Recently, Huawei’s second direct-sale store was opened at Nanjing East Road, Shanghai, it’s also the technology giant’s biggest flagship store to date, this “Urban Living Room” is approximately 5,000 square meters with 3 big floors.
This Huawei flagship store has already become the most tech-savvy check-in location on the walking street of Nanjing Road, where not only new products and technologies are brought together, but also many scenarios are built for customers to experience. Even this store itself is already part of the unique shopping experience: In an old Art Deco-style building that dates back to 1935, Huawei is reinvigorating a historic and cultural landmark with modern technology.
Moreover, It’s been nine months after Huawei opened its first direct-sale store in the world at The MixC World, Shenzhen in September 2019.
The suite life
Mintel Trends – “The Suite Life” explains how the next era of connectivity will see consumers adopt integrated ecosystems of products, services and digital goods that sync our homes, our cars and our bodies.
In fact, Chinese consumers have shown themselves to be open-minded towards new and smart technologies. However, there is still a wider imagination space about the home connect and those smart functions. When it comes to large home appliances, for instance, the majority of consumers expect a memory function (60%) and being controlled on mobile APPs (57%), while being voice-controlled (38%) and being connected to other home appliances (37%) rank at the bottom.
Prove It
Mintel Trends – “Prove It” highlights that consumers usually do their homework before purchase to know about products, while also expecting to see actual experiences in some real purchase.
Today, China is the world’s largest e-commerce market. Consumers can buy almost everything online on their smartphones, so they no longer have to shop at physical stores to get the things they need. However, Mintel’s research reveals that 59% of respondents still think it is essential to try digital products before buying. For home appliances, more consumers choose to buy at brick-and-mortar stores (59%) than online (55%), while buying personal electronics such as smartphones or wearables, the majority of Chinese consumers opt for online shopping (62%), and there are also many people who go to physical stores (53%).
What we think
The next step for brands — How the brands to position themselves as a lifestyle partner to consumers?
Over the past decade, Mintel Trends has closely tracked the retail transformation in China and around the world. A growing number of retailers are shifting the focus of their brick-and-mortar stores from selling products to showcasing holistic lifestyle solutions as part of their brand. This move is driven by a trend on Chinese consumers who are starting to move away from buying just products and towards the idea of investing in lifestyles that are focused around convenience, efficiency and enjoyability.
