Alibaba new retail experience shop opens in Haikou

A shop assistant holds imported lobsters at Alibaba's new retail experience shop in Haikou. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Alibaba, a domestic e-commerce giant, opened a new retail experience shop in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, on Sept 28. 

The move is the enterprise's facilitation of Hainan's construction of the China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone and a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. It is also a new achievement of Haikou's 100-day investment attraction activity launched on May 20.

Consumers pick fresh seafood at Alibaba's new retail experience shop in Haikou. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The shop is located in Longhua district and covers an area of about 5,000 sq m with 6,000 products on sale. It features fresh imported seafood and 30-minute free delivery. Consumers can not only take the king crabs and lobsters home, but also can ask sellers to cook them for them after purchasing, which greatly preserves freshness and flavor.    

It is worth mentioning that the shop has a suspension chain extending from the purchasing area to the warehouse, which is the secret of the intra-city express delivery. After online ordering, shop assistants will select specific goods and send them to the packaging area via the suspension chain. Goods in the same route will be automatically distributed into one box relying on a data flow system and the delivery period is usually within 20 minutes.

The shop has opened over 80 branches in 16 cities. It plans to realize full coverage in the Haikou urban area with at least 15 outlets.

Consumers queue to use the self-service checkout machine. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]