Total transaction value of the 40 shopping malls and department stores amounted to 160 million yuan during the week 2. Miaojie also launched a walking campaign during the promotion period in the Golden Week national holiday whereby consumers can earn miles during their shopping in the designated malls, which can be exchanged to reward points. They can redeem drinks offered by Coca Cola and Starbucks with the reward points. 85,000 users have reportedly participated in the event 3. The event has successfully lengthened the time shoppers spending in the malls and increased their frequency of visits. Major features and functions offered in the Miaojie app for Xidan Department store: In-store navigation Store finder Payment 5

6 How does the Miaojie app work? The Miaojie app offers different functionalities for different participating in different malls. The FBIC has visited Xidan Department Store in Beijing in early October 2015 to try out the Miaojie app When we launched the Miaojie app for Xidan Department Store outside the department store, the nearest department store in the Miaojie network i.e. Xidan Department Store was shown on the app City tab: Enables users to choose the designated city and department store/mall Home tab: Miaojie homepage My circle tab: Customers can subscribe and get the latest promotion activities of favorite malls/ news on favorite themes Me tab: Summarizes customers information including member information, reward points, discounts of brands Nearest department store or shopping mall in the Miaojie network appeared Upon entering the department store, the app showed the homepage of Xidan department store. The homepage shows all the functionalities and services provided by the app In-store navigation tab: Shows the nearest route to 8 get to the designated shop Search tab: Enables customers to search the designated shops and facilities Payment tab: Pays with Alipay Wallet Discount tab: Shows all the promotion activities and discounts offered by different brands Promotion area: Shows the latest promotions and discounts of brands Homepage of Xidan Department Store 6

7 My circle Customers can subscribe latest news and promotions offered by Xidan Department Store and its tenants. Discount tab Vero Moda was launching a promotion of having 30 yuan discount for spending over 100 yuan until end-october. In-store navigation tab In-store navigation tab displays the floor map of Xidan Department Store. Customers can find brands and products easily. Me tab This page summarizes customers information including member information, reward points, discount coupons, special offers/privileges, order history, etc. 7

8 Xidan Department Store Country of origin: China Location: Xidan District, Beijing Opening year:1930 Group: Beijing Capital Retailing Group Co., Ltd. Listing date: 1996 Retail format: Department Store No. of floors: 7 Area: 42,000 sqm Market positioning: Mid-end Adjacency: Joy City, Galeries Lafayette Beijing, Beijing Xidan Shopping Center, Grand Pacific Mall, Beijing Hanguang Department Store Transportation: Subway, bus Website: B2C Website: (not accessible now) Weibo: Observations: Major target consumer groups are female aged above 40 Xidan Department Store Map of Xidan District 5F Leather goods 4F B1 Menswear, outdoor wear, down, electronics Women s apparels, bags, underwear, woollen wear Women s shoes, accessories, young fashion, sportswear Cosmetics, gold, jewelery, watch, sportswear Children s wear, toys, sportswear B2 Supermarket 3F 2F 1F Floor plan In-store promotion of the Miaojie app in Xidan Department Store 8 In-store free WiFi in Xidan Department

9 Mobile shopping apps revolutionize the retail experience Going forward, the Miaojie app may integrate with other Alibaba products such as finance, banking, communication and travel products in terms of membership systems and reward points system. Moreover, the reward points of Miaojie will be further integrated with existing membership systems of other retailers such as Intime Department Store and Wangfujing Department Store 4. Alibaba targets to extend the Miaojie app service to 1,000 malls in 15 cities by the end of Alibaba has launched a joint upgrade marching plan (JUMP) to line up shopping malls and department stores. Medium-sized and smaller-sized malls, department stores with single store, and malls in the Tier 3- and Tier 4- cities are also Alibaba s target. According to Alibaba, they have a team to provide technical support to the retailers to upgrade their beacon and WiFi infrastructure in the malls 6. Malls cooperating with Miaojie platform can minimize costs on product investment, and they can also leverage on the resources and traffic on Miaojie to provide more personalized experience for customers. Miaojie provides a cost effective way for physical stores to embrace the Internet. --- Guo Dalu, CEO of Miaojie 9

