Sang Haiou, regional general manager of Freshhema in Chongqing, with the brand mascot (photo by Yiling Wang)
By Keqiao Cheng, iChongqing News
Russian king crabs, Canadian lobsters, Norwegian salmons, Chilean cherries, Thai durians…Now for the citizens of Chongqing, they won’t worry about these fresh imported goods. Because whatever they want to eat, Alibaba’s Freshhema supermarket will deliver it immediately to their table.
The imported fresh seafood is the key product of the Freshhema (photo by Yiling Wang)
The first supermarket of Freshhema in Chongqing, located in the Wanhui Center (Jiangbei District), will open this Friday, December 21. Including the mentioned imported fresh products, there will be in total over 7,000 products available. In addition, the supermarket will offer a free delivery service for nearby areas.
Racks inside the supermarket (photo by Yiling Wang)
Chongqing is known for the hot and spicy food, so there was a question for the team before entering this city: how to deal with the local flavor with their key products, i.e. the fresh seafood?
For sure, the team came up with a solution. Like KFC or McDonald’s offering spicy chili seasoning in Chongqing, the store will also localize its products and services in Chongqing for better customer experience.
A localized dish of crab topped with Sichuan pepper (photo by Yiling Wang)
For instance, taro is an important ingredient in the local cuisine of Chongqing, so the Freshhema developed a series of new spicy dishes, whose ingredients include seafood and taro with spicy seasoning.
Customers are trying the new spicy seafood dishes in the Freshhema supermarket (photo by Yiling Wang)
Once you have bought the fresh seafood in the Freshhema, you can ask the staff to cook it immediately inside the supermarket. Counting the original flavors offered in the store, there will be over 50 flavors that the customers can choose from.
User experience, which is a priority for the Freshhema team, is enhanced through big data. For example, when customers shop through the app, their preferences are saved.
New user payment process (photo by Yiling Wang)
On one hand, analytics offer up a personalized product page for customers, and on the other side, machine algorithms plan delivery routes automatically. The barcodes not only let customers trace product origin and track delivery but are also a means for Alibaba to employ a smart supply-chain management system.
The smart conveyor belt system (video by Yiling Wang)
What's more, the supermarket doubles as a warehouse and the staff moves up and down the aisles with a scanner, reusable shopping bag and a special barcode for each order. They scan and pack up goods, putting the bags on a smart conveyor belt that carries orders to a delivery center adjacent to the store.
Alibaba’s innovative fulfillment model is exactly what allows it to deliver orders within 30 minutes.
Due to the terrain of Chongqing, sometimes the delivery man has to carry the purchase in a traditional way (courtesy of Freshhema)
In Chongqing, another problem for delivery was the unique mountainous terrain. The electric bicycles used in other cities for delivery don’t even work in Chongqing. To resolve this problem, the team decided to use the motorcycles to deliver in this city. Also, in order to resolve the problem of the last 100-meter distance to the customer’s home, the delivery men sometimes have to carry the purchase with a pole, just like the traditional bangbang porters of Chongqing.
As of now, the Freshhema has opened over 100 supermarkets in 16 cities in China. As for in Chongqing, Alibaba expected to open 50 stores in three years.
Address: 3F, Wanhui Center, No.40 Beicheng Tianjie, Jiangbei District, Chongqing
Opening hours: 9:00-22:00
Delivery hours: 8:00-20:30
By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
For any inquiries, please email service@ichongqing.info