Unless its Chinese companies that bring such innovations to our markets (e.g. TikTok Shop) they won't really happen, based on what I have seen in the past 15 years.

I always say that the statement that China is 5 years ahead is nonsense. Why, because that statement assumes that we will have the same as China in 5 years. I think this is a wrong assumption.

AFTER JOYBUY, WHAT WILL BE THE NEXT CHINESE WEBSHOP?

In a recent interview, I was asked an interesting question. ‘We have had AliExpress, Shein and Temu. Now that Joybuy has arrived, should we expect more Chinese platforms?’
chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/after-joyb...

Is niet zo relevant meer als het straks grotendeels uit lokale magazijnen komt.

Waarde van bestedingen in Chinese webshops zullen gaan stijgen. Mark my words. 😉

WHY DID COMMUNITY GROUP BUYING FAIL?

In a recent article, instant retail expert Lao Zhang shared some interesting things about CGB.

Read some excerpts from the article on China Digital Retail Report: substack.com/@chinadigita...

THE ‘NEW’ BATTLE: IN-STORE GROUP-BUYING
Wasn’t that settled in the ‘1000 Groupon Battle’ in the early 2010s? Well, yes. Meituan came out on top, but the war is on again, with Alibaba entering this space at the start of 2026.
Read more on China Digital Retail Report: substack.com/@chinadigita...

In Temu Watch #13, I examine Temu’s adjusted pricing strategy, developments in competition and Temu’s GMV and profitability status. I also take a close look at what to expect from the platform in 2026. I wrap up the report with a summary video.
chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/report-tem...

LEGO BANS DISTRIBUTORS SELLING ON TEMU, SHEIN AND ALIEXPRESS
There are three reasons for this move.
Read more and learn how other brands are bound to follow. substack.com/@chinadigita...

Not sure what the 'lies' are you are referring to. But yes, many goods get made in China and exported around the world. The price differences are created by logistics and middlemen that add their own margins. However, be aware that Chinese webshops often discount goods to 'buy marketshare'.

No, these are not F1 drivers' racing suits...
To find out what's going on here, check out this Note on China Digital Retail Report: substack.com/@chinadigita...

They have already been in Europe since 2022, it was just called Ochama before (and wasn't very successful).

Headline is more shocking than the facts.
"Its workforce fell sharply after it sold its offline retail businesses in Sun Art and Intime." At one point, these two offline retailers made up about half of Alibaba's headcount.

Why JD needs to do a better job with Joybuy - Part 2: Joybuy 'Beta' Or 'How to Lose Customers and Annoy People'.

Why JD needs to do a better job with Joybuy - Part 2: Joybuy 'Beta'

Would Joybuy do better? In this second article, I evaluate Joybuy’s first year, from the day the website went live in the UK to the formal launch on March 16th.

chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/why-jd-nee...

Mag ik raden? 😉

The rest of the countries were not ready yet, so they claimed all sites were in 'beta' until they send out a press release yesterday that it was officially launched. Besides the UK, Joybuy was even operating under the name Ochama since 2022.

A RANT ABOUT JD’S JOYBUY
substack.com/@chinadigita...

Today, JD's European website is officially launching after Ochama was rebranded in August, and Joybuy has been in 'beta phase' for a year.
In a series of articles, I examine how JD needs to do a much better job than it has in the past 5 years.
chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/why-jdcom-...

AI AGENT IN WECHAT - CAN IT BE A WINNER?
An interesting perspective on whether traffic or fulfilment capabilities will be a decisive factor and how successful WeChat could be.
substack.com/@chinadigita...

This week in China Digital Retail Report, I’m summarising and commenting on two interesting articles on instant retail in the Chinese business press.

▶️ Meituan’s alcohol-delivery service
▶️ A comparison between Sam’s Club, Hema and ALDI

chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/media-in-c...

AI CAUSES COLLAPSE OF LIVE-ACTION SHORT DRAMA STUDIOS

What’s going on? I have published a shortened version of a Tech Planet article on China Digital Retail Report.
substack.com/@chinadigita...

Coming up this week in the China Digital Retail Report newsletter:
▶️ In China, a Crooked Horse Delivers Your Booze in 15 minutes
▶️ Sam’s Club, Aldi & Alibaba's Hema: Different Paths, Same Destination

Subscribe here:
chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/subscribe

WHY 3.000 FRONT-END WAREHOUSE ORDERS IS BETTER THAN 5,000
Why does Pupu Supermarket, a front-end warehouse format instant retail player in southern China, have 3,000 orders per warehouse rather than 5,000?
Find out in a new note on China Digital Retail Report.
substack.com/@chinadigita...

Spring Festival saw Tencent, Alibaba and Bytedance poor an estimated RMB 10 billion into campaigns that tried to get consumers to use their AI apps. Red envelopes (basically discounts) were flowing freely to trigger such onboarding.
Read more:
chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/media-spri...

Nee, vind ik niet gek, voldoet volledig aan m'n verwachting. ;-)

Earlier this month, I was a guest on the Let’s Talk Marketplace podcast.
We discussed JD’s acquisition of Ceconomy (owner of the Media Markt and Saturn consumer electronics retail chains), the lack of success of its Ochama business, and the relaunch of its Joybuy brand.

Maar misschien niet zo handig om dat onder het CMG merk te doen als het Chinees Nieuwjaar betreft.

I'll be in China in April and July, but in between, the June 2026 tour is starting to shape up nicely. 😉

vnc-china.nl
diysummit.org
ecommerceday.de/en
k5.de

INSTANT RETAIL’S 60 BILLION YUAN CLUB
After Meituan took over Dingdong Maicai (see my article here), they became a member of the ’60 billion yuan club’. Read more here: substack.com/@chinadigita...

[Media] Coffee price war ends, instant retail battle continues... ... and Pinduoduo joins the battle.

Coffee price war ends, instant retail battle continues...

This week's China Digital Retail Report just dropped.

▶️ Cotti Coffee ends the price war
▶️ Alibaba announced doubling down on instant retail
▶️ Pinduoduo is joining the battle.

chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/media-coff...