The Myth and Ordinary of Hema Fresh: The problem of queuing for freshness is difficult to solve

　　With the growth rate of delivery in the "last mile" and the support of big data application, the new retail model has gradually been accepted by the public and entered the norm. In early June, the first Hema Fresh in Beijing opened a trial business, which attracted widespread attention in the industry. In addition, it is reported that JD.com will also open a store similar to Hema Fresh near its headquarters, and Meituan is also planning a new retail project, Zhangyu Fresh. Why is new retail valued by so many companies? Where is the "new" of Hema Fresh ?

　　Pay for "fresh"

　　Currently, Hema Fresh only has one store in Beijing, but an industry insider who did not want to be named said that the rest of Hema's stores are in preparation and will be opened soon. The first store of Hema Fresh is located in Xincheng Plaza, Chaoyang District. Its business area exceeds 10,000 square meters, and half of the area is used for catering services. The store has more than 8,000 products. Unlike other supermarkets, Hema Fresh focuses on seafood products. The first thing you see when you enter the store is a large area of ​​aquatic products, while the rest of the fast-moving consumer goods products are on both sides of the aquatic products. It is worth noting that in-store purchases can be processed and ready to eat directly in the processing area.

　　In other products, Hema Fresh is slightly cheaper than ordinary supermarkets. After comparison, it was found that the 450ml fruit orange of Meijuyuan costs 2 yuan/bottle, while the traditional supermarket price is 3-4 yuan/bottle, and the 1.4-1.6kg live Russian king crab costs 588 yuan, which is about half the price of traditional supermarkets; the current hot-selling Zespri New Zealand gold kiwi fruit, 4 large pieces (single fruit weighs about 130g+) is priced at 27.9 yuan, and the ordinary fruit supermarket price is about 10 yuan (100g/piece). In addition to traditional goods, the reporter also found that imported goods have a higher regional price, which is almost the same as cross-border e-commerce physical stores.

　　After visiting the reporter, it was found that nearby residents came to shop mainly for the sake of "freshness". The "fresh" here refers to both the fresher aquatic products and the fresher shopping methods of new retail. The reporter noticed that the store used a suspension chain system with independent property rights to ensure that the goods were delivered within 3 kilometers in 30 minutes.

　　The payment methods are also quite diversified, and you can check out by yourself on the Hema App to avoid the trouble of queuing. It is worth mentioning that Hema Fresh promises that all Hema Fresh stores, including Shilibao Store, will implement "forever unconditional returns". In terms of specific operations, if consumers are not satisfied with the product, they do not need to go to the store specifically. They just need to click on the return on the App side. The previously paid amount can be returned to the consumer's "pocket" through Alipay. Although this new service initiative of Hema Fresh has many "fresh" feelings, in comparison, the store signal is poor and can only be checked out through WiFi connection, which is more difficult for the elderly to operate.

　　Previously, Ms. Peng, who lives in Chaoyang District, reported that delivery cannot be carried out in her area. In fact, Hema Fresh can only be delivered within 3 kilometers, and it cannot be delivered within 3 kilometers. After opening the app, the reporter found that Hema Fresh will also give corresponding tips if it is not in the delivery area. If people in other areas want to experience Hema Fresh can only go shopping in the store or wait for the new store to open.

　　Queuing problem is difficult to solve

　　Previously, customers reported that every evening, there would be fishy smell in the aquatic product area and there would be many flies. After visiting, it was found that no such phenomenon occurred. However, queuing has become an inevitable problem for Hema Fresh. There are long queues in the processing and checkout area of ​​the restaurant every time they arrive at the restaurant. A consumer at the forefront of the line said that he had been waiting here for nearly 20 minutes. "Recently, there are many people queuing up to process seafood every time it's time to eat, especially during dinner."

　　Although Hema Fresh can place orders on the App to purchase in-store products to avoid the hassle of queuing up, the aquatic products, one of Hema Fresh's main categories, have a small processing area, and the processing services are currently in short supply. Hema Fresh only provides cooked services for those who purchase aquatic products in the store, and cannot purchase cooked services online.

　　But overall, most supermarkets cannot process on-site now. Many consumers are rushing to experience it in the opening stage, and may improve in the future. However, there are many consumers with fixed needs. In order to enjoy the convenience, they will choose in-store processing methods for a long time. Hema needs to solve the waiting time of this part of consumers. At present, it seems that the queuing problem is still difficult to solve.

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