10 Feifan App of Wanda What is Feifan app? The Feifan app was developed by an e-commerce company Feifan established jointly by Wanda Group, one of China s largest commercial property and retail conglomerates, and leading Internet players Baidu and Tencent in August The Feifan app was officially launched by the company in July 31, Similar to the Miaojie app, the Feifan app aims to provide customers one-stop-shop experience. The Feifan app has been well-received by customers. During the promotion campaign with Beijing Tongzhou Wanda Plaza from July 31 to August 2,more than 87,400 downloads of the Feifan app were recorded and total number of transactions amounted to 48,900. Daily transaction value reached over 10 million yuan 7. As of end-september, the number of downloads of Feifan exceeded 252, Wanda targets to extend the Feifan app service to 370 major shopping malls and department stores by the end of 2015, reaching a user base of 100 million. In the future, it is expected to integrate with the members in the Wanda, Tencent and Baidu system, and all the existing membership system of the department stores and shopping malls within the Feifan network 10. Major features and functions offered in the Feifan app for Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall: Currently, the Feifan app is applicable in selected Wanda shopping malls and department stores in 67 cities, as well as in Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall, in which Wanda Group involved in the operation of the mall. Over 6,900 brands have reported joined the Feifan network as of July Store finder Free WiFi Participate in promotion events In-store navigation Parking Navigation Restaurant queuing Signing-in to get reward points 10

11 How does the Feifan app work? The FBIC has visited Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall in early October 2015 to try out the Feifan app. Similar to the Miaojie app, it offers different functionalities for different participating in different malls. When we launched the Feifan app for Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall outside the mall, the nearest department store in the Feifan network i.e. Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall was shown on the app Nearest department store or shopping mall in the Feifan network appears 1 City tab: Enables customers to choose the designated city and shopping store/shopping mall 2 Home tab: Feifan homepage 3 Lehuo tab: Displays sales promotion activities, recent movies; customers can search for restaurants in the shopping mall. 4 Me tab: Summarizes customers information including member information, reward points, order history, mobile payment information, parking information, restaurant queuing information, etc. Upon entering the mall, the app showed the homepage of Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall. The homepage displayed all the functionalities and services provided by the app. 5 Search tab: Enables customers to search the designated shops and facilities 6 WiFi tab: Displays free WiFi network provide by the mall 7 Shake tab: Customers can participate in the events of the shops nearby by shaking their smartphone 8 In-store navigation tab: Shows the nearest route to get to the designated shop 9 Parking navigation tab: Shows parking navigation with parking payment function 10 Restaurant booking tab: Enables customers to make reservation and queue for restaurants 11 Sign-in tab: Consumers can sign in and get reward points Homepage of Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall 11

12 In-store navigation tab In-store navigation tab displays the floor map of Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall. Customers can find brands and products easily. Shake tab Customers can participate in the events of the shops nearby with a shake. Parking navigation tab Customers can enter their vehicle registration plate number before visiting the mall, the app will then assign a parking space to the customers. Customers can also pay the parking fee via the app. Restaurant booking tab Customers can check if seats are available. They can also enter their reservation details in the app and will receive notification when their turn arrives. 12

13 Signing-in tab Customers can sign-in and get reward points Lehuo Consumers can view the latest sales promotion activities, search for recent movies and restaurants Me tab Summarizes customers information including member information, reward points, order history, comments, mobile payment information, parking information, restaurant queuing information, etc. Wanda can take advantage of both its offline resources its physical store network - and its online resources Feifan app - to provide a total solution for retailing in the Internet plus era. The success of Wanda s physical stores provides a solid foundation for the development of its online business. --- Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Wanda Group 13

14 Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall Country of origin: China Location: Taiyanggong, Chaoyang District, Beijing Opening year:2013 Group: Redstar Commerce Retail format: Shopping mall Floor number: 9 (including car park) Area: 130,000 sqm Market positioning: Mid- to high-end Adjacency: Parkson Department Store Transportation: Subway, bus Website: Weibo: Observations: Many children related facilities, playing areas, sculptures of cartoon characters, etc.; mainly targeting families In-store promotion of the Feifan app map of Chaoyang District 6F Food and beverage, cinema 5F Food and beverage, KTV 4F Food and beverage 3F Children-related facilities, children s wear 2F Fashion 1F Fast fashion, shoes, children playing area B1 Supermarket B2/3 Car park Floor plan 14 In-store free WiFi in Beijing Aegean Shopping Mall.

