CHINA. Zhuhai Duty Free Group signed a cooperation agreement with Alibaba Group on 6 November to launch its first integrated smart retail platform.
Zhuhai Duty Free is collaborating with Alibaba Cloud and Intime Retail, the latter majority owned by Alibaba Group, to develop smart retail solutions aimed at enhancing the consumer shopping experience.
Mr Li Chong, Vice Mayor of Zhuhai, attended the official ceremony alongside other key leaders.
Zhuhai Duty Free is taking a step towards digital consumption, working with Alibaba Cloud in business cloud and artificial-intelligence scenario applications.
Zhuhai is collaborating with Intime Retail for the digital transformation of its retail business and the improvement of the consumer experience.
Zhuhai Duty Free Group Chairman Chen Hui delivered an opening speech. He said that Zhuhai Duty Free Group, the only municipal enterprise in Zhuhai with commercial trade as its core business, has been deeply involved in Zhuhai for more than 40 years.
He also highlighted that Zhuhai Duty Free is playing an important role in boosting consumption and promoting urban economic development.
Zhuhai is taking the lead in deploying and accelerating development in areas such as ‘smart city on the cloud’ and digital transformation. This provides broad prospects for the innovative development of Zhuhai Duty Free Group.
This alignment with Alibaba Cloud and Intime Retail demonstrates the group’s commitment to innovating consumer technologies.
Intime Retail has been an innovator and promoter of China’s traditional retail department store industry.
In recent years, the group has focused on building intelligent shopping malls through the digital restructuring of “people, goods and venues”, according to Intime Retail CEO Chen Xiaodong.
Xiaodong said: “This strategic cooperation with Zhuhai Duty Free Group is based on both parties’ deep insights and common pursuit of new retail trends.
“We believe that this strategic cooperation is not only an important milestone in the development of the two companies, but it will also inject new vitality into the development of Zhuhai’s consumer industry.”
Alibaba Cloud, as a leading cloud computing and artificial-intelligence technology company, has rich technical resources and strong innovation capabilities.
Alibaba Cloud General Manager for New Ecosystem South China Region Cheng Chuanke remarked: “We will make full use of Alibaba’s expertise in the retail industry, along with rich experience and practice in artificial intelligence.
“We’ll work with Zhuhai Duty Free Group to build a data-centric operating model to comprehensively enhance the consumer experience and achieve business growth and competitiveness.”
At the event, Zhuhai Duty Free also unveiled the results of its Mall Platform Project, the first ‘digital-realistic integrated intelligent retail platform’ in Zhuhai.
Zhuhai Duty Free Shopping Mall, a department store located in Jida Commercial Circle, has been a popular retail outlet for Zhuhai citizens for over 30 years.
At present, as the group’s pilot unit for digital and intellectual transformation in the large consumer business segment, the mall closely follows Zhuhai Duty Free’s transformation and development strategy.
The ‘digital-realistic integrated intelligent retail platform’ is a fusion of digital technology and physical retailing, an application that centres on consumer demand and enriches the consumption experience. It provides strong support for the technological transformation and innovative development of Zhuhai’s consumption industry.
As the next step, Zhuhai Duty Free Group will implement the Provincial Party Committee’s 1310 plan and the construction concept of a ‘smart city on the cloud’ proposed by the Zhuhai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government.
The group will closely focus on the strategic transformation of consumer technology and work with partners to comprehensively enhance quality and productivity, creating new consumption scenarios as the strategic development direction.
Technological and industrial innovation will resonate at the same frequency, leveraging the effectiveness of state-owned enterprises. Zhuhai Duty Free will realise the development vision of focusing on the duty-free business and the layout of the large consumption industry chain. ✈