15 Third-party vs. self-developed app: each with its own advantages Third-party shopping app such as Alibaba s Miaojie is an easier approach for retail operators who do not want to spend much time and resources to develop and maintain its own app. Unlike in the U.S. market, China s department stores and shopping malls market is rather fragmented, the number of stores even for the major players is limited. It might be more cost effective to adopt third-party shopping apps. The Miaojie platform also provides a fast and effective way for small-scale retailers to launch O2O strategies which otherwise may not have enough resources to do so. A major benefit for retailer operators is that they can leverage the massive traffic of the third-party shopping app to generate more traffic to their own app. It is also convenient for shoppers to download just one app which can link to different shopping malls and department stores. However, to get connected to the app, the malls need to equip with its own beacon and build its own WiFi infrastructure. By contrast, self-developed app requires retailers to devote more time and resources to design and come up with the app. But with the selfowned app, retail operators are able to monitor how their apps are performing and make continual improvement and in turn, deliver the experience users expect. For retail conglomerate such as Wanda, its self-developed Feifan app helps create synergies between the company s shopping malls, department stores, cinemas, KTV, etc by sharing customer data. Also, with the partnership with Tencent and Baidu, the shopping app is expected to become an even more powerful tool with more relevant in-app features in the near future. 15

16 Mobile shopping apps to see huge growth potential Mobile is transforming the retail landscape faster in China than any other places. Growth of mobile shopping has been phenomenal in China. iresearch predicted that 62% of online purchases in China will be made on mobile devices by 2018, as Chinese consumers are increasingly dependent on mobile devices to access the Internet for shopping guidance and transactions. Currently, the development of shopping apps in China is still in its infancy, but the FBIC believes the shopping apps would play a more important role in the Internet Plus era and in facilitating O2O integration. It may revolutionize the ways retailers operate their businesses and how consumers shop. Some retailers in China are already using mobile shopping apps to carry out location-based, geofencing marketing campaigns and optimize their in-store experience. More retailers are expected to do so in the coming months. The up-coming Singles Day promotion period, in particular, would be a good opportunity for retailers to test and promote their shopping apps, and for shoppers to explore the various aspects of the apps. 16

17 References 1. Beijing Capital Retailing Group to cooperate with Alibaba Miaojie app. 29 September, People.cn Miaojie app to launch in 40 malls in 9 cities. 8 October, Linkshop Miaojie app to launch in 40 malls in 9 cities. 8 October, Linkshop Miaojie 2.0 launched. 29 June, Ebrun Miaojie to be launched nationally. 28 July, Winshang Miaojie 2.0 launched. 29 June, Ebrun Introduction of Feifan. 31 July, 2015 Winshang Feifan users exceeded 1.5 million. 23 September, China.com Introduction of Feifan. 31 July, 2015 Winshang Introduction of Feifan. 31 July, 2015 Winshang. 17

18 Contacts Asia Distribution and Retail Teresa Lam Vice President (852) Christy Li Research Manager (852) Fung Business Intelligence Centre 10/F LiFung Tower 888 Cheung Sha Wan Road Kowloon, Hong Kong T: (852) F: (852) E: Copyright 2015 The Fung Business Intelligence Centre. All rights reserved. The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Though the Fung Business Intelligence Centre endeavours to ensure the information provided in this publication is accurate and updated, no legal liability can be attached as to the contents hereof. Reproduction or redistribution of this material without prior written consent of the Fung Business Intelligence Centre is prohibited. 